Masai Ujiri, visibly shaken, settled into his seat atop the stage that had been set for him at Scotiabank Arena as the first prayers and eulogies in remembrance of Dikembe Mutombo were trickling in,
Players, coaches and league executives from around the NBA have been taking to social media to honor the late Mutombo, who passed away on Monday at the age of 58 after a battle with brain cancer.
Ujiri, the Raptors president of baseball operations, was in front of the packed house that had assembled for the team’s media day, was processing the death of his friend and mentor.
“I just heard the news,” Ujiri began, his voice shaking.
“Today is not a good day— not a good day for sports, for us, for us in Africa,” he continued. “But we will celebrate him big. Big. Because he set a path for us…”
Mutombo’s defensive exploits led to eight All-Star selections, four Defensive Player of the Year awards and one first-class ticket into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. His swatting blocks, his Herculean rim protection and, of course, his wagging finger, were iconic.
An emotional Ujiri, though, hardly spoke of the big man’s basketball prowess.
“He did so much for us,” Ujiri said. “For the continent of Africa. For his people.”
The Raptors GM shared stories and memories about traveling with Mutombo to his home country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
He spoke of visiting the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, which Mutombo built on the outskirts of his home city, the Congolese capital of Kinshasa, and named after his late mother.
He spoke of the court they had built together at a school in Mbuji-Mayi, the pre-K through 6th-grade Samuel Mutombo Institute of Science, named after his late father.
He spoke of their work together, leading Basketball Without Borders and Giants Of Africa— of innumerable years and unrelenting efforts dedicated to growing the sport and enriching the lives of boys and girls up and down his home continent.
“As big as his big shoes were,” Ujiri said, as big as his hands were, he was bigger as a person. His heart was bigger.”
