Dikembe Mutombo injures knee

[El Jefe]

Just watched Mutombo go down in the Houston@Portland game. Fighting Greg Oden for position under the basket, he went down in a heap clutching his knee and was taken off on a stretcher.

No definitive word yet, but judging by the way he went down combined with his age, surely that's the end of the career for one of the longest tenured players in the league.

[Juanobili]

pretty likely

[Strike]

Does that make oden the oldest player in the league now?

[Spursmania]

Wow-I hate it when players go down due to injury. Hope he's ok.

[Allanon]

Man, I watched that, it looked pretty bad.

He's a cool dude and that finger wag is classic, too bad he'll probably be out for the rest of the Playoffs.

[lefty]

Does that make oden the oldest player in the league now?
:rollin

But seriously, this has career over written all over it

[balli]

:depressed

[Strike]

:rollin

But seriously, this has career over written all over it

At his age, book it.

[lurker]

Anyone else notice how Artest was just chilling on the bench while the rest of the team was on the court surrounding Dikembe?

[JamStone]

I would do the same thing. Unless you have a medical care background, what the hell is standing around the guy going to do? Give the man space and let the medical staff take care of him.

[Strike]

I would do the same thing. Unless you have a medical care background, what the hell is standing around the guy going to do? Give the man space and let the medical staff take care of him.

Agreed. If you're not helping him medically you're just in the way.

[sook]

Man that was just as bad as Yao going down last season...what this man did for us I can't put into words. Not playing the entire seasonand coming in after Yao went down last year was incredible. One of the greatest defensive players of all time. Its a shame he didn't go to Boston, he would have really helped them win this season. Thanks for sticking it out with us Mutumbo, you have been one of the most Loyal and Kind hearted players to ever put on your uniform. Take it easy.

[sook]

btw, major props to the portland fans for being classy...Deke...and all of us really appreciated that.

[Strike]

I would give him a hall of fame vote if I had one to give.

The :nope always annoyed me but that aside, one of the greats.

[baseline bum]

Sucks. Deke looks like he could practically play into his 50s. Crazy how at 43 he's still a top backup bigman. If this is it, :toast to an amazing career, Deke!

[exstatic]

Sucks. Deke looks like he could practically play into his 50s. Crazy how at 43 he's still a top backup bigman. If this is it, :toast to an amazing career, Deke!

If Dikembe is only 43, I'm 27 again. Look at him, and look at DRob. Deke looks OLD. There have always been rumors that his age was falsified to get him into G-Town, in the downward direction.

[iilluzioN]

any videos of this?

its sad to end it this way... I wanted to watch him atleast one more time

[IronMexican]

Classy move by the Blazer fans.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

That really sucks. If any old schooler has earned the right to retire on his own terms it's Dikembe. Shame if he's lost that tonight.

[Strike]

They initially said it's a "knee sprain". I saw it buckle. More than a sprain in my opinion.

[Indazone]

He has a strained knee. I hope it's not too serious and looked worse than it really was and he can come back and help us in this last playoffs for him.

[IronMexican]

They always call it a strain because all they have right now are x-rays. Once they look at the ligaments, you will get a better idea of what he's dealing with.

[Allanon]

The good thing is it seemed to buckle in the normal direction, not the other way, that would have been really bad.

[Strike]

The good thing is it seemed to buckle in the normal direction, not the other way, that would have been really bad.

+1. I'd hate to see the career of such a class guy end this way. Would have been like David Robinson retiring after being carted off from another back injury.

[peskypesky]

sounds like when Zo went down. i was watching that game, and he went down, and you knew when he left the court, you'd never see him again in a uniform. you just knew.

[lil_penny]

Sucked to see him go down, he's always been one of my favorites and was glad to see him with the rox this year. I was hoping it wasn't going to be bad but replays showed it was kinda ugly looking and he looked to be in a lot of pain.. I was really happy though to see portland fans giving him the respect he deserves.

[Roxsfan]

Knee strain. Ice that mother fucker, put a knee-brace on, and a steroid injection and let's roll.....

seriously get well Deke.

[Strike]

Knee strain. Ice that mother fucker, put a knee-brace on, and a steroid injection and let's roll.....

seriously get well Deke.

Hope that's all it is. I wanna see him walk off the floor when he's damn good and ready.

[Roxsfan]

Hope that's all it is. I wanna see him walk off the floor when he's damn good and ready.

that's what they're saying for now. He will have further tests and I'm sure they will announce whether he can play any more games or what not in the second round perhaps?

[Amaso]

He had a great career, and was a dominant defensive presence for the 36years he was in the league. One of the greatest guys off the court, it was tough watching him in pain like that, almost as bad as watching Yao go down last season.

[Strike]

He had a great career, and was a dominant defensive presence for the 36years he was in the league. One of the greatest guys off the court, it was tough watching him in pain like that, almost as bad as watching Yao go down last season.

I realize the dude is hurt, which ain't funny. But that ^ is! :lol

[VBM]

This is the worst I've heard so far. Torn patellar tendon.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineSt...21#STORY_18185

I was at a watch party for the Rockets game at Toyota Center tonight. The crowd just went silent when Mutombo went down. I usually don't get too caught up in injuries to these ballplayers, but I felt really bad for Deke, esp. since this is his final season and he had to leave the court for the final time on a stretcher.

You're one of the best Deke, both on and off the court. Thanks for a great career.

[Dr. Gonzo]

Mutombo is still alive?

[Zee Laker]

wow thats really sad. Deke didnt deserve to go out like this. Get well old man

[Morg1411]

Hopefully he'll be all right. Hang in there, Deke!

[Mugen]

deke is the shit.

[lil_penny]

Portland news just said after the game deke announced his retirement... any houston fans in here to confirm this??? Didn't wanna see deke go out like this.

[VBM]

Portland news just said after the game deke announced his retirement... any houston fans in here to confirm this??? Didn't wanna see deke go out like this.

See my post above...that fits with what he said...damn

[Indazone]

I watched Deke's announcement on local TV. He was interviewed in the lockerroom and his eyes were red. He admitted to crying when he was down on the floor because he knew his NBA career was over. He said he had a lot to be happy for, his finals appearances, defensive player of the year awards, and many many happy memories. He said he was sad it had to end like this but that's the way it goes and he will always have stories for his children and many happy memories of his career in the NBA. They asked him if there was any chance he could come back and play and he said no, this was it.

Sad that he had to go out that way.

[Blame Tracy]

According to Clutchfans, his career is over now, he said it in his own words.

[Strike]

That sucks.

[Mugen]

I watched Deke's announcement on local TV. He was interviewed in the lockerroom and his eyes were red. He admitted to crying when he was down on the floor because he knew his NBA career was over. He said he had a lot to be happy for, his finals appearances, defensive player of the year awards, and many many happy memories. He said he was sad it had to end like this but that's the way it goes and he will always have stories for his children and many happy memories of his career in the NBA. They asked him if there was any chance he could come back and play and he said no, this was it.

Sad that he had to go out that way.

thats really lame.

class act and a true pro. heres to a great career zeke :toast

[VBM]

PORTLAND, Ore. – Perhaps the biggest highlight of Dikembe Mutombo’s career came during the 1994 playoffs when he was lying on the floor holding a ball in the air in joy after leading the Denver Nuggets to a titanic playoff upset of top-seeded Seattle.
Mutombo found himself lying on the floor again Tuesday night, this time pondering the end of his career.
Mutombo, 42, was carried off the floor on a stretcher in the first quarter of Game 2 of the Rockets’ 107-103 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers with what he said was a career-ending left knee injury.
“It’s over for me for my career,” said Mutombo, who will be analyzed by team doctors when the Rockets return to Houston today.
An eight-time NBA All-Star and four-time Defensive Player of the Year, Mutombo is one of the game’s great humanitarian and had a distinguished 18-year career with Denver, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York and Houston.
“It’s not something that I planned,” he said. “All I can say right now is I had a wonderful run of 18 years and stayed injury-free. I thank God a lot for all this blessing and putting such great people around me for all of my career in the NBA. I’m just happy.
“I have to go out with my head high and not be disappointed and have no regrets. I have so many things I can be so thankful for over my 18 years.”
Mutombo is in his fifth season with the Rockets after signing with them on Dec. 31. He played in only nine games, but showed his value by grabbing nine rebounds in 18 minutes in Game 1 against Portland.
Mutombo, who had been in the game for less than two minutes, was battling for position under the basket with Greg Oden – who is half the age of Mutombo -- when he fell to the ground in pain and clutched his left knee.
“I cried so much about it when I was laying on the floor, but when I got in the locker room (athletic trainer) Keith Jones and I talked that I needed to be positive and thank God for the wonderful 18 years I have,” he said. “There’s nothing I could want more than playing a wonderful career and doing all these great things I was able to do on the basketball court and being an influence on so many young guys who could look up to me as a role model.”
Mutombo remained under the basket for several minutes while being tended to by team medical officials. A stretcher was finally brought onto the court to carry him off to a nice ovation from the crowd, while his teammates came to his side.
“I have so many great memories,” Mutombo said. “Making it to the NBA Finals, winning the Defensive Player of the Year, winning a blocked shot title. There are so many things I can smile and be happy about all of my accomplishments.
“Nobody ever thought the big fellow would the person they’re carrying out of the arena. I was going out like a wounded soldier. I think that was one of the best memories, giving myself up for this league and my team and my teammates.”

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/6385553.html

[Indazone]

Kudos to Deke. Really a great humanitarian and basketball player. A leader in the locker room. He taught Landry and Brooks and many others how to dress, and conduct themselves in the NBA. Yao will walk in Mutumbo's footsteps and follow his humanitarian lead.

Lets win this one for Deke!

[Rogue]

will the rockets retire his jersey?

[crc21209]

The moment I saw him go down...I had a feeling that it might be the end of his career. The way he winced and grabbed his knee. I thought I saw him on the floor crying also.. I'm sorry Rocket fans...you never wanna see one of your guys go down like that. You had a great career Deke..here's to you...:toast

[Indazone]

It's a near a certainty that the Rockets will retire his Jersey and so might the Nuggets.

[Kai]

It's a near a certainty that the Nuggets will retire his Jersey and so might the Rockets.

fix'd.

[Biggems]

Deke will always be the Spur that never was, IMO......he exudes class, dignity, and generosity.

I wish nothing but the best for him.

[Caltex2]

Hawks?

[Avitus1]

Sucks for him, he's a classy guy.

[baseline bum]

It's a near a certainty that the Rockets will retire his Jersey and so might the Nuggets.

Hakws too. Deke was a part of my favorite college team of all-time, when he and Zo formed that incredible Twin Towers lineup at Georgetown in the early 90s. NBA fans worldwide will miss you, Deke...

[El Jefe]

That's a damn shame. By all accounts he's one of the good guys in sports. No one should have their career end like this, least of all Mount Mutombo.

Kudos to Portland for sending him off with one last round of applause.

[iminlakerland]

Damn that just blows. Great guy on and off the court. Sucks he has to go out this way, but hes had a good career he has made an impact in many peoples lives. I wish him nothing but the best and a quick recovery.

[timvp]

Deke is a bad ass. He's like the living version of what Alonzo Mourning pretended to be.

The NBA is better for him being a part of it :tu






P.S.

This just reinforces how thankful I am of how David Robinson was able to end his career. It would have been devastating to see Robinson's career end due to injury.

Championship, on the other hand, was rather nice :smokin

[MrChug]

does that make oden the oldest player in the league now?

bwwwaaaahaaaahahhhaaaa!

[Matchman]

Deke is a bad ass. He's like the living version of what Alonzo Mourning pretended to be.

The NBA is better for him being a part of it :tu






P.S.

This just reinforces how thankful I am of how David Robinson was able to end his career. It would have been devastating to see Robinson's career end due to injury.

Championship, on the other hand, was rather nice :smokin

dont worry, we will give him a ring this year :king

[AI-square]

That's a messed up way to end the career of my favourite center of all time.

Outstanding pro, outstanding career, outstanding humanitarian work.

He will not be easily forgotten.

:nope

[Rogue]

dont worry, we will give him a ring this year :king
what do you want to make the ring of? faggot?

[LnGrrrR]

Does that make oden the oldest player in the league now?

:lmao

[fotan2]

Does that make oden the oldest player in the league now?

:lol i see. everything is on purpose. hahah

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

I guess that's that. Such a nasty way to go out, but he handled it with the class that has been the hallmark of his career. For as little as I like the Houston sports media, and especially the Rockets coverage, they always did a great job of shining a light on all the great things that Mutombo did off the court. There is not a single player in league that couldn't learn a thing or two from his example.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

If you don't feel bad for him after last night you have problems given how humble he is and how kind hearted he is.

[koriwhat]

dont worry, we will give him a ring this year :king

not if the rockettes cant beat a bunch of rookies.

[Kamnik]

I sincerely got sad to see him go down like that...

He is a legend and a great person, all the best to him!

Too bad his career ends like that :(

[KSeal]

Tombo pulling a Bynum, sad sight to see.

[Red Hawk #21]

Here are my thoughts on Deke: I love the guy. A great player, always gave it his all. I still remember when he was with us back in the late 90's, I was only little kid back then but I still remember Deke, Steve Smitty and Mookie Blaylock. Those we're our final years before we started sucking, those three were great players especially Deke. Deke could rebound, could score and he just never gave up defensively. I love this guy's heart and it's a shame that his career may end this way.

I love you Dikembe, thanks for what you did for the Hawks organization during your time here. Thanks for always being classy. Thank you.

[JoeTait75]

As unfortunate a way to go out as this is, at least the big man got one last chance to show what he could do, and took advantage. Dikembe was awesome in Game One. He didn't just look younger than Oden- he played younger.

[Donkeybong]

that's the way to go out in my opinion. Play till you just cant play anymore. Don't waste any oppurtunity. Here's to you Dikembe :toast

[Sportstudi]

Sad to see that an injury ended the career of such a player.:depressed

Great person on and off the court. His jersey should be retired by the Nuggets, Hawks and Rockets. Moreover, he should be a lock in the HOF IMO. :toast

[VBM]

Sad to see that an injury ended the career of such a player.:depressed

Great person on and off the court. His jersey should be retired by the Nuggets, Hawks and Rockets. Moreover, he should be a lock in the HOF IMO. :toast

What about Philly? He did take them to the Finals...

Honestly, any fanbase was lucky to have Deke root for them. I'm a Spurs fan first, but being in Houston, you couldn't help but root for him (as long as the Rockets weren't playing the Spurs).

[pauls931]

Bummer, i'll never forget him with the nuggets taking out Seattle as an 8th seed. IMO the biggest upset in playoff history...

[jdev82]

the entire league should retire 55. god bless mutombo. he will be missed. everybody that can, i urge you to go to dmf.org and donate as much as you can to help dekes cause. he can donate prescious little of his own on the vets min the rockets gave him.

[Slomo]

Does that make oden the oldest player in the league now?


http://www.cikava.com/gallery/albums/Photoshop_madness/old_oden.jpg

[duncan228]

Never want to see anyone get hurt, to have injury end a storied career is horrible. He is one of the good guys, a class act. I wish him well, and thank him for what he brought to this game on and off the court.

[ClingingMars]

if anybody's looking for a laugh:

bDKQhCgLqxU

this one cheered me up.

here's to you, Deke.

[sonic21]

classy player :tu
respect to Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo

[Spurs Brazil]

legacy to last beyond hoopsComment Email Print Share By Chris Sheridan
ESPN.com
Archive


Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images
Dikembe Mutombo was a 4-time Defensive Player of the Year and an 8-time All-Star.

There are a million Dikembe Mutombo stories to be told, and it boggles the mind to imagine how many more millions of stories will be told in the future by all the people in Africa whose lives would have been lost had it not been for the $29 million hospital Mutombo built on the outskirts of the Congolese capital of Kinshasa.

Twenty, 30, 100 years from now, Mutombo's legacy will be that hospital in his impoverished home country, the place Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacque Wamutombo was born and raised, where he learned to speak five African dialects along with French, Spanish, Portuguese and English.

There is a story about the money Mutombo had to pay to squatters who were farming on the hospital site when funds were still being raised, battles with the government over land-use permits, the story of Mutombo's personal $3.5 million down payment on the facility in 2001, and his subsequent $15 million donation toward operating funds after the facility -- the first modern medical facility built in that country in 40 years -- opened its doors in 2006.

There are stories about elbows (ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy told one on the air the other night, about insisting that Mutombo always wear elbow pads during practice to protect his Houston Rockets teammates), stories about nightclubs, stories about his trip to the White House. Too many stories to tell in one place, really, although there was one story that was being retold Wednesday after word spread around the NBA and the world that Mutombo's career apparently had come to an end.



More Mutombo memories at TrueHoop:

• Dikembe Mutombo: Gravity and Light
• Mutombo: "For Me, Basketball is Over"



It's a good story, and it concerns what will be Mutombo's non-humanitarian legacy, or what we'll remember him for from his time in the NBA.

The finger wag.

It was Mutombo's distinctive gesture, the raising of his right index, the shaking of said finger from side to side -- a universal gesture familiar to babies, grandparents and everyone in between, all across the planet: "That was a no-no."

Well, once upon a time, a certain NBA official tried to take that gesture away from Mutombo, and that was the story Rod Thorn told ESPN.com on Wednesday -- a day after Mutombo's illustrious career came to a premature end when he injured his knee and was wheeled off the court on a stretcher in the Houston Rockets' 107-103 Game 2 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.

"It was one conversation, it was on the phone, and no, it was not a short conversation," Thorn recalled. "There were never any short conversations with Dikembe, because he was always trying to tell you how what you were explaining to him was wrong."

Thorn, currently the president of the New Jersey Nets, was Stu Jackson's predecessor in the job commonly nicknamed VP of Violence, what the NBA officially calls the executive vice president of basketball operations.

It was a different NBA a decade ago, a league in which fights were not commonplace but were somewhat tolerated. Handchecking was allowed to keep the quick guards out of the paint, and those who got in there anyway against Mutombo's teams often found their shots emphatically rejected by a 7-foot-2 giant who would then stand over them or stare at them, waving that long, pointy finger in the air.

Tolerance for the gesture varied, but there was a rising tide of discontent by the time Thorn and his boss, NBA commissioner David Stern, decided intolerance would be the most prudent way to prevent a future finger wag from turning into a bench-clearing brawl.

Yes, Mutombo was en route to becoming an eight-time All-Star and four-time Defensive Player of the Year. But the NBA was beginning its way down the path toward making the game much less physical and more nonconfrontational, and the decision was made to telephone Mutombo and tell him to knock it off.

"We thought he was getting carried away with it; players were getting upset. I told him: 'You've already blocked his shot, and now, in his mind, you're trying to humiliate him, too,'" said Thorn, who chuckled as he recounted how Mutombo reacted to the call.

As gravelly as Mutombo's voice was, it could boom, too.


[+] EnlargeRocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images
Mutombo was never afraid to offer up a helping hand ... or his trademark finger wag.
And what Thorn heard coming out of the earpiece of his phone was an unhappy, deep-voiced lecturer giving an impassioned plea for this unfair and unwise decision to be repealed.

"What are you guys doing to me? You are taking away my trademark?!" Thorn recalled Mutombo arguing, refusing to accept the notion of an outright ban, and pretty much refusing to let the conversation end until Thorn backed down.

What eventually emerged was a compromise, with the NBA allowing Mutombo to perform his signature finger wag as long as he was looking toward the stands when he did it. The rules were clearly spelled out, and Mutombo was on notice that he couldn't make the gesture toward an opposing player or toward the opposing team's bench. And if he claimed he was gesturing toward the fans directly behind the opposing bench, well, that excuse was not going to fly.

"He became a recidivist every now and then, and then we'd call him on it, and after a couple T's he got the message," Thorn said.

The Mutombo Rule eventually seemed to lapse, and it was not uncommon over the final couple of seasons of the 42-year-old's career to see a referee turn a blind eye (along with the slightest of upturned grins) toward Mutombo when he crossed the line and gave that old-school finger wag, the one with the stare attached.

In the end, they'd let him get away with it, knowing that this giant of a man was one of the game's gifts to the planet, and the money that a technical foul would cost Mutombo (a player's first five techs in any season come with an accompanying $1,000 fine) was better off staying in Mutombo's wallet, since some of that money would inevitably cycle back to the sick people in Kinshasa whose health would not be getting restored had it not been for Mutombo, his famous finger wag and his huge heart.

The feeling seemed to be that we would see that finger wag only a few more times on the court. Sadly, it now appears we've seen it for the final time.

But happily, it is not the most important thing he'll be remembered for.

Chris Sheridan covers the NBA for ESPN Insider. To e-mail Sheridan, click here.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2009/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&page=Mutombo-090422

[Mugen]

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[adidas11]

He has announced that his career is over.

[Strike]

He has announced that his career is over.

In other news, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.

[spursfan1000]

Man, I watched that, it looked pretty bad.

He's a cool dude and that finger wag is classic, too bad he'll probably be out for the rest of the Playoffs.

Make that the rest of the career.

[Jeremy]

Bummer, i'll never forget him with the nuggets taking out Seattle as an 8th seed. IMO the biggest upset in playoff history...

K4IjhHvSVlA

[Indazone]

Goodby Cookie Monster

:depressed

[iggypop123]

knee sprain means nothing. what i saw i expect an acl once the MRI comes back

[pauls931]

knee sprain means nothing. what i saw i expect an acl once the MRI comes back

But does he want to keep at it to come back next year? Maybe it was his plan all along to retire after this season.

[picnroll]

Definitely one of the good guys. Standing ovation to a class career.

[peskypesky]

Take care, Dikembe. We'll miss you. There'll never be another like you!

Cheers!