Dikembe Mutombo, in an incredibly heartfelt in touching moment on Tuesday, was left swatting away tears when the Atlanta Hawks announced his jersey would be retired during a game against the Celtics in the upcoming season.
“I just did not believe it,” he said. “I know I have an 18-hour flight to catch but I didn’t know the Hawks were going to retire my jersey. I can’t believe it. It’s going to be a great day.”
More from the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Mutombo played from 1996-2001 as part of an 18-year NBA career. He will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame next week.
“When you look at the history of the Hawks and you see a player who made such a positive contribution, who is going to be Hall of Famer and who resides in Atlanta, it was two simple (phone) calls,” [Hawks CEO Steve] Koonin said. “One to (general manager) Wes (Wilcox) and one to Bud (president of basketball operations/head coach Mike Budenholzer) saying what you think? They couldn’t have been more enthusiastic.”
