No! Mutombo!!!

For those of us following the NBA Playoffs, you had to feel bad watching what happened to Dikembe Mutombo on Tuesday night. He got tangled up with Portland Center/Walking injury, Greg Oden...and Mutombo went down.

((thanks Jonathan Ferry/Getty Images for the photo))

The injury, to his knee was enough for him to say, well...enough. Mutombo, 42 years old, was going to retire at the end of the season anyway. This injury made it happen a couple of games earlier than he thought.

Mutombo was one of the best defensive players in NBA history. He was in his 18 year career either the leader or a leader in blocked shots every season. He rebounded the ball as well as anyone and at times flashed a pretty good, if awkward, offensive game. Probably the thing he was most known for...the "Finger Waggle". The waggle was usually followed with "Nobody comes in the House of Mutombo!".

With his low growl and voice thick with the accent of his home country, the now named Republic of Congo. Deke was a true humanitarian, giving millions to the people of his home country to try and make life better for as many as possible. He even scored an invite to the 2007 State of the Union address. There aren't a lot of NBA Basketball players who can say they did that.

What made Mutombo unique among players was his honest, open, sense of humor. I got the opportunity to interview him a couple of years ago. He couldn't have been more accomodating. Perhaps the other memorable part of Dikembe, his sense of humor. Check out this story the NBA.com did a couple of years ago.

((video courtesy: NBA.com/You Tube))

And this one, where his teammates have some fun...at his expense.

((video courtesy: FSN Houston/You Tube))

We here at the OSG, wish Dikembe the best in all his future endeavours and have no doubt he will be successful and have a Global impact in whatever he decides to do.