His creaking knees bent for the tipoff, possibly for the last time in Denver.
Dikembe Mutombo is 41. The former Nuggets center hasn’t announced his retirement, but he is the oldest player in the NBA, and his numbers are slipping.
But with Yao Ming out, the Rockets’ Mutombo is “still tickin’, ” as teammate Rafer Alston said. In the past six games entering Sunday, Mutombo averaged 7.5 points and 5.8 rebounds. Last year he averaged 3.0 and 4.9.
And Sunday was a special night for Mutombo, where he greeted 40-something fans who remember him from their 20s, and 20-something fans whose first basketball memories were of his finger-wags.
“It’s always exciting to be here,” said Mutombo, drafted by Denver in 1991. “This is the franchise that drafted me and gave me the opportunity to play in the NBA.”
Mutombo is second in NBA history with 3,274 blocked shots, trailing Hakeem Olajuwon’s 3,830 (though the NBA began keeping block stats in 1971-72, much to the chagrin of Bill Russell). “Mount Mutombo” played his first five seasons with Denver, finishing in the top three in rebounding four times while leading the league in blocked shots three times.
Asked if he could touch on Mutombo’s legacy, Denver coach George Karl said in jest: “I don’t want to touch on his legacy. It has me in it too much.”
Mutombo was on the 1994 Nuggets team that defeated coach Karl’s SuperSonics, the Western Conference’s No. 1 team, in the first round of the playoffs.
“Everyone’s best memory is him beating Seattle and him on the floor, embracing the ball,” Alston said.
Well, almost everyone.
No Nene.
Nuggets power forward Nene was made inactive for Sunday’s game because of his strained right groin, and recent signee Bobby Jones was activated.
Nene, who averages 5.3 points and 5.4 rebounds, has missed the past five games because of the injury. He remains day to day.
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
