Monday morning, the Philadelphia 76ers held their Media Day at the team’s Practice Facility in Camden, New Jersey. From Daryl Morey and Nick Nurse to Philadelphia’s Big 3 to rookies, vets, and more, everyone addressed the media ahead of training camp, which is set to run from tomorrow through the end of the week.
To open up the event, President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey and Head Coach Nick Nurse spoke to media members on various subjects, from their confidence in the 76ers’ roster to Joel’s health.
Unfortunately, midway through the discussion, the world received heartbreaking news. One could hear one disheartened sign after another as media members received the alerts that Morey and Nurse were not yet privy to. After just a short moment, Morey was called off stage, where he was informed of the news.
Morey returned to the stage, somber, melancholy. He addressed those in attendance, explaining what he was told, and stated that he wished to comment on the loss of former 76ers center, NBA great, humanitarian, and more, Dikembe Mutombo.
“I knew him, personally,” Morey said.” “We were together for many seasons in Houston obviously very important to the Sixers franchise as well. There aren’t many guys like him; just a great human being. When I was a rookie GM in this league, my first chance in Houston, he was someone I went to all the time. He was older than me, which is pretty rare, and obviously, his accomplishments on the court, we don’t need to talk about too much, but [he was] just [an] amazing human being. What he did off the court for Africa.”
Morey and Mutombo spent three years together in Houston, from the moment the team hired Morey as their assistant general manager until Mutombo’s retirement in 2009.
Following Morey and Nurse’s joint presser, 76ers superstar Joel Embiid spoke with media members. The news of Mutombo’s passing naturally came up. Embiid, who, like Mutomobo, is a native of Africa, detailed what Mutombo meant to him, not only as one of the greatest centers in NBA history but as a person.
“It’s a sad day, especially for us Africans and really the whole world, because, you know, other than what is accomplished on the basketball court, I think he was even better off the court. He’s one of the guys that I look up to, as far as, you know, having an impact, not just on the on-court, but off the court. He’s done a lot of great things. He did a lot of great things, you know, for a lot of people. So, I mean, that’s it. He was a role model of mine. So, yeah, like I said, it is a sad day.”
Many will remember Dikembe Mutombo for his difference-making defensive play throughout his 18-year NBA career. Folks in Philadelphia will remember his run with Allen Iverson in 2001 and helping to lead the team to the 2001 NBA Finals.
Still, Mutombo was much more than a basketball player.
A well-known humanitarian, Mutombo represented the pinnacle of athletes who give back, whether he was providing aid to those in the states, Africa, or wherever he could be of help. Mutombo participated in Basketball Without Borders, the United Nations Development Program, the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, and much more.
The world truly lost a bright star far before their time.
