NBA Africa and Quest Water Global, a socially responsible water solutions company, today announced a multi-year collaboration to build or renovate 55 full-size and 3-on-3 basketball courts across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by 2030 in honour of Dikembe Mutombo, the late four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer who served as the NBA’s first global ambassador following his retirement from the league in 2009.
The collaboration will support NBA Africa’s commitment to build or renovate 1,000 courts across the continent over the next decade and see Quest Water Global serve as the league’s Official Infrastructure Development Partner in the DRC.
The collaboration tipped off on September 29 with the unveiling of a new outdoor basketball court at Cercle Onatra, Kinshasa, where Mutombo began his basketball journey with Basketball Club Onatra before relocating to the US. The court pays homage to Mutombo by featuring his iconic No. 55 jersey number at centre court and is expected to serve thousands of youth from the local community each year. To celebrate the unveiling, NBA Africa hosted a Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA clinic for 80 local coaches.
As part of the collaboration, a second court will be unveiled in Mutombo’s hometown of Mbuji-Mayi in the coming weeks.
“Dikembe believed basketball was a powerful tool for teaching young people discipline, teamwork, resilience, leadership, and service to others,” said Rose Mutombo. “My hope is that this court, and many more to come, will help inspire future generations to embrace these values, pursue education, and discover the opportunities the game can create.”
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