The Atlanta Hawks are honoring Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo on Monday with a handful of neat tributes.
A new court decal of Mutombo’s silhouette doing his signature finger wag will be added to the sideline at State Farm Arena for the game against the Dallas Mavericks. It coincides with a special floor that matches Atlanta’s blue and white City Edition uniforms.
Players will wear special pregame shooting shirts featuring Mutombo’s finger wag, and each time a Hawks player records a block, the center’s iconic “No, No, No” will be played throughout the arena.
“The Mutombo family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Tony Ressler, Jami Gertz, Grant Hill, Steve Koonin and the entire Atlanta Hawks organization,” the Mutombo family said in a news release. “Your tribute to Dikembe’s incredible basketball career with the Hawks, and his humanitarian work both in Atlanta and globally, means the world to us. Dikembe had a special bond with the Hawks and his devoted fans.”
At halftime, a video celebrating Mutumbo’s “profound impact both on and off the court throughout his illustrious career” will be shown. The Mutombo family will also be honored during the event.
Mutumbo, who died of brain cancer at age 58 in September, appeared in 343 games with the franchise from 1996 to 2001. The Philadelphia 76ers acquired him via trade during the 2000-01 season.
He is the franchise leader in blocks per game and third in total blocks. His 3,289 career blocks are the second most in NBA history. The Hawks retired his No. 55 jersey in 2015.
“I don’t think I ever thought my jersey would be retired,” Mutombo told reporters at the time. “My name will stay forever.”
