By Kevin Rademeyer, Sports Journalist.
Photo Credit: NBA Africa.
NBA Africa and Quest Water Global have announced a multiyear partnership to build or renovate 55 basketball courts across the Democratic Republic of the Congo by 2030 in honour of late NBA great Dikembe Mutombo.
The initiative will include full size and 3 on 3 courts and forms part of NBA Africa’s wider commitment to build or renovate 1,000 courts across the continent over the next decade.
Quest Water Global has been named the NBA’s Official Infrastructure Development Partner in the DRC.
The partnership began on September 29 with the unveiling of a new outdoor court at Cercle Onatra in Kinshasa, where Mutombo first began playing basketball with Basketball Club Onatra before moving to the United States.
The court features Mutombo’s iconic No. 55 jersey number at centre court and is expected to provide a playing facility for thousands of young people from the surrounding community each year.
NBA Africa also marked the opening by hosting a Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA coaching clinic for 80 local coaches.
A second court is scheduled to be unveiled in Mutombo’s hometown of Mbuji Mayi in the coming weeks.
Mutombo, who died in 2024 aged 58, remains one of the most influential figures in African basketball history. He was selected fourth overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 1991 NBA Draft and spent 18 seasons in the league.
The eight time NBA All Star won the Defensive Player of the Year award four times and led the NBA in blocked shots on three occasions. He finished his career as the league’s second leading shot blocker and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
His influence extended well beyond basketball. Mutombo was widely recognised for his humanitarian work, particularly in his native DRC, where he helped establish the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital in Kinshasa in memory of his mother. The hospital opened in 2007.
Rose Mutombo said the new courts would help preserve her late husband’s commitment to using basketball to positively influence young people. “Dikembe believed basketball was a powerful tool for teaching young people discipline, teamwork, resilience, leadership, and service to others,” she said.
“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.”
NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi said the project would create new opportunities for young people in a country central to Mutombo’s legacy. “Through this multiyear commitment, we are creating more opportunities for young people in Dikembe’s native DRC to follow in his enormous footsteps both as players and leaders,” Akamanzi said.
For Quest Water Global, the partnership is centred on strengthening communities through access to sport and infrastructure.
The programme represents another step in NBA Africa’s broader effort to expand access to basketball across the continent, while ensuring Mutombo’s legacy continues to influence future generations in the country where his journey began.