NBA Africa to build 55 courts in Congo for Dikembe Mutombo, starting where he first played

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo — NBA Africa has started a multiyear project to build or renovate 55 basketball courts across the Democratic Republic of the Congo by 2030, a number chosen to match the jersey Dikembe Mutombo made famous over 18 NBA seasons.

The league’s African arm is doing the work with Quest Water Global, a clean-water company that becomes the NBA’s Official Infrastructure Development Partner in the DRC under the deal. The plan covers both full-size courts and 3-on-3 courts, and the league announced it on Oct. 5.

The first court is where Mutombo started

The first court opened on Sept. 29 at Cercle Onatra in Kinshasa. That is where Mutombo first played organized basketball, with Basketball Club Onatra, before he left for the United States and Georgetown. The new outdoor court has his No. 55 painted at center court, and the league expects thousands of local young people to use it every year.

NBA Africa marked the opening with a Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA clinic for 80 local coaches. The second court will open in Mbuji-Mayi, Mutombo’s hometown, in the coming weeks. No date has been announced yet.

What was said

Rose Mutombo, his widow, said her husband saw basketball as a way to teach young people discipline, teamwork, resilience, leadership and service. She said she hopes the courts will push the next generation to stay in school and see what the game can open up for them.

NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi described the DRC as a country with a special place in basketball history because of Mutombo’s impact. She said the commitment is meant to give young Congolese players more chances to follow him, as players and as leaders. Quest Water Global CEO John Balanko said healthy communities need clean water, safe places to play and room to grow, and that the project carries on Mutombo’s spirit of service.

Part of a 1,000-court goal

The DRC courts count toward a wider NBA Africa promise to build or renovate 1,000 courts across the continent over the next 10 years. NBA Africa runs the league’s business on the continent, including the Basketball Africa League with FIBA. It has offices in Cairo, Dakar, Johannesburg, Lagos and Nairobi, and NBA games now air in all 54 African countries.

The BAL finished its sixth season in May with 12 club teams, and the NBA has played three sold-out exhibition games in Africa since 2015. The courts project is also part of a bigger youth push by the league’s international partners. Earlier this month Nestlé signed on to bring Milo, Nescau and Nesquik into Jr. NBA programs in 21 markets, including Ghana and Nigeria.

Why Mutombo

• On the court: the No. 4 pick in the 1991 draft, an eight-time All-Star and a four-time Defensive Player of the Year. He led the league in blocks three times and retired second on the NBA’s all-time blocked shots list.
• Hall of Fame: inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
• For the league: after retiring in 2009 he became the NBA’s first global ambassador and spent years on its Basketball Without Borders and community work in Africa.
• At home: he built the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital in Kinshasa, named after his late mother, and it opened to the public in 2007.

Mutombo died in September 2024 at age 58. Almost two years later, the first court built in his name sits on the same ground where his basketball life began.