After 18 seasons in the NBA, Dikembe Mutombo was forced to abandon competition. The 2.18m centre injured his left knee in the second game of the playoffs first round as his team, the Houston Rockets, played against the Portland Trail Blazers. After getting tangled with Blazers' Greg Oden, Mutombo fell hard on his knee and had to be taken on a stretcher. At 42, and currently the NBA's oldest player, Mutombo immediately realised his career had ended, as the doctors diagnosed a knee strain.
The DR Congo native was part of the All-Star for eight times and was named Defensive Player of the Year on four occasions, having estbalished himself as a strong shotblocker, standing second in the all-time list with 3.289 blocks. In his long carrer, Mutombo had averages of 9.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 1.0 assists in 1.196 games for the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and the Rockets.
(Após 18 épocas na NBA, Dikembe Mutombo foi forçado a abandonar a competição. O poste de 2,18 m lesionou o joelho esquerdo no segundo jogo da primeira ronda dos "playoffs" enquanto a sua equipa, os Houston Rockets, defrontava os Portland Trail Blazers. Depois de se ter enredado com Greg Oden, dos Blazers, Mutombo caiu mal sobre o joelho e teve de sair de maca. Aos 42 anos, e actualmente o mais velho jogador da NBA, Mutombo apercebeu-se de imediato que a sua carreira tinha terminado, já que os médicos diagnosticaram uma rotura no joelho.
O natural da RD do Congo fez parte do All-Star oito vezes e foi nomeado Jogador Defensivo do Ano em quatro ocasiões, destacando-se pela eficácia nos desarmes de lançamento, uma vez que é segundo na lista dos melhores de sempre com 3,289 desarmes. Na sua longa carreira, Mutombo obteve médias de 9,8 pontos, 10,3 ressaltos, 2,7 desarmes e 1,0 assistências em 1,196 jogos pelos Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks e Rockets.)
Source (Fonte): sports.yahoo.com
