President Bush honors Mutombo

AP

Dikembe Mutombo

His full name is Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacque Wamutombo, and his heart is as big as his name.

He is the seventh of ten children born to Samuel and the late Biamba Marie Mutombo, and he has never forgotten his African roots. His mother died because she was not given adequate medical care, and since then that has been his mission.

The Biama Marie Mutombo hospital is being built in Kinshasa, Congo (formerly known as Zaire). It is a $29 million project of which Dikembe has donated $15 million already. But besides the hospital, Dikembe has sent $150,000 to help underpriviledged children in South Africa, and he has been a part of the NBA's Basketball Without Borders program which has taken some of the league's best and toured the continent.

AP

Mutombo sat with Laura Bush during the State of the Union Address.

President George W. Bush asked Mutombo to sit in the box next to his wife during the State of the Union Address. The President noted Dikembe came to the country as a pre-med student, but when legendary coach John Thompson saw him on the Georgetown campus, Thompson changed Dikembe's career path.

Dikembe is his third season with the Rockets, and although now that he is 40 years old, he has talked about retirement, he has played so well subbing for the injured Yao Ming, the Rockets may try to talk him into playing another season.