NBA: Hawks retire Mutombo's No. 55 | Inquirer Sports

NBA: Hawks retire Mutombo’s No. 55

/ 11:17 AM November 25, 2015
Former Atlanta Hawks' Dikembe Mutombo reacts upon seeing his retired jersey number raised to the rafters during a ceremony at halftime of an NBA basketball game between the Hawks and the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Former Atlanta Hawks’ Dikembe Mutombo reacts upon seeing his retired jersey number raised to the rafters during a ceremony at halftime of an NBA basketball game between the Hawks and the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015, in Atlanta. AP

ATLANTA, United States — The Atlanta Hawks retired Dikembe Mutombo’s No. 55 jersey Tuesday night to honor the longtime shot blocker’s Hall of Fame enshrinement.

Mutombo signed as a free agent in 1996 to make Atlanta the second stop on an 18-year career he spent with five other teams.

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“I don’t think I ever thought my jersey would be retired,” Mutombo told reporters after his jersey was hung from the arena rafters in a halftime ceremony. “My name will stay forever.”

The 7-foot-2 Mutombo was a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, an eight-time All-Star, and he ranks second on the league’s career blocked shots list and 20th in rebounds.

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Through his foundation, Mutombo, 49, built a hospital that has served 140,000 in his native Congo. He twice won the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award and now works for the league as a global ambassador.

Mutombo was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame two months ago.

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TAGS: Atlanta Hawks, Dikembe Mutombo, Hall of Fame, NBA, NBA retirement
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