Dikembe Mutombo, famous for his "not in my house" finger-wag gesture every time he blocks an opponent, will be eligible for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame next year in 2015. according to a news report in NBA.com's Morning ShootAround.
The Congolese American currently has the second best record for blocked shots (3,256), second only to the record set by NBA Legend Hakeem Olajuwon (3,830), and was also a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, eight-time All-Star, three-time NBA Blocks leader, and two-time rebounding champion. With all these NBA awards and accolades, Mutombo thinks that he is worthy to be included in the All-Time great to have ever played the game come 2015 especially with the fact that he trails Olajuwon for the best all time in shots blocked, CBSSports said.
"If you can see my name just below one of the great basketball players to ever play for this league... For me to come this close to breaking his record, I don't see why I cannot be on the same bus with him. That's how I look at it.," Mutumbo was quoted as saying.
But Mutombo may just be right about him being a part of the "Greats" as he will not just be a highlight of a group of first-timers in the 2015 Hall of Fame class. Mutombo would be there all by himself, as noted by Scott-Howard Cooper of NBA.com, who wrote, "The four-time Defensive Player of the Year, eight-time All-Star and college standout at Georgetown is not only the leading candidate for enshrinement among players eligible for the first time to be nominated, he is the only candidate. Not officially, of course, because the likes of Bruce Bowen and Brent Barry are among candidates beginning with the Class of 2015. But realistically, there is Mutombo alone among peers who last played in 2008-09."
The Hall of Fame induction in 2015 does feature a handful of good players who were already eligible years before like Kevin Johnson, Tim Hardaway, Robert Horry, and Chris Webber. The list of first-timers, though, aren't that intriguing with the likes of Tyronn Lue, Mark Madsen, and Brent Barry. This means that there is a great chance that Mutombo will be the only one who will be inducted in the Hall of Fame for players who played during the 2008-09 season.
Join the Conversation