Honors for Mutombo

Haverford College to give Mutombo honorary degree

A familiar face will be honored by a local college.

Retired basketball great Dikembe Mutombo, a member of the Sixers 2001 Finals team, will be receiving an honorary degree from Haverford College, an elite liberal arts college just west of Philadelphia.

Mutombo will also make brief remarks to about 300 graduates at the May 15 commencement, said school officials.

After an 18-year NBA career, Mutombo has focused on improving living conditions in his native Congo by creating the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, which included funding a new hospital in the capital of Kinshasa where he grew up.

Mutombo holds a bachelor's degree in linguistics and diplomacy from Georgetown University. He speaks nine languages and has received numerous humanitarian awards.

The 7-foot-2 Mutombo played for several NBA teams, including the Philadelphia 76ers from 2000 to 2002.


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