7 Foot Legend Dikembe Mutombo Recalls On-Court Beef With Michael Jordan

Dikembe Mutombo was one of the greats of the NBA who played in the 90s and 2000s. After a lustrous career of 18 years, he retired from the game after the 2008-2009 season. He played center and turned out to be one of the best in the NBA.

Deke broke out during his junior year and truly established himself as an NBA prospect when he appeared for his senior season. His stats were more than good enough for a center to turn heads. The 7 foot 2 inches center got the attention of the Denver Nuggets, after which they picked him with the fourth overall pick of the 1991 NBA draft.

Mt. Mutombo was famously known for his blocking capabilities. Furthermore, Deke’s large physique and humongous height made him one of the best blockers in the history of the NBA.

Dikembe Mutombo made Michael Jordan mad

Mutombo was one of the many greats who played in the 90s along with Michael Jordan. MJ’s personality on and off the court was more intimidating than anyone in their prime at the time. However, Dikembe was not particularly fazed when he met Jordan on the court. Connor Toole, of the BroBible, asked Deke about the trash talk between him and MJ.

“I made him mad. I told him, ‘Michael, you’re lucky to be able to dunk on many people, but you’re not going to get me.’ And Michael didn’t like that.” Mutombo revealed.

“It took Michael seven years. This guy was one of the most dominant basketball players to ever the game, but he could not climb Mount Mutombo. You remember in Chicago when he got the chance to jam. He was so happy. He’s a great friend and I respect him so much.” Mutombo said of MJ.

Despite a lot of respect and friendship between the two, the trash talk led to the legendary moment of Michael Jordan scoring a free shot with his eyes closed.

Also read: Michael Jordan had Tracy McGrady intimated.

Deke and his iconic finger wag

Deke used to do a finger wag (No No No) which eventually put him through a lot of trouble. The finger wag gestures towards the players cost him a lot of money for almost 15 years of his playing career.

Dikembe Mutombo recently talked with BroBible, where he shared memories about his playing time, his finger wag, and the video game NBA Jam. 

“Oh. A lot. A lot. That’s why I still work for the NBA, so they can pay me back. They said, ‘We’ll give you a job as a global ambassador and pay you back all the money you gave to us.’ said Mutombo during the interview when asked about the money he lost because of his gestures.

Read more: LeBron James pays tribute to Dikembe Mutombo with his finger wag celebration.

Later on, Deke started doing it towards the crowd as it just came out naturally and he could not help it. Eventually, the NBA stopped fining the Hall of Famer, but that still took around 15 years. The signature Finger Wag still remains one of the most legendary and iconic trademarks.

What do you think of Dikembe Mutombo’s feud with Jordan? Let us know in the comments below.