It’s been over a month since the NBA world said a sorrowful goodbye to one of its most beloved figures, Dikembe Mutombo. His impact on basketball and humanitarian work left a lasting mark on many he personally inspired, including NBA icon Charles Barkley. With former President Barack Obama’s words, “…inspired a generation of young people…” echoing the tremendous loss, the NBA community still grieves. Barkley one among them.

As the new season arrives, so does The Stream Room podcast. The sixth season kicked off with Charles Barkley and co-host Ernie Johnson discussing the upcoming NBA season and hoops stories. But when the topic turned to Mutombo, the conversation turned somber. Recalling his legacy, Barkley expressed, “One of the greatest people I’ve ever met in my life passed away this summer… he was a heck of a basketball player, great basketball player, but one of the great human beings I’ve ever met in my life.”

Chuck opines that it isn’t all about being a great basketball player. “You can be great at sport and you can be a jerk or a jacka– or whatever,” he says, emphasizing that the person on court may not be the real them. It is the humanity that describes them and for Barkley, Mutombo was the best of them. He had established the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in 1997, been a member of the Special Olympics, paid for uniforms and expenses for the Zaire women’s basketball team, and had lent immense efforts in reducing polio globally.

Even then, it would barely scratch the surface of all the impact the icon had. So adding a little more to Barkley’s words, Ernie Johnson revealed a powerful detail from Mutombo’s funeral.

“You went to his ceremony… like President Clinton spoke. Yeah, like wait a president!” Barkley responded in amazement. Johnson shared Clinton’s tribute: “When we have someone like Dikembe…we all walk a little taller, don’t we?” President Clinton closed his remarks by calling Mutombo his “Mandela,” a testament to the influence Mutombo had not only as a player but as a humanitarian and global ambassador.

But it wasn’t only Barkley or Clinton who felt this loss. Former President Obama’s words also echoed the same sentiments. “Dikembe Mutombo was an incredible basketball player… But he also inspired a generation of young people across Africa.”

Considering all the love and respect that poured in for the 8x All-Star, Barkley wishes for an honorary form of recognition.

Charles Barkley proposes “Dikembe Mutombo Award”

When the news broke, Charles Barkley couldn’t hold back his emotions. He shared a heartfelt video on Instagram, expressing his grief: “Tough news in NBA today. One of the greatest people… he was a great basketball player, but I never met a nicer man, a humanitarian, philanthropist.” Barkley extended his condolences to the family, adding, “The world is less of a better place without him. Rest in peace, big fella.” His words were a fitting tribute to the legacy Mutombo left behind.

In the premiere episode of The Jim Jackson Show, Barkley dove deeper, not only praising Mutombo’s skills but also proposing an award in his name. “There’s got to be some type… we need to have an award in Dikembe’s name where we recognize somebody’s charity work,” he suggested, inspired by the social justice award named for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. For Barkley, Mutombo’s legacy deserves similar recognition.

The legend’s work reached an incredible milestone in 2007 when he opened a $29 million hospital in Kinshasa, offering critical care to his community in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He then worked relentlessly to improve the health of neglected and underserved populations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Barkley summed it up best: “Think about that… he built hospitals in Africa. If that don’t make you think this dude’s special, there’s something wrong with anybody.”