Dikembe Mutombo Reveals The Trash Talk That Led To Michael Jordan Nailing A Free Throw With His Eyes Closed

What Dikembe Mutombo Told Michael Jordan Before Famous Free Throw

NBA


  • We got the chance to chat with Dikembe Mutombo about trash-talking Michael Jordan, the fines he had to pay because of his famous finger wag, and much more
  • The Hall of Famer recently linked up with Michelob ULTRA to celebrate the NBA Jam tribute the brand put together for All-Star Weekend
  • Read more basketball stories here

Basketball was one of the last things on Dikembe Mutombo’s mind when he traded what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo for a new life in America in 1987, as he enrolled at Georgetown University for what was supposed to be the first stepping stone on his journey to becoming a medical doctor.

However, he found himself veering off that path shortly after arriving in the nation’s capital. The 7’2″ freshman caught the eye of legendary coach John Thompson, who poached him from his intramural team with an offer to join the Hoyas roster—one that Mutombo would take full advantage of.

In 1991, the man familiarly known as “Deke” was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the fourth pick in the NBA Draft, which marked the start of a celebrated 18-year career where he established himself as one of the most dominant defenders to ever patrol the paint on his way to securing a well-deserved spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Mutombo’s used his fearsome shot-blocking abilities and the signature finger wag he deployed when he got the chance to put them on display to quickly establish himself as one of the game’s most electric young talents around the same time another basketball sensation took the world by storm: NBA Jam.

It’s hard to believe it’s been close to 30 years since the release of the beloved video game that gave fans the chance to play some laughably over-the-top matchups featuring a slew of the biggest names the NBA had to offer in the early ’90s. That includes Mutombo, who’s linked up with Michelob ULTRA to treat fans partaking in this year’s NBA All-Star festivities to a massive dose of unadulterated nostalgia.

Anyone who’s in Cleveland this weekend can take stop by “‘Boom Shaka Lakas,” an arcade boasting plenty of NBA Jam cabinets and stocked with limited-edition cans emblazoned with retro graphics and some of the game’s most iconic catchphrases (if you can’t swing a visit, you can still snag some NBA Jam x Michelob ULTRA merch—including a cabinet with its very own beer fridge).

Michelob ULTRA NBA Jam Bar

Michelob ULTRA


Michelob ULTRA NBA Jam Arcade

Michelob ULTRA


Michelob ULTRA NBA Jam Cans

Michelob ULTRA


Mutombo will also be in attendance for a meet-and-greet (along with fellow legends Dominique Wilkins, James Worthy, and Clyde Drexler), and while I’m not able to make the trek, I was lucky enough to sit down for a virtual chat with the big man who had some truly incredible stories to share.

You can watch the full conversation here and check out a transcript of the conversation below the video.

Did you play NBA Jam back in the day or were you too busy playing actual basketball?

Mutombo: “I did play back in the day. In the ’90s, when the game came out, every player had the chance to. It was at the arena, it was at All-Star Weekend. I could not wait to see myself in a video game.

In the 1990s, we—the Denver Nuggets—were having a great success after beating the Seattle Supersonics, so everyone was looking forward to seeing what the youngest Nuggets looked like in a uniform. It was very fun when you see Mutombo with the hightop fade; my kids always tell me, ‘Dad, your hair used to be so high.'”

And me doing the finger wave when it came out back in the day, it was very cool.”

Were you a big video game guy in general?

“I wasn’t a big video game guy back then, but when you have young kids, you become a video game guy. You either teach them or you buy them a video game and try to beat them when they’re playing it. That’s what I did.

I had four adopted kids in the ’90s. My wife and I made sure they had much joy so there were always video games everywhere in the house.”

Did you ever beat them?

“They beat me. I don’t call myself a gamer. Still today, my kids can beat me in any one of those games because I don’t consider myself an expert.”

You took an interesting journey to get to the NBA. What was your first big basketball memory that stands out?

“I would say back in 1994 when we beat the Seattle Supersonics. Knocking off the number-one seed; it was something incredible. Nobody had ever seen it. People had dismissed us. People wrote us off. People didn’t think we deserved to be there.

That tells you what kind of battle was going on back in the ’90s. It was special. We had a great group of young talent with LaPhonso [Ellis], Mahmoud [Abdul-Rauf], Bryant Stith, and Reggie Williams. It was a great group and we went in believing in ourselves. We did something that nobody had ever done.”

I can’t talk to you without talking about your finger wag. 

“I never knew exactly which game I did it first. I know that it happened my rookie year before I made the All-Star Team. I was one of the first rookies to make it after David Robinson, so there was so much excitement around me coming into the league: the way I believed in myself, the way I projected myself, that I wanted to play a long time even though people didn’t give me the chance to display my offensive skill.

I was lucky enough to get some advice from Bill Russell I will win the game through my defensive ability, and I will last in the league as long as I can because of my defense—and I went and proved that you can win with your defense and I did that.”

You lost a lot of money because of the finger wag.

“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.’

Do you know how much you actually had to pay before you started wagging at the crowd instead?

“Back then, I didn’t really care how much money they were fining me. I know it was $5,000 for every technical foul. For a few years, I let the NBA give me a technical foul, but my technical fouls weren’t, like, me going after the referee or cursing. I was just having fun.

I remember Uncle David [Stern], our late commissioner, used to call me all the time and say, ‘Deke! What’s going on? Can you stop? Can you stop?’ and I said ‘David, I can’t. It’s just coming naturally.’

It got to the point where there were so many coaches complaining, and he told me, ‘You know what? You can just do it. We’re not going to fine you anymore. Just make sure you look at the fans when you’re doing it.’ It took the NBA like 15 years before they changed their mind about it.”

There’s a pretty famous clip of Michael Jordan shooting a free throw where he calls you out, closes his eyes, and swishes it. Do you remember what led up to that moment?

“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.

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.”

Connor Toole avatar and headshot for BroBible
Connor Toole is the Deputy Editor at BroBible. He is a New England native who went to Boston College and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. Frequently described as "freakishly tall," he once used his 6'10" frame to sneak in the NBA Draft and convince people he was a member of the Utah Jazz.