Mutombo wins J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award

NEW YORK -- Dikembe Mutombo of the Houston Rockets is the 2008-09 recipient of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award presented annually by the Professional Basketball Writers Association. The award is named for the second commissioner of the league and honors an NBA player or coach for outstanding service and dedication to the community.

Mutombo, in his 18th NBA season, becomes the first two-time winner of the award since it was first presented in 1975. The Rockets' 7-foot-2 center was cited in 2000-01 for his charitable works while playing with the Philadelphia 76ers -- which mirrors his timeline in striving for the past decade to establish and fund the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center in his native Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Great for him, he definitely deserves it but I wonder if his recent injury and retirement had an effect on the choice of the award.

Probably not, I'd say his services earned him the award regardless of and long before his injury/retirement. In any case congratulations are in order, as I said in the other thread from all accounts he's a fine human being and consummate professional and it's great that he's been recognised for that.

This is something I will do for the rest of my life. No matter what I go do, whether it is working for the league or business for myself, doing humanitarian work, I don't think there will be anybody who can stop me

No wonder he's a great defensive player with that kind of mindset.

The five finalists this season were Mutombo, Bruce Bowen of the San Antonio Spurs, Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls, Devin Harris of the New Jersey Nets and Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic.

he really deserves it..
p.s finger wags !!!