Dikembe Mutombo, a former 8-time All-Star, was widely acclaimed for his dominant defense, particularly his exceptional shot-blocking prowess.
It was considered one of the best ever witnessed; however, not everyone appreciated this skill and the overall game of the Hall of Fame center. One critic of note was legendary forward Elvin Hayes, who expressed his disapproval of ‘Deke’ in a SLAM Magazine (Issue 22) article from late December 1997.
“He’s totally blown out of proportion. Now there’s an overrated player. Yeah, the guy blocks some shots, but he’s not a dominant player,” remarked ‘The Big E.’
The good old center days
During Hayes’ era, the top pick in the 1968 NBA Draft, the game primarily revolved around the paint. Naturally, the center position held immense influence on the court, featuring a multitude of physical and dominant big men showcasing their skills. Elvin underscored this sentiment, recalling, “When I came into the league, every team had a quality center.” The former 6’9’’ player had no shortage of examples to support this statement.
“Atlanta had Zelmo Beaty, an All-Star center. Baltimore had Walt Bellamy, an All-Star center. There was Wes Unseld, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Willis Reed, Jerry Lucas, Leroy Ellis, Mel Counts. The list goes on and on,” Hayes recited.
Some would argue that the 7’2’’ center Mutombo played a significant role in the emergence of the next generation of legendary big men in the 90s. However, ‘The Big E’ clearly did not share that opinion.
“What do you have today? Not a heck of a lot. They have to puff players up to make them into All-Stars. I mean, Mikembe [sic] Mutombo?” he scoffed.
Shot-blocking legend or one-trick pony?
Dikembe’s rebounding prowess has already been mentioned, yet it cannot be overstated.n The former four-time DPOY winner currently ranks second on the list of players with the most blocks in NBA history. Throughout his career until his retirement in 2009, the Congolese center averaged a remarkable 2.8 blocks per game.
However, Elvin did not exclusively see this skill in a positive light. The Wizards and Rockets legend downplayed the impact of Mutombo’s shot-blocking, suggesting that his overall game was not up to par.
“He’s not a scorer. He can’t control the flow of a basketball game. Just standing back there blocking shots ain’t nothing,” criticized the former scoring champ.
A brief look at the stats supports the critique that ‘Deke’ did not have a multi-faceted game. His name is nowhere to be found in major all-time statistical categories such as points, assists, or steals. Even in boards, the former two-time rebounding leader Mutombo barely cracked the top 20.
Despite a few perceived shortcomings, Dikembe was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015. It’s safe to say that Hayes was not a strong supporter of his. The 1978 NBA champ, who received the same honor in 1990, believed that there were many other legendary centers that clearly overshadowed Mutombo.
“Mutombo can’t even be mentioned in the same breath as Nate Thurmond or Walt Bellamy,” Elvin emphasized. “He’s not even in the same league as [Patrick] Ewing or [Alonzo] Mourning, let alone [David] Robinson or Hakeem [Olajuwon]. Even [Rik] Smits is better than him.”