Dikembe Mutombo: Hall of Fame Smile Maker

Dikembe Mutombo is best known as a Hall of Fame NBA player. But those who knew him best know that he was, first, a Hall of Fame humanitarian.

Smile Train had the privilege of closely working alongside him at the hospital he opened in his hometown in honor of his mother, Biamba Marie Mutombo. From the moment we inaugurated our partnership in 2017, this larger-than-life figure — who made his name by blocking opponents’ every attempt to reach the hoop — took enormous pride in his role in making cleft care freely accessible in Kinshasa and throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).    

This was no side project or publicity move. Dikembe loved stopping by to meet cleft patients and spoke frequently of how much his hospital’s partnership with Smile Train meant to him. 

He even came to New York to speak at our 20th anniversary gala in 2019.

“Our whole Smile Train family joins the Mutombo family and countless others around the world in mourning the loss of a true legend. While Dikembe may no longer be with us, the smiles and second chances he made possible through his partnership with Smile Train will bring hope, health, inspiration, and life to children throughout the DRC for generations to come. And this is just one of the ways his legacy will live on forever both on and off the court,” said Smile Train President and CEO Susannah Schaefer. 

Hospital Biamba Marie Mutombo has partnered with Smile Train to provide over 540 free cleft surgeries to children in need in the DRC since 2017.