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NBA Africa and Quest Water Global, a socially responsible water solutions company, today announced a multi-year collaboration to build or renovate 55 full-size, 3-on-3 basketball courts throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by 2030 in honor of Dikembe Mutombo, the late four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, who served as the first global ambassador for the NBA after his retirement from the league in 2009.
The collaboration will support NBA Africa’s commitment to build or renovate 1,000 courts across the continent over the next decade and will see Quest Water Global serve as the league’s official infrastructure development partner in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The collaboration began on Tuesday, September 29 with the inauguration of a new outdoor basketball court in Cercle Onatra, Kinshasa, where Mutombo began his basketball journey with Basketball Club Onatra before moving to the US. The court pays tribute to Mutombo by featuring his iconic number 55 jersey number on the center court and is expected to serve thousands of young people from the local community each year. To celebrate the opening, NBA Africa hosted a Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA clinic for 80 local coaches.
As part of the collaboration, a second court will be inaugurated in Mbuji-Mayi, Mutombo’s hometown, in the coming weeks.
“Dikembe believed basketball was a powerful tool to teach young people discipline, teamwork, resilience, leadership and service to others,” Rose Mutombo said. “My hope is that this court, and many more to come, will help inspire future generations to embrace these values, pursue education and discover the opportunities the game can create.”
“Collaborating with NBA Africa on this court construction initiative reflects our shared belief that healthy, prosperous communities need more than one thing: they need clean water, safe spaces and the opportunity to grow,” said Quest Water Global, Inc. CEO John Balanko. “Quest Water Global is proud to stand alongside NBA Africa in this work and honored that our collaboration fuels a spirit of service and community investment that will outlive us all.”
“Our collaboration with Quest Water Global will expand access to basketball throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country that holds a special place in the history of our game due to the enormous impact and lasting legacy of Dikembe Mutombo,” said Clare Akamanzi, CEO of NBA Africa. “Through this multi-year commitment, we are creating more opportunities for young people from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dikembe’s home country, to follow in his enormous footsteps as players and leaders.”
Selected fourth overall in the 1991 NBA Draft, Mutombo spent 18 years in the NBA, during which time he was an eight-time NBA All-Star and four-time Defensive Player of the Year, leading the league in blocked shots three times and becoming the second-best shot blocker in NBA history. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
Recognized for his philanthropic and humanitarian work, Mutombo is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Congressional Humanitarian Award (2013), the Goodermote Humanitarian Award from the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2011), the Laureus World Sports Award (2010), the John Thompson Jr. Legacy of a Dream Award (2010), and the United States President’s Service Award (2000). A general hospital he built in Kinshasa and named in memory of his late mother, the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, opened its doors to the public in 2007.
About NBA Africa
NBA Africa is an affiliate of the National Basketball Association (NBA), a global sports and media organization with a mission to inspire and connect people around the world through the power of basketball. NBA Africa runs the league’s business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL), and has opened subsidiary offices in Cairo, Egypt; Dakar, Senegal; Johannesburg, South Africa; Lagos, Nigeria; and Nairobi, Kenya. The league’s efforts on the continent have focused on increasing access to basketball and the NBA through youth and elite development, social responsibility, media distribution, corporate partnerships, the NBA Africa Games, the BAL and more.
NBA games and programming are available in all 54 African countries, and the NBA has hosted three sold-out exhibition games on the continent since 2015. The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and NBA Africa, is a professional league that features 12 club teams from across Africa and concluded its sixth season in May 2026. Fans can follow @NBAAfrica on Facebook and YouTube, @nbaafricaofficial on Instagram, @NBA_Africa on X and @theBAL on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.
About Quest Water Global, Inc.
Quest Water Global, Inc. is a socially responsible company dedicated to providing innovative and sustainable clean water solutions to underserved communities around the world. Through its patented Build-Own-Operate model, Quest provides permanent, affordable access to safe drinking water while creating lasting social, environmental and economic impact. For more information, visit www.questwaterglobal.com.
Contacts
Pawel Weszka, NBA Africa Communications, pweszka@nba.com+27 10 0072666
Jackie McClure, Quest Water Global Communications, info@questwaterglobal.com,+1 888 897 5536
