Mutombo...

Dikembe Mutombo who's real name is Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo was born on June 25, 1966 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mutombo at 42 Years YOUNG is the Oldest Active Player In Nba Basketball and currently plays for the Houston Rockets. OK enough about his background lets get to the real topic at hand, the vintage Mutombo Adidas sneakers. Mutombo was drafted fourth overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 1991 NBA Draft and 1 year later his signature edition basketball shoe was released by adidas during the 1992/93 NBA season. The sneaker itself is a hightop shoe which features #55 (mutombos jersey #) on the ankle as well as the tongue, a mostly black base with white & red accents and a geometric pattern on the side, heel and inner tongue. In the 90s signature sneakers became a big business and Adidas needed to step up to the plate with a player who would bring the now suffering market back up to its potential.

In February of 1993, adidas hired former Nike executive Robert J. Strasser to head the newly created adidas America. The company hoped that the basketball market would push a return to high-sales for the brand. Adidas chose Mutombo who was an all-star his first year, and runner up as rookie of the year to represent the company’s basketball division. The sneaker Adidas developed was built for the center position, bulky and stable, but also an indication of Mutombo’s personality and past, and the proposed future of basketball, the African continent. The pair above is my personal pair from my collection and I have worn them a couple times and they hold up very nicely. I would highly recommend anyone who has them to not be afraid and bring out your inner Mutombo, hit the court, block a shot and wave that finger with pride!!!! One last note pictures of the Mutombo retro have floated around the internet for about a year now but I havent heard any definite information about a release.