Dikembe Mutombo discusses Michael Jordan’s finger wag at him
Dikembe Mutombo is known for two things: his distinctive voice and wagging his incredibly long index finger at opposing players after rejecting their shot into the cheap seats. The Hall of Famer made a career out of blocking shots in the NBA, and no one did it more memorably. Considered one of the greatest defensive players to ever play the game, Mutombo was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year four times in his career. In his 18 seasons in the league Mutombo collected 3,289 blocks, second most all-time, and he followed almost every one with his trademark finger wag.
During a sit-down with Yahoo Sports, Mutombo went into detail recalling how and why his signature taunt came to be. Feeling that he was not getting the respect that he deserved as a dominant defensive presence the eight-time All-Star began testing new ways to intimidate and embarrass his opponents to let them know that with him on the court scoring was not going to be easy.
One memorable incident on the court that Mutombo recalls involved NBA legend Michael Jordan, who unceremoniously returned the finger wag back at Mutombo following a dunk over the seven-foot center. Never one to shy away from a contest, Mutombo makes sure to point out that he returned the favor to Jordan too many times to count.
