The Selfless Side of NBA All-Star HOOPLA

 

There are stories that don’t need an apology playing out this All-Star Weekend, stories that have to do with men who want to be here, stories of charity, humanity and even redemption. There are two stories of heroism unfolding, not of scoring and rebounding, but of using one’s station in life to save lives.

There is no better place to start than with Dikembe Mutombo, the Atlanta Hawks’ center now halfway to his goal of raising $15 million to build a 300-bed hospital in his home country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. All-Star Weekend means schmoozing potential corporate sponsors. It means asking people of means to support, in a tangible way, a project that many in America would hardly give a second thought.

“My target is to break the ground in September,” said Mutombo, whose wife is expecting their second child. “And then it will take 38 months to complete building. It does wear me out, because there is so little time to be a father and to be the best ballplayer I can be, to give something to my people that is important. This is an important thing in my life.

“My parents didn’t have that much, but they were charitable. They served their community. I have so much more than my dad; why shouldn’t I make a contribution? Africa needs almost everything. The Africa of the future doesn’t look too good when you consider the poverty, the lack of medical care, the rate of AIDS. The human resources have to come together.”

Clearly, Mutombo needs every cent he can get. Still, just before he walked into a media session, Mutombo handed one of his former teammates Mourning a check for $50,000. Why? Because Mourning is also on a mission.

Mourning seeks to raise $4 million to fight focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a degenerative kidney disease that has sidelined him this season. He told his fellow NBA player what he wanted from them: one-half of one day’s pay. He wants to raise $2 million, then will match it by writing a check for $2 million himself.

Once someone asked Mouring, who has lost weight as he continues to undergo aggressive treatment, if he ever wakes up and asks God, “Why me?” Mourning replied with a short sermon.

“How could I have a nerve to ask, “Why me?” he said. “ I don’t have a problem. The people who have to ration their medication because it costs so much – they’ve got a problem. The people who have six days of sick leave a year – they have the problem. They have the right to ask, “Why me?”

“People out there need help. I never asked, “Why me?” I asked, “What do you want me to do now?” I can utilize resources. I can get the best doctors, I can afford the medication. Man, I live in a fantasy world. We work two, three hours a day at the most. We’re getting paid extremely well to do something you love to do. You train your mind and body to ignore the injuries and rigors of your work and you think you’re Superman. I can’t put this in an ice bucket and know the swelling will go down. This is a reality check”.

Of course, not every story is dripping with that kind of emotion, but these ones need public’s attention.

(By M. Wilbon, Washington Post Service, 2001.)

 

15 Discuss the following questions in pairs or groups:

o How are people in the article helping charity?

o Explain the meaning of the phrase “All-Star Weekend”.

o What are the reasons that inspire the main characters of the article to raise money for charity?