Mutombo is thrilled to visit Jerusalem

JERUSALEM» Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, a fearsome 7-foot-2 center in his playing days, said Tuesday he was moved to tears at the sight of Jerusalem’s ancient walls.

Mutombo, who hails from a devout Christian community in Congo, described his first visit to the holy city as an emotional experience. He said he thought about his parents, who died before they could see the place they had spent their lives reading about in the Bible.

“My parents might be gone, but they instilled in me the dream of coming here, and I’ve made it,” he said. “I can’t believe I’m really here.”

Mutombo, an eight-time NBA all-star who played for the Nuggets and five other teams, was in town for the inauguration of a new sports center, where he flashed his signature fingerwag and showed off his trademark shot-blocking skills at a clinic in front of a mixed crowd of excited Jewish, Christian and Muslim children.

The center, located at the city’s YMCA and sponsored by Canadian-Israeli philanthropist and sports enthusiast Sylvan Adams, calls itself an “an oasis of coexistence” in the diverse city.

Mutombo said coming from a conflict-ridden country convinced him of the salutary power of sport and allowed him to relate to politically troubled places.

“Who doesn’t know about all the wars that have taken place here?” he said. “But on the court you don’t talk about whose skin is darker, which ethnicity group you come from, which language you speak. You just play the game.”