Didier Ilunga-Mbenga
From MavsWiki
 DJ Mbenga rejects a dunk by Kobe Bryant | |
| Position: | Center |
|---|---|
| Height: | 7'0" |
| Weight: | 245 |
| Nationality: | Belgium |
| Born: | 12/30/1980 |
| Birthplace: | Kinshasa, Congo |
| Draft: | undrafted |
| Drafted By: | N/A |
| College: | N/A |
| NBA Career: | 2005-Present |
| Mavs Tenure: | 2005-2007 |
Mbenga was signed as a rookie free agent on July 14, 2004, and he re-signed with the Mavs on July 13, 2006.
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[edit] Early life
Didier Mbenga lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo) for seventeen years as the son of a family involved in the Congolese government. When his father's term was over, the new regime hunted down everyone who worked for the previous leaders. His father died in unknown circumstances and it is unclear if the new regime were the ones behind it. During the war between the Tutsi's and the Hutu's Didier was falsely accused of being Tutsi and was put in a prison with execution waiting on him in the long run. In the year 1999, after a whole nine months being heavily mistreated in prison, Didier managed to escape after his brother bribed one of the prison guards. Fearing for their lives, Didier and his mother got on a flight out of Congo as soon as possible. The first available flight lead him to Belgium where they were given political asylum. Later on, he would also pick up the Belgian nationality.
Once in Belgium, Didier stayed at an asylum center in the town of Kapellen, where he was spotted on the streets by former Belgian basketball legend Willy Steveniers. Impressed by his physical appearance, he offered to teach Didier the game of basketball. In the time to come, Steveniers would serve as Didier's personal basketball mentor as well as substitute father.
The duo's dream of Didier once playing in the NBA became reality in 2004, when he joined the Dallas Mavericks after spending a few years in various Belgian basketball leagues.
[edit] NBA Career
[edit] 2006-2007
On February 7, 2007, DJ was injured and tore a knee ligament. Mbenga was hurt in the fourth quarter Wednesday, February 7, against Memphis. The early diagnosis was a strained right knee, but an MRI on Thursday revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament. DJ played in 21 games during the 2006-2007 season, averaging nearly four minutes, 0.8 points and 0.5 rebounds.
[edit] 2005-2006
Mbenga played in 43 games (including one start), averaging 1.7 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.58 blocks in 5.1 minutes per game. When he started a game against Phoenix on April 13, Mbenga collected five boards, two blocks and three points in 13 minutes. For the season, he shot 53.3 % from the floor and 50 % from the charity stripe. Mbenga never missed a game due to injury. Top performances
- Versus Portland on January 3: Three points, four boards and one block in three minutes.
- Versus New Jersey on January 14: Four points, two boards and one block in seven minutes.
- Versus New York on February 13: A career-high five blocks in 15 minutes
- Versus Sacremento on April 4: A career-high eight points on 4-of-4 shooting in eight minutes.
- At the L.A. Clippers on April 10: A career-high six rebounds, plus four points in 12 minutes
[edit] Summer 2005
Mbenga played in a combined ten games in the Reebok Vegas Summer League and the Reebok Rocky Mountain Revue. He averaged 6.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.70 blocks in 19.1 minutes per game.
[edit] 2004-2005
He saw action in 15 games, with one start; he played a total of 58 minutes, scored 15 points, snatched eight boards and blocked five shots.
[edit] Summer 2004
Mbenga played for the Mavs at the Summer Pro League in Long Beach and the Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City. In ten total games, he averaged 4.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and a team-high 2.60 blocks per game.
[edit] International
In 2003-2004, Mbenga spent the season with TEC Spirou Charleroi of the Belgian League – in 34 games he averaged 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds. In 12 ULEB Cup games, he averaged 5.8 points, 3.0 boards and 1.4 blocks per game. In 2002-2003, he averaged 8.1 points and 8.1 rebounds in 21 games for Leuven of the Belgian League.
[edit] Personal
- Speaks five languages – two dialects from the Congo, French, Portuguese and English.
- Owns a black belt in judo |
