Former NBA star Dikembe Mutombo had an infamous celebration where every time he blocked a shot he would do a finger wag and say no no no
The Hall of Famer was popularly known for his defensive abilities during his NBA career.
How Did The No No No Finger Wag Celebration Of NBA Star Dikembe Mutombo Originate As GIF And Meme Goes Viral
“No, no, no!”
On this day in 1997… Dikembe Mutombo had 3 straight blocks and broke out the finger wag. #NBAVault #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/dgOYwXuLXr
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) April 9, 2022
Does it give anybody else as much joy as me that they brought back the Dikembe Mutombo Geico commercial? “Not in My House…No, No, No, Not Today!” pic.twitter.com/T9z6yuHJ8U
— Jon Laaser (@LazePxP) March 16, 2021
The following was released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/LdK0EuwK7o
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) October 15, 2022
Dikembe Mutombo holds the record for the second-most blocks in NBA history.
Dikembe Mutombo Talks About His Celebration
Mutombo spoke about the popular finger wag celebration during a recent interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated.
Mutombo stated:
“Isn’t it crazy? Many people don’t even how many blocked shots I had in my career, but they know my GEICO commercial. Everywhere I go now, I hear, “No, no, no!” And I say, “No, my name is Mutombo!”
“I never thought what I was doing on the basketball court would become a signature part of my life. To me, it was fun to do it, even though I was fined so many times for it.”
“People forget that. I lost a lot of money on that finger wag; I got so many technical fouls. I had so many conversations with the commissioner about it, but it all worked”
An Illustrious Career
Dikembe Mutombo enjoyed an illustrious career and later making it into the Hall of Fame. Throughout his career, Mutombo dominated on the defensive end with a total of 3,289 blocked shots.
Unsurprisingly, he holds the record for the second-most blocks in NBA history. After every block against an offensive player Mutombo would proceed to wag his finger in their face, while saying “no, no, no” leading to plenty of fines from the league.
His celebration was so popular among fans that even after his playing career ended, Mutombo’s finger wag is still well-known. This is also due to his appearance on a famous GEICO commercial and other appearances, like his recent cameo in the movie “Coming 2 America”.
The retired big man also actively takes part in philanthropy. He has a foundation that helps provide health-care to people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
To this day, some NBA players taunt the opposing player with a finger wag when they block a shot on the court.
Whenever that happens, Mutombo is excited to know that he left something behind for the coming generations after him.
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