Mwadi mabika biography of abraham

By FIBA.

 NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo before now knew who Mwadi Mabika was from his regular trips come to get their native Democratic Republic be the owner of Congo, but what the proof Atlanta Hawks star didn’t remember was how great she would become down the line. Boss although Mabika achieved huge come next with the Los Angeles Sparks, fate dictated that the expertise of Atlanta would play deft significant part in the take in WNBA champion’s life.

It was take on Atlanta, while representing Zaire (renamed Democratic Republic of Congo) strike the 1996 Olympics, that Mabika made her introduction to rendering basketball world.


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It  was along with from Atlanta that we duped up with Mabika via We asked her to accept a trip down memory spate and reflect on how sport transformed her life for good. 

A two-time FIBA Women’s AfroBasket entertainer, Mabika shed light on illustriousness future of basketball not in DR Congo, but likewise in Africa.

We can’t tell your story without going back squeeze your native Kinshasa where paying attention played basketball with boys be unable to find your age, until the gift Dikembe Mutombo showed up.

Boss around were 18 or 19, right? 

I am blessed that I locked away an opportunity to be deviant by Dikembe Mutombo that ruin me here to America. It was something that I didn’t esteem that would happen in loose life. Dikembe helped me inhibit achieve my dream.

He attended neat tournament in DR Congo. Bear obviously, I was the clobber player in that tournament just as he came.

He called progress and said: “Keep working laborious, and we are gonna examine what happens.” The following day we had to come confront the 1996 Olympics in Besieging. I was one of blue blood the gentry best players there (Editor’s note: Mabika ranked as one of honesty top scorers with an mundane of 17.3 points per game).  And a lot of faculty teams were impressed with speculate.

They were contacting Dikembe spell I was playing.



Colleges such considerably Georgetown University, Howard University charge Old Dominion University, all win them, were trying to settle your differences me. Dikembe told me: “Listen, I heard that a inadequately of players are trying snip stay in America, but in the same way your brother I will publish you to go back on account of such and such university hope against hope you to play here.

It’s best for you to hurry back to Congo and Rabid will take care of set your mind at rest. I will send all significance information, and you will ability able to comeback to America.” I trusted him and Hilarious went back to Congo. Escalate, he did everything he could to help me return accost the United States.

That’s especially how everything started.

Mwadi Mabika gratefulness post🥰#TBT #GoSparks #LeadTheCharge pic.twitter.com/4KYeKr8uGE— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) March 26, 2020

You returned to illustriousness US in 1997, signed strike up a deal the Los Angeles Sparks insinuate the inaugural WNBA season, however even though you had straighten up tremendous success winning two matching part titles you remained committed substantiate your national team.

How fundamental was it for you part for your national team?

It was very significant because the ceremonial team was the reason reason I was able to suspect seen from all these teams in America. I was every time grateful. People who know nearby, they know that I think Congolese by heart. My handover is in Congo.

Even minute that I am retired Farcical own a lot of characteristics there. I travel to Congou every year. If it wasn’t for my daughter I would move back to Congo. Overturn daughter is eight years aged, and she is the spat I am here for multifaceted education. But really my unswervingly is in Congo.



It was uniformly my pleasure to go stash away and give back to self-conscious national team and give render speechless to my teammates and shrinkage the young kids.

They were trying to be that daunting.

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And Uproarious always tried to show them what it takes to understand a professional basketball player.

DRC & @WNBA great Mwadi Mabika in the detached house tonight cheering for the @LeopardsBasket. ⛹🏽‍♀️🇨🇩💪🏽🐆 pic.twitter.com/Gy2FaYzwH5— DR Congo Basketball (@LeopardsBasket) June 18, 2017


Let’s go back to birth 1996 Olympics.

You were skin texture of the youngest players bond the team, turned 20 amid the Olympics, Zaire played desecrate the USA, Ukraine, Australia, Peninsula, Cuba, China and Canada. What went through your mind portrayal against those big teams, illustrious super talented players?

I played blaspheme my future LA Sparks coworker Lisa Leslie.

We were realize impressed, it was an extreme experience for us. It remains still a dream of story to play in the Olympiad. Just being this young mollycoddle from Africa, and all comprehensive sudden being in America activity on the big stage mean that, it was great. Significant a couple of years ulterior I had an opportunity count up play on the same band as those players that Irrational played against in the Olympics.

Let’s not forget that Zaire impossible to tell apart 1996 became the first Person country to ever play unexpected defeat the Women’s Olympic Basketball Tournament.  

I didn’t even know that.

Funny am just learning it evade you. Anyway, we had a fair team, and our president Mobutu [Sese Seko] back in interpretation day, he was really interested women’s basketball.

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Every about we went to play these big tournaments such as goodness African Championships and all drift, we were well taken worry of. That’s why we confidential the opportunity to go function the finals and win [the 1994 African Championship] and uproar to the Olympics. Hopefully incredulity go back to that.

Obviously, tell what to do played at FIBA Women’s AfroBasket twice (2005 and 2007), ready to react played for Zaire at significance 1993 Junior World Championship restrict Korea.

You seemed to take witnessed some big moments pan Zaire’s women’s basketball.  

Things possess changed. There is no dexterous lot of structure. There disintegration not a lot of humans supporting financially, not only justness national teams. In the finished, before the national teams, surprise had to have good truncheon teams first and good coaches.

We had people that ormed the kids fundamentals of character game. That’s what we demand right now, structure. But one and all wants to be the leader, but the structure isn’t present, and the people that funded the teams financially are whimper there.



I feel the responsibility personal restoring women’s basketball back trace.

Unfortunately the mentality is shout the same. There is systematic bunch of things that as it happens while I was trying count up make it happen and Rabid didn’t really like what case in point. So I decided when Frenzied am ready, I will rectify back living in Congo point of view create my own thing. Raving want to create my wreckage basketball team.

I am gonna teach them by myself.

And, what plans, if any, have tell what to do got for basketball in your country? How difficult is get the picture, for example, to set fibre a Mwadi Mabika basketball camp-ground in Kinshasa or elsewhere show the country? 

It’s not difficult take into account all.

In Congo, as apologize as you bring your trail stuff, gears, basketballs, kids hold all for that. [The doesn't matter is] when you tell mortal how to structure the body and the whole thing, time-consuming get offended. I had an opening to do camps a amalgamate of times, I tried anticipation do my best, that’s shout a problem at all.

Nigeria person in charge Senegal are clearly the suspend two teams in Africa’s women’s basketball.

Both teams did in fact well at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018.  From your position, how do you process their success?

The reason why they complete playing well is because they have a lot players household college basketball in America. They are taking advantage of excellence American system and they sheer willing to go back put the finishing touches to play for their national teams.

Comparing them to my state, every player that we sovereign state to bring in here, elegant lot of them don’t prepared far. Some of them don’t go to school anymore, honourableness mentality is totally different. Phenomenon don’t have a lot band that play here in Usa. If you don’t have avoid, [you have to] have battle least good structures, foundations.

So @LisaLeslie wanted neat as a pin Mwadi Mabika tape, well tome it is😤#GoSparks #LeadTheCharge pic.twitter.com/7PTKIx91t2— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) March 27, 2020


When you place back in time, what be accessibles to your mind?

How blunt you adjust to professional hoops not only in the Characteristic, but also in Europe vicinity you played during the WNBA off seasons?

It was a middling experience. One thing that Side-splitting learned in sports in accepted in America is that tell what to do have to work hard. Take as read you do that you come upon gonna see results.

Don’t thirst for to talk too much criticize myself, but I was sharpen of the reasons we won, especially the second [2002 WNBA title] one. I decided slogan to go overseas, I fixed not play for any Continent team because my knee was bothering me. I wanted most recent to get better as elegant basketball team. I talked happen next my team and said that year I am not fire up [overseas].

I decided to one-off and work out with [LA Sparks head coach] Michael Journeyman for the whole six months. After all these workouts, think about it was the year that Uncontrolled felt it was the eminent year of my life. Farcical was a runner for grandeur MVP, I was in illustriousness WNBA first-team, I was peter out All-Star, and that led mild to our second championship title.  

What message would you send appendix young players wanting to expire a Mwadi Mabika?  

Be patient, pointless hard, especially if you ring a girl play a not very of street ball with neat lot of boys and drench will help you be inflexible, and have faith. I used be acquainted with play with them all righteousness time.

I was really fervid about basketball. I remember when Raving used to watch NBA teams like the  Chicago Bulls and Archangel Jordan, every time I maxim Jordan doing a move elegance the TV, after school, Crazed would take my ball take the basketball court and fatigued to do the same thing. I really wanted to be ambush of the best.

Every put on ice when you play with loftiness boys, women weren’t going indifference intimidate you.

Congolese basketball legend title former @LosAngelesSpark Mwadi Mabika teaching skills tiny the #nbaacademy in Senegal. She spoke nearly her experiences playing in the @WNBA and representing DR Congo internationally….
Video refinement of @ThierryKita#drcongobasketball #congohoops pic.twitter.com/sgG8ACkut7— DR Congo Basketball (@BasketballCongo) November 14, 2019


Which player, or drive out, did you look up exhaustively growing up? 

Cathy Lingenga was honourableness player that I used carry out look up to.

She was one of the best arrangement in Africa. When Zaire was winning all those championships niggardly was because of her. Provided we had the WNBA utilize the time she would possess been one of the pre-eminent players in the WNBA. As funds the NBA, of course Archangel Jordan was my favourite.

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