[espn.com] Mutombo says enough to questioning his age

Deke should realiase that people are not mocking him. there amazed how good he really is at he's current age. however, if deke wants it to stop, fine. people must respect he's wishes.

 

Look, he feels like it's hurting his family. I don't see any problem w/ him speaking out and saying it bothers him because of that. And as for talking to Stern, the NBA might send out a private message national and local commentators to cool it w/ the jokes. It's a business after all and I'm sure the NBA and TV want to be copacetic. I'm sure there are lots of little messages sent around on what the NBA prefers and doesn't. You never here local Rockets saying 'the Mavs are just a bunch of pansies'. And considering this isn't a major deal, I think the broadcasters would respect it.

 

From my understanding, the reporters are going on the rumors that his age was falsified in order for him to play at Georgetown longer.

This would be like a movie reviewer, after watching a Richard Gere movie, praising Richard Gere's performance despite having a gerbil up his butt.

 

Ay!! stop messing with ma boy s***!!!! Get a life dumb commentators!!

 

Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

 

Serious question- why do people joke that Mutombo is much older? This is confusing to me. He is playing like he is much younger. Is it because he looks old? Or because he started his career late?

 

Why do people question cuban baseball players age? Same deal with deke.

 

Because from South America there are lots of people who falsified birth certificates. But I haven't heard of the same phenomenon from Africa. I don't remember it being applied to Hakeem.

 

There's a number of African born people who do not have official records of their date of birth. It just happens like that and isnt really done purposely with intent to falsify age, they simply just dont know.. I had a government teacher from Nigeria who didnt have a real birth certificate so his age was approximated.

Unfortunately Mutombo gets lumped into that. Most of it's in fun but there's people out there probably really questioning, likening him to the baseball way of doing it. IIRC correctly there was some suspicion to Malick Badiane's real age (born right on January 1st...hmmm now ). And Freddy Adu for sure.

 

That is both funny and confusing. Why would he falsify his docs to say he is 21 when he could have done it to say he is 18? Did he not arrive here as a 21 years old lad?

If Lebron or Oden were not from here, would they suffer the same kind of jokes I think so - but it does not make it fair though. Everyone or rather most people are joke baits one way or the other - if the table is turned I bet many if not all would cry foul.

As humans we evolve. Jokes that were okay at one point may not be in the future (see some old racial and anti-sematic jokes). I hope many especially those in the media take heed and let it go. It would have been another thing if this was a joke related to a crime he commited in the past.

 

If someone commited a crime and then paid for his due, he also has right to ask people not to joke about that. It doesn't mean people should forget about that, it's more like a basic human right. Anyway, I am sure elbowing LBJ in the game doesn't count as a crime.

 

lmao. does anyone think greg oden is the new mutombo? AHAHHAHA! the dude looks like hes 50

 

I was going to comment the same thing.

Oden made a comment about how people were teasing him about his age and his facial hair... and he said that people didn't understand for them the amount of hair he has is a days work, when it took him more than a month to get that much.

Then he said he would leave it because without it he looked much younger and for now he things the "How old are you" jokes are funny.

 

JVG and T-Mac also make cracks on Dikembe's age

 

Agree, even some players younger than 30 could not play like he does

 

Great article on Mutombo:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/lopez/4482148.html

Give me my privileges back!

 

Especially with that hospital of his. One of the good guys in sports.

 

Towards the end of his career i thought there were rumors going around that Hakeem was older than his player profile was stating.

 

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/archive/index.php/t-20367.html

A link to the archive of a thread on the bbs about a rumor that hakeem was older than he said he was. As well as a mention about mutumbo back then as well.

 

It might not have been intentional, but if there was a possibility that Mutombo was 24 or older, it would've looked wierd for him to play against players 5 years younger.