D. J. Mbenga
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D. J. Mbenga
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|
| Position | Center |
|---|---|
| Height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Weight | 255 lb (115.7 kg) |
| League | NBA |
| Team | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Jersey | #28 |
| Born | December 30, 1980 Zaire |
| Nationality |  Democratic Republic of the Congo Belgium |
| College | none |
| Draft | undrafted |
| Pro career | 2001–present |
| Former teams | Dallas Mavericks (2004–2007) Golden State Warriors (2007–2008) |
| Official profile | Info Page |
Didier Ilunga-Mbenga (born December 30, 1980), commonly referred to as D.J. Mbenga, is a 7'0" Belgian-Congolese professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also plays for the Belgian Lions.[1]
Early life
Didier Mbenga was born in and raised in Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where his father worked for the government.[2] When a new regime took over power, it hunted down everyone who worked for the previous leader.[2] As unrest in the country escalated, Mbenga's father was imprisoned.[2] Although he was eventually unable to save himself, he did manage to negotiate on behalf of his sons, who were also imprisoned and waiting to be executed. Mbenga fled the country on a plane to Belgium (the DRC's mother nation until 1960) , where he received asylum.[2] While living in a refugee center, he was discovered by Belgian basketball legend Willy Steveniers, who eventually served as Mbenga's personal basketball mentor.[3] After playing a few years in the Belgian league, Mbenga joined the NBA.
NBA career
Mbenga was signed by the Dallas Mavericks during the 2004–05 season, playing a few minutes in 15 games for them. He continued through the 2005–06 season with the Mavericks but when the season ended, Mbenga became an unrestricted free agent. Mbenga extended his contract with the Dallas Mavericks for three seasons for an approximated US$2 million a year.[4] Mbenga was then waived by the Mavericks in order for them to sign Juwan Howard. On November 17, 2007, Mbenga was signed to play with the Golden State Warriors under the direction of his old coach in Dallas, Don Nelson. On January 6, 2008 he was waived by Golden State.[5] Later that month, on January 21, 2008 he was signed to a 10-day contract by the Los Angeles Lakers.[6] On February 11, 2008 the Lakers signed Mbenga for the rest of the 2007–08 season.[7]
Player profile
In the 2006 playoffs he was suspended 6 games without pay for entering the stands. He saw coach Avery Johnson's wife being disturbed by some fans, and reportedly went into the stands with owner Mark Cuban to help usher Mrs. Johnson to the locker room. Regardless of his intentions, the NBA's Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson maintained a hard line against players entering the stands (a direct result of the infamous Pacers-Pistons brawl of 2004), suspending him for six games without pay.[8] When asked about watching the Finals from home, Mbenga remarked, "Sometimes, I can't watch. When I start watching, especially when Diop or Erick have foul trouble, I get mad. I might shoot the TV."[9]
On February 7, 2007 against Memphis, Mbenga hurt his knee late in the fourth quarter and limped off the court. It was originally thought that he had only strained his knee and would be back after a week or so, however, later scans found Mbenga had torn an anterior cruciate ligament, which required surgical reconstruction. As a result of the injury, Mbenga missed the rest of the season.[10]
Mbenga speaks five languages: French, Portuguese, English, and two languages from the Congo.[11]
Playing career
| Season | Club | Country | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | Antwerp Diamond Giants | Belgium | National Junior Youth League |
| 2000–01 | Antwerp Diamond Giants | Belgium | National Junior Youth League |
| 2001–02 | Spirou Gilly | Belgium | Second Division |
| 2002–03 | Basket Groot Leuven | Belgium | First Division |
| 2003–04 | Spirou Charleroi | Belgium | First Division |
| 2004–05 | Dallas Mavericks | USA | NBA |
| 2005–06 | Dallas Mavericks | USA | NBA |
| 2006–07 | Dallas Mavericks | USA | NBA |
| 2007–08 | Golden State Warriors | USA | NBA |
| 2007–08 | Los Angeles Lakers | USA | NBA |
| 2008–09 | Los Angeles Lakers | USA | NBA |
NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Dallas | 15 | 1 | 3.9 | .429 | .000 | .750 | .5 | .0 | .0 | .3 | 1.0 |
| 2005–06 | Dallas | 43 | 1 | 5.5 | .533 | .000 | .500 | 1.3 | .0 | .1 | .6 | 1.7 |
| 2006–07 | Dallas | 21 | 0 | 3.8 | .313 | .000 | .875 | .5 | .3 | .1 | .2 | .8 |
| 2007–08 | Golden State | 16 | 0 | 8.1 | .391 | .000 | .500 | 1.9 | .3 | .2 | .6 | 1.2 |
| 2007–08 | Los Angeles | 26 | 0 | 7.5 | .492 | .000 | .400 | 1.6 | .2 | .2 | .6 | 2.5 |
| Career | 121 | 2 | 5.8 | .471 | .000 | .568 | 1.2 | .1 | .1 | .5 | 1.6 |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | Dallas | 7 | 0 | 3.6 | .333 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.1 | .0 | .0 | .1 | .6 |
| 2007–08 | Los Angeles | 7 | 0 | 4.3 | .625 | .000 | .000 | 1.3 | .0 | .3 | .1 | 1.4 |
| Career | 14 | 0 | 3.9 | .545 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.2 | .0 | .1 | .1 | 1.0 |
References
- ↑ "Belgian Lions eindigen in mineur" (in Dutch), Sportwereld.be (2006-09-17).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 (May 2008). NBA Access: Lakers-Jazz. NBA Access with Ahmad Rashad.
- ↑ "Poulain van Willy Steveniers tekent contract bij Dallas Mavericks" (in Dutch), Sportwereld.be (2004).
- ↑ Mavericks Contracts and future salary commitments Archived from the original on 2007-08-13
- ↑ Lepper, Geoff (2008-01-07). "Warriors waive backup center Mbenga", Vallejo Times-Herald, MediaNews Group. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
- ↑ LAKERS SIGN DJ MBENGA, January 21, 2008
- ↑ After two 10-day contracts, Lakers sign Mbenga for rest of year, February 11, 2008
- ↑ Dallas’ D.J. Mbenga Suspended Six Games, June 1, 2006
- ↑ Dallas Morning News Page 5C June 16, 2006
- ↑ "Knee injury to sideline Mavs' Mbenga for season". ESPN (2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
- ↑ "Didier Ilunga-Mbenga Bio Page". NBA.com.
External links
- D.J. Mbenga Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
- D. J. Mbenga at ESPN.com
- The blog of DJ Mbenga
|
|||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ilunga Mbenga, Didier |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | D.J. Mbenga |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | basketball center player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 30, 1980 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kinshasa, DR Congo |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
- Categories:
- Template computed age
- 1980 births
- Living people
- Dallas Mavericks players
- Golden State Warriors players
- Undrafted National Basketball Association players
- Los Angeles Lakers players
- Democratic Republic of the Congo basketball players
- Belgian basketball players
- Centers (basketball)
- Belgians of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent
History
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D._J._Mbenga
