Nuggets icon Dikembe Mutombo speaks out after George Floyd tragedy

Denver Nuggets former star Dikembe Mutombo speaks out against George Floyd’s murder.

Situated in Atlanta, one of the cities who rioted last week in response to the tragic death of George Floyd, Denver Nuggets legend Dikembe Mutombo would be unable to be insulated from the revolutionary actions that are taking place.

In a 10-minute video, the police brutality that led to the murder of Floyd has cut a community so deeply that the wound is now felt across the nation. A video that, when seen in full by Mutombo, caused him to cry for 10 minutes, per the Denver Post’s Mike Singer.

A global ambassador for the NBA, Mutombo is well-known for his humanitarian efforts, so it’s not surprising that seeing Floyd being filmed as he’s telling the officer who dug his knee into his neck “I can’t breathe” and crying out for his mother while saying “everything hurts” would cause heartache.

As Mutombo would express succinctly, if that type of inhumane act doesn’t concern you, then you’re living in another world. As Mutombo would rightly express, Floyd didn’t deserve to die.

"“If you’re living in this planet, if it’s not your concern, that means you don’t live here,” Mutombo said. “You are living in other places. I think George didn’t deserve to die. Don’t tell me someone would get killed no matter the color of his race because of 20 dollars or whatever, 10 dollars. Come on. I’ve seen people do bad things more than that (and) they don’t get killed.”"

Although he’s befriended many police officers, Mutombo was particularly — and rightly — horrified by the officer who was eventually charged for Floyd’s murder. Witnessing the event unfold in full prompted Mutombo to echo the words of the most well-known American civil rights activist, Martin Luther King:

"“The policeman didn’t do nothing, continued to press,” he said. “That’s what Martin Luther King said that our lives begin to end the day we’re becoming silenced about the things that matter. Our lives will mean nothing if I don’t do nothing of the things that’s happening in front of me. You see someone be killed and you don’t speak out about the injustice, then that’s the end of your life because you’re going to be next.”"

Professional athletes, past and present, are no stranger to using their platform to advance civil rights. While progress has been slow, with police brutality seeming to occur as frequently as ever and African-Americans still subjected to racism after four centuries of being in America, it’s important for people with their reach and influence to speak out against injustices.

The LeBron James’ of the world matter. The Colin Kaepernicks’ and Eric Reids’ of the world matter. The Dikembe Mutombos’ of the world matter. They all help spur change by expressing their sentiments about right and wrong, justice and injustice, what the world should be like and what the world is showing them it is like.

What the next step America will take is unknown but the actions taken by protestors, the chaos seen by rioters, only reflects the chaotic state that the nation was already in.