Former Sixer Dikembe Mutombo Was in Brussels Airport at Time of Attack

New York Knicks Dikembe Mutombo pats Philadelphia 76ers Allen Iverson on the head after the Knicks defeated the 76ers 99-88, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2003 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Hall of Fame NBA player and former Philadelphia 76er Dikembe Mutombo was inside the airport in Brussels where deadly terrorist attacks killed 31 people on Tuesday. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Mutombo posted on his Facebook page indicating that he was unharmed.

Mutombo’s charity also confirmed on Facebook that he was not hurt.

Mutombo was returning to the United States from the Congo, where he was born and where his foundation has a hospital, and was traveling through Brussels. Mutombo described the chaos he experienced inside the airport to CNN’s Brooke Baldwin.

“I was in lounge and next time I heard people start screaming and everyone start running,” he said. “Because I was napping, and I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ I thought it was such a joke.”

Mutombo said a woman began screaming for everyone to evacuate. “A lot of people are bleeding … and a lot of people are hurt … and I got my bag and I start running as well,” Mutombo said. He also expressed his sympathies for the families of those who had loves ones killed or injured.

“I just feel bad for the family of the loved ones that lost their lives,” he said. “Feel bad for all the mom and all the citizen that was there that couldn’t run and that couldn’t move. It was very crazy; I feel very bad. So many mom were trying to push their two kids and three kids. You have one thousand people and everyone running. It was very, very sad.”

Mutombo played one and a half seasons in Philly and started 116 games during his tenure after being acquired during the 2000-2001 season. The Sixers fell to Lakers in that year’s NBA Finals. In the 2001-2002 season, Mutombo played 80 games for the Sixers and averaged 11.5 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.

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