In this engaging interview, Dikembe Mutombo shares intriguing aspects of his life, including his impressive height and the challenges that come with it. The discussion humorously covers the complexity of his full name, which is rooted in the traditions of his Congolese tribe. Mutombo explains that names are often long and carry significance, as visitors to a newborn are allowed to contribute to the child’s name. Through light-hearted banter, the audience learns about Mutombo’s cultural background and familial practices.

Mutombo also reveals his fascination with American television, specifically The Three Stooges, which he enjoyed due to their comedic antics and silliness. This part of the conversation highlights Mutombo's sense of humor as he shares how these shows influenced his early life, even humorously connecting it to his professional basketball techniques. The host playfully teases Mutombo to replicate a famous character's impression, providing a moment of comedy that adds to the warmth of the conversation.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. gravitational pull [ˌgrævɪˈteɪʃənəl pʊl] - (noun phrase) - The attraction that one object has for another due to the force of gravity. - Synonyms: (gravity, attraction, force)

Now, I want to ask you about your name and then I may go back to your shoe just because of the gravitational pull.

2. significance [sɪgˈnɪfɪkəns] - (noun) - The quality of being worthy of attention; importance. - Synonyms: (importance, consequence, relevance)

Does each name have a significance?

3. tribute [ˈtrɪbjuːt] - (noun) - An act, statement, or gift that is intended to show gratitude, respect, or admiration. - Synonyms: (homage, accolade, salute)

...in my tribe, Luva tribe people have a tendency to have a long name.

4. accumulate [əˈkjuːmjəˌleɪt] - (verb) - To gather together or acquire an increasing number or quantity of. - Synonyms: (collect, gather, amass)

...they have a chance to give the child the name they want to.

5. legitimate [lɪˈdʒɪtəmɪt] - (adjective) - Conforming to the law or to rules; justified or official. - Synonyms: (lawful, valid, permissible)

I'm required by law to ask one legitimate question.

6. conspiracy [kənˈspɪrəsi] - (noun) - A secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful. - Synonyms: (plot, scheme, intrigue)

At the beginning, I felt that there was a little bit of conspiracy.

7. variation [ˌveriˈeɪʃən] - (noun) - A change or difference in condition, amount, or level, typically with certain limits. - Synonyms: (difference, variation, modification)

A slight variation on the theme.

8. perception [pərˈsepʃən] - (noun) - The way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted. - Synonyms: (interpretation, impression, understanding)

Now, tell me about the finger wag.

9. opponent [əˈpoʊnənt] - (noun) - Someone who competes against or fights another in a contest, game, or argument; a rival or adversary. - Synonyms: (adversary, rival, competitor)

How do the opponent fans respond when you do this to them?

10. inspiration [ˌɪnspəˈreɪʃən] - (noun) - The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. - Synonyms: (motivation, encouragement, influence)

We'll be right back with Steve Earl.

Dikembe Mutombo's "Three Stooges" Impression - Late Night with Conan O’Brien

Please welcome the tallest person to ever appear on this show, Dikembe Mutombo. Oh, man. So much to talk about. First of all, how tall are you exactly? 7273-7273 no one's been able to measure you, right. They need an airplane.

Check out the feet. We're getting to the feet, Andy. We are getting to the feet. Let me. Let's do it now that you bring it up. Let's do it now. I'm sorry. That's okay. Jumped the gun, but. No, that's all right. You were frightened. Speaking of luges. What? What? How big are you? Oh, my God. How big is your. Can you take me? Have this shoe? How big is your foot? How big. What size are you? 22. What? 22. You're at.

This is a 22. Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, for those of you who don't know, I've got a really big head. I've got a big Ted Kennedy irish head. And this. I could get inside this thing and live for the winter. This is giant. May I have this? Here you go. You take that back. Thank you. So you don't get those. Just. You don't go to any shoe store and just buy those, right? You just have to. That's something. You have to. Let's go to a special store.

Oh, okay. I'm sure. Where you pick out your own alligator. Yeah, they just got it. You slip your foot. I'll take that one right there. Actually, this one is still alive.

Now, I want to ask you about your name and then I may go back to your shoe just because of the gravitational pull. Your name? Dikembe Mutombo. By our standards in America, that's a complicated, fairly long name. No, no, but it's not your. It's not your whole name. That's just part of your name. What is your whole name? My name is Dikem Mutombo. Polona Mukama Diken Janjagwa Mutom. Say it one more time, please.

It's only nine names. Now, what was it like in roll call in homeroom in your high school? It went on for five days. I'll repeat. Are you here, Dikembe? What is it? Let me start saying dikembe Mutombo polono mukamba Dikenza and Zakua Mutombo. Forget it.

Okay, but why do you have so many names? How does that happen? Does each name have a significance? They do in Africa, where I'm from, in Kinshasa, Congo, especially on my tribe, Luva tribe people have a tendency to have a long name. They come from when the child is born. And people who come to visit at the hospital and they have a chance to give the child the name they want to.

Does that mean that pretty much anybody who comes and visits the child becomes part of the name your parents would give your name? So anybody? I mean, do you have a daughter? Because I heard that you have. And how old is she? Like eleven months old. She's the number one.

If I had come and visited, and you don't even know me, but if I had barged in and visited, would Conan have to be part of her name? If I knew you, do I close it? I might let you give my child a name. So if you have another child and I barge in and you know me now, will Conan be part of her name? Just say yes. Yeah, I love, um. That's just amazing to me. That's incredible. Did you have trouble remembering all that all your life?

And does anyone, are there occasions where they use the whole formal name or. You hardly ever use that name. My passport. Only at four. Your passport? It folds out many times. That's amazing to me.

Now, you mentioned your tribe. Yes. When you grew up there, you were a fan of television in America. The Three Stooges. The Three Stooges, yes, I heard about this. You were a big three Stooges fan. Yeah. I just like the way they act. They're so silly, you know?

What is it? You like the, you like the way they would hit each other and the way they hit each other under control and they have no sense. Is that how you learned how to block in basketball? It's pretty much part of your special technique. No, no. What is it you like? I mean, because we got some stuff here, and I was just curious if you liked when they would hit people with mallets. Is that right? So this, you enjoy this? You think that's funny, right?

Huh? That funny? What about this right here? I don't know who's doing it. You don't like that one? What about who was your favorite of the Stooges? All three of them. It was great. I didn't like, well, Besser towards the end, and Dorita. They weren't my favorites.

Andy, you weigh in on this, right? Yeah. Well, I mean, you know, Curly Joe was all right. Yeah, right. But Curly. Did you like Curly? I did like Curly.

Now, it must be hard for you because I liked Curly when I was a kid, but I have a voice that enabled me to do Curly like, certainly, but that would be, well, I just did it that was it? Man, talk about in your face.

Do you do a curly impression? I don't know. You want me to try? Yeah. Well, your voice is so deep, I want to hear you do Curly try. Just say, wait a minute.

Andy almost gave you the Heimlich there. I thought this might happen. So we have some helium here. I'll give you this and then just say saint nly. All right. Or nyuk nyuknyuk, whichever you prefer.

You're well over 6ft taller than me. I'm not gonna quibble in quawl. Here we go. You have to suck it all in. Wow.

That's the best impression of Curly getting shot that I've ever heard. I just realized right now, if you're not able to play in the all star game because Conan O'Brien made you suck some helium, I'm in so much trouble. Can I sue you? You can sue me. Yeah. I'm the worst guy in show business to go after you for the cash, but go ahead.

Before we go, I guess I should. I'm required by law to ask one legitimate question. Anyway. The finger wag. Yes. Now tell me about the finger wag. You used to do the finger wag after you would reject a shot. Yes.

You would do the finger wag at a player. And they said, you can't do that anymore. I can't do it. And at the beginning, I felt that there was a little bit of conspiracy, you know, because it was something that was giving me a lot of fans. And the fan was after every time I was blocking shots and I was waving a finger to the guy's face.

And after the all star break last year, I got a call from the vice president of the players operation and told him and said, you can't do it no more. And I was a little bit upset and he told me, the only way you can do it now you have to do it to the fan.

You know what you should do is you should call him and use the helium and prank call him. You don't know me. You were wrong. And.

And now you do it to the fans. You're allowed to do it to the fans. How do the fans. How do the opponent fans respond when you do this to them? How do they. When I do it, they come back to me.

Yeah, but using a different digit, I would think. Probably the way it works. A slight variation on the theme. Okay, we're out of time. It's too bad because you're a real delight to talk to, and I'm really happy to have met you, you're going to be playing, you can be, actually, you're going to be playing on Saturday and here in New York, you're going to be using the Knicks locker room, isn't that right?

Yeah, we are. Are you going to use, I know Patrick Ewing's a good friend of yours and he's, he's injured. Are you going to use. No, no. His locker? No. Definitely no.

Why not? Just a bad sign, man. Just bad luck. Bad luck, right. You feel like he's had some bad luck. You're not going to go near it. You're going to change in the street, aren't you?

Humor, Cultural Exchange, Basketball, Inspiration, Motivation, Global, Conan O'Brien