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.
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. When a new regime took over power, it hunted down everyone who worked for the previous leader. As unrest in the country escalated, Mbenga's father was imprisoned. 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. While living in a refugee center, he was discovered by Belgian basketball legend Willy Steveniers, who eventually served as Mbenga's personal basketball mentor. After playing a few years in the Belgian league, Mbenga joined the NBA. He is also a black belt in akido.
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. 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. Later that month, on January 21, 2008 he was signed to a 10-day contract by the Los Angeles Lakers. On February 11, 2008 the Lakers signed Mbenga for the rest of the 2007–08 season.
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. 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."
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.
Mbenga speaks five languages: French, Portuguese, English, Lingala and Tshiluba
Notable Games
On the night of March 6, 2009 playing against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Mbenga scored a career high 10 points with an efficient 4-5 shooting, grabbed 4 rebounds and blocked 5 shots in just 17 minutes of playing time.For the several games prior to the engagement, he has started to become a crowd favorite.
ABOUT DJ MBENGA
