Didier "D. J." Ilunga-Mbenga (pronounced Benga; born December 30, 1980) is a Belgian-Congolese former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He has also played for the

Belgian national basketball team The Belgium men's national basketball team nl, Belgisch nationaal basketbalteamgerman: Belgische Basketballnationalmannschaft has represented Belgium in international basketball since 1928. The supervising body for the national team is Basketb ...

as he is a

dual citizen Dual or Duals may refer to: Paired/two things * Dual (mathematics), a notion of paired concepts that mirror one another ** Dual (category theory), a formalization of mathematical duality *** see more cases in :Duality theories * Dual (grammatical ...

of both his native countries.

Early life

Mbenga was born and raised in Kinshasa,

Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

, now known as the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

, where his father was a government employee. When a new regime took over power, it sought out everyone who worked for the previous leader. As unrest in the country escalated, Mbenga and his family were imprisoned. While his father was eventually unable to save himself, he did manage to negotiate on behalf of his wife and son, as Mbenga and his mother escaped the nation and were given asylum in Belgium. While living in a refugee center, he was discovered by Belgian basketball legend Willy Steveniers, who eventually served as Mbenga's personal basketball mentor.

Professional career

Spirou Gilly (2001–2002)

In 2001, Mbenga joined Spirou Gilly of the Belgian Division II league where he made his professional debut in 2001–02.

Leuven Bears (2002–2003)

In 2002, Mbenga joined the

Leuven Bears Leuven Bears, for sponsorship reasons also called Stella Artois Leuven Bears, is a Belgian professional basketball club from Leuven. The club competes in the BNXT League, the highest tier in Belgian basketball. History The team has played in the ...

of the

Belgian Basketball League The Pro Basketball League (PBL), was the highest tier level professional basketball league in Belgium for clubs. In 2021, the league was succeeded by the Belgian-Dutch BNXT League. Through 2014, for sponsorship reasons, the league was previousl ...

for the 2002–03 season where in 21 games he averaged 8.1 points per game.

Spirou Charleroi (2003–2004)

In 2003, Mbenga joined Spirou Charleroi also of the Belgian Basketball League for the 2003–04 season where he played both league games and ULEB Cup games.

Dallas Mavericks (2004–2007)

On July 14, 2004, Mbenga signed a two-year, $3.4 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks and joined them for the 2004 NBA Summer League. In an injury-riddled first season with the Mavericks in 2004–05, he managed just 15 games while averaging just one point per game. In July 2005, Mbenga re-joined the Dallas Mavericks for the 2005 NBA Summer League, and went on to play in 43 regular season games for the franchise in 2005–06. During the 2006 Western Conference Finals against the Phoenix Suns, Mbenga was suspended for six games for going into the stands, after he saw the wife of coach Avery Johnson being harassed by fans. He went on to manage seven playoff games in the Mavericks' playoff run that ended in Game 6 of the NBA Finals where they lost to the Miami Heat. On June 30, 2006, the Mavericks extended a qualifying offer to Mbenga in order to make him a restricted free agent. After again playing for the Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Summer League, Mbenga re-signed with the franchise to a three-year, non-guaranteed contract on July 13, 2006. However, he managed just 21 games in 2006–07 after suffering a torn right ACL on February 7, 2007. He returned to the court on October 23, 2007 in the Mavericks' preseason finale against the Chicago Bulls where he recorded 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 assist in 12 minutes of action. A week later, he was waived by the Mavericks.

Golden State Warriors (2007–2008)

On November 17, 2007, Mbenga signed with the Golden State Warriors. On January 6, 2008, he was waived by the Warriors.

Los Angeles Lakers (2008–2010)

On January 21, 2008, Mbenga signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. On February 1, 2008, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Lakers. On February 11, 2008, he signed with the Lakers for the rest of the 2007–08 season. On September 24, 2008, he re-signed with the Lakers. On March 6, 2009, Mbenga recorded a then career high 10 points on 4–5 shooting, along with 4 rebounds and 5 blocks, in a 110-90 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers went on to win the 2009 NBA championship after they defeated the Orlando Magic 4 games to 1 in the

2009 NBA Finals The 2009 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2008–09 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers (who were also the defending ...

. With starting forward

Pau Gasol Pau Gasol Sáez (, ; born July 6, 1980) is a Spanish former professional basketball player. He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a four-time All-NBA team selection, twice on the second team and twice on the third team. Gasol won two NBA champion ...

and center

Andrew Bynum Andrew Bynum (born October 27, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. He played the majority of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After they selected him in the first roun ...

injured, Mbenga made his first start for the Lakers on November 6, 2009 in a 114-98 win over the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

. Two days later, Mbenga recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, in addition to 4 blocks, in a 104-88 win over the New Orleans Hornets. On April 9, 2010, he recorded a career high 11 points in a 97-88 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Mbenga went on to win his second NBA championship after the Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 4 games to 3 in the

2010 NBA Finals The 2010 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2009–10 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Laker ...

New Orleans Hornets (2010–2011)

On October 13, 2010, Mbenga signed a one-year deal with the

New Orleans Hornets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

Qingdao Eagles (2012)

In July 2012, Mbenga joined the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

for the 2012 NBA Summer League. On September 27, 2012, he signed with the Dallas Mavericks. However, he was later waived by the Mavericks on October 2, 2012. In November 2012, Mbenga signed with

Qingdao Eagles The Qingdao Guoxin Haitian Eagle Club, also known as Qingdao Daily Fresh or Qingdao Eagles are a Chinese professional basketball team which is based in Qingdao, Shandong. The club plays in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association ...

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

. On December 12, 2012, he played his final game for Qingdao before being replaced in the line-up by Chris Daniels.

Barako Bull Energy (2013)

On April 3, 2013, Mbenga signed with the

Barako Bull Energy The Barako Bull Energy were a Philippine Basketball Association team that began in 2002 as the FedEx Express. From its first season until 2005, the team was dubbed as the FedEx Express before changing to Air21 Express. From the 2009 PBA Fiest ...

of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

. On October 8, 2014, Mbenga signed with the New York Knicks. However, he was later waived by the Knicks on October 24, 2014.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, 15 , , 1 , , 3.9 , , .429 , , .000 , , .750 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .3 , , 1.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 43 , , 1 , , 5.5 , , .533 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.3 , , .0 , , .1 , , .6 , , 1.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 21 , , 0 , , 3.8 , , .313 , , .000 , , .875 , , .5 , , .3 , , .1 , , .2 , , .8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 16 , , 0 , , 8.1 , , .391 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.9 , , .3 , , .2 , , .6 , , 1.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, 26 , , 0 , , 7.5 , , .492 , , .000 , , .400 , , 1.6 , , .2 , , .2 , , .6 , , 2.5 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 23 , , 0 , , 7.9 , , .474 , , .000 , , .875 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , .4 , , 1.0 , , 2.7 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 49 , , 2 , , 7.2 , , .466 , , .000 , , .474 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , .1 , , .6 , , 1.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, 41 , , 0 , , 8.0 , , .469 , , .000 , , .722 , , 2.1 , , .1 , , .1 , , .7 , , 1.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 234 , , 4 , , 6.7 , , .470 , , .000 , , .607 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , .2 , , .6 , , 1.8

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 2006 , align="left" ,

, 7 , , 0 , , 3.6 , , .333 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 1.1 , , .0 , , .0 , , .1 , , .6 , - , align="left" ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, align="left" ,

, 7 , , 0 , , 4.3 , , .625 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.3 , , .0 , , .3 , , .1 , , 1.4 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", 2009† , style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 0 , , 2.3 , , .167 , , .000 , , .000 , , .4 , , .0 , , .0 , , .3 , , .3 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", 2010† , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 0 , , 4.0 , , .333 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.7 , - , align="left" , 2011 , align="left" ,

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, 5 , , 0 , , 5.2 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , .4 , , .6 , , 1.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 29 , , 0 , , 3.7 , , .440 , , .000 , , .800 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , .1 , , .2 , , .9

Personal

Mbenga speaks five languages: French, Portuguese, English,

Lingala Lingala (Ngala) (Lingala: ''Lingála'') is a Bantu language spoken in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the northern half of the Republic of the Congo, in their capitals, Kinshasa and Brazzaville, and to a lesser degree in ...

and Tshiluba. In 2005, Mbenga started the ''Mbenga Foundation'' with the goal to help children in the Democratic Republic of Congo and refugees in Belgium.

References

External links

*
D. J. Mbenga
at Eurocupbasketball.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Mbenga, DJ 1980 births Living people Barako Bull Energy players Belgian expatriate basketball people in Italy Belgian expatriate basketball people in the Philippines Belgian expatriate basketball people in the United States Belgian men's basketball players Belgium national basketball players Black Belgian sportspeople Centers (basketball) Dallas Mavericks players Democratic Republic of the Congo emigrants to Belgium Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriate basketball people in Italy Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriate basketball people in the Philippines Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriate basketball people in the United States Golden State Warriors players Leuven Bears players Los Angeles Lakers players National Basketball Association players from the Democratic Republic of the Congo New Orleans Hornets players Philippine Basketball Association imports Qingdao Eagles players Spirou Charleroi players Basketball players from Kinshasa Undrafted National Basketball Association players

Early life

Professional career

Spirou Gilly (2001–2002)

Leuven Bears (2002–2003)

Spirou Charleroi (2003–2004)

Dallas Mavericks (2004–2007)

Golden State Warriors (2007–2008)

Los Angeles Lakers (2008–2010)

New Orleans Hornets (2010–2011)

Qingdao Eagles (2012)

Barako Bull Energy (2013)

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal

See also

References

External links