By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Revealing the motivation driving him back to the NBA, Bismack Biyombo announced a generous gesture via a video from his foundation on Friday. He intends to use all of the 2021-22 earnings from his NBA salary toward the construction of a hospital in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo, in honor of his late father.
Biyombo, 29, became an unrestricted free agent after the 2020-21 season. Following the conclusion of his second stint at the Charlotte Hornets, he did not return to action until joining the Phoenix Suns on a ten-day contract a couple of months ago. Proving himself as a valuable asset, he inked a deal for the rest of the season.
He was with his father, Francois, during his time away from the NBA, as he confirmed in the video. His father passed away in August 2021 at age 61. He had recovered from COVID-19 but the created health ailments eventually claimed his life. “Once my dad passed, the love of the game kinda fell a little bit, because he was my everything. He was my friend, business partner, mentor, and everything,” said Biyombo.
Explaining his decision to donate his entire 2021-22 salary, he went through the state of health care in Congo.
“What I told my agent was my salary for this year would be going to the construction of a hospital back home, to give hope to the hopeless at home,” he mentioned, “Those individuals that cannot take their family members out, I wanted to be able to give them better conditions so that they can somewhat have hope that their loved ones will be able to leave and see another day.”
Upon moving to Phoenix, Biyombo switched his jersey number to 18 as an additional tribute to his father, specifically to honor his birthday, June 18, 1960, as he added in the video.
Over 22 games in the 2021-22 Regular Season, he has averaged 6.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, 0.7 assists, and 0.5 steals per contest.
Photo Credit: Getty Images