Dikembe Mutombo is accused of encouraging a failed Congolese gold transaction

The lasting image of Dikembe Mutombo as an NBA All-Star, goofy guy, and well-earned reputation as a humanitarian took a huge hit on Monday with a shocking Houston Chronicle report that details the former Defensive Player of the Year's role in an alleged failed gold scheme centered around Mutombo's former Congolese home. In the Chronicle feature, based around a United Nations report, Mutombo allegedly acted as a go-between that worked as a conduit spaced between his nephews and a Texan oil man that was set to purchase over a thousand pounds of gold from the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, valued at over $10 million, just a quarter of what Dikembe bragged to have ready for sale. Here's a snippet from the Chronicle piece: "More surprising was the Mutombo contingent's proposal: the purchase of 1,045 pounds of gold that would generate $10 million in profits to be divided three ways — 40 percent to Lawal, 30 percent to St. Mary and 30 percent to the Mutombo fami...