How Dikembe Mutombo came up with iconic finger wag

Long before Stephen Curry's "night, night," Usain Bolt's "lightning bolt," Cristiano Ronaldo's "siiii" and Serena Williams' "c-walk," late NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo captivated crowds with his "finger wag" celebration. 

The gesture — which saw Mutombo say "no, no, no" with a finger wag after blocking shots — became so popular that Geico built a commercial around it, and future athletes such as J.J. Watt, Serge Ibaka and Miguel Montero added it to their celebratory routines to pay homage to Mutombo. 

So, how exactly did the 7-footer come up with the finger wag?

In a 2014 interview with BuzzFeed's Max Blau, Mutombo revealed that while he doesn't recall the first time he did the finger wag, he began doing the gesture to make himself more marketable.

"Back then, I would shake my head when I used to block shots," Mutombo said. "I really didn't have a signature...I had to come up with something [for when] I was dominating a game."

Shortly after he made his first All-Star team in 1992, Mutombo landed a sneaker deal with Adidas, who launched a series of commercials to promote his signature line of products. One of those ads ended with Mutombo uttering the words, "Man does not fly in the house of Mutombo" with a mean mug.

Evolution of the finger wag

The newfound attitude from that commercial became the source of the finger wag. In subsequent years, Mutombo began using the gesture even in philanthropic campaigns. During the initial Dikembe Mutombo Foundation infomercials in 1997, Mutombo wagged his finger to spread awareness about the horrible healthcare conditions in his home nation of Congo.

"It's an identity people can buy into easily," Mutombo said of the finger wag. "I can help with a campaign [that] says, 'No, no, no!' We want to say 'no!' to polio, 'no!' to malaria."

On the court, referees weren't as receptive to Mutombo's celebratory routine, slapping him with technical fouls and fines for taunting players. The NBA even briefly banned the celebration. To counter the same, the legendary shot-thwarter started directing the "no, no, no" at the crowds instead of the player he rejected, thereby escaping penalties. Wasn't that clever of him?

"[The wag] gave me an identity," Mutombo said in 2014. "I made the promise to myself that by the time I walked away from this game, I [would be] remembered. I knew I wanted to be remembered for blocking shots. I was letting the world know who I am."

Over 18 seasons, Mutombo blocked 3,289 shots, which ranks second only to Hakeem Olajuwon in NBA history. He more than left his mark, finger wag or not.