Bismack Biyombo’s journey to basketball and the NBA is a long and heartbreaking story.
Biyombo grew up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, not the most stable of places. He traveled to Qatar, where he was temporarily detained on his journey for not having proper travel documents, to begin his professional basketball career before settling in Yemen. His play there got him a contract in Spain and a path to the NBA.
Every year since arriving in the NBA, Biyombo has returned to his home in the Congo to donate his time and money to growing basketball in the region and sharing his experience with children in the area.