Back In The Day NBA

Rob Schneider Takes Heat After Insensitive Post On Dikembe Mutombo's Death

Shandel Richardson

Oct 14, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Film and television actor Rob Schneider cheers before game three of the 2014 NLCS playoff baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Oct 14, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Film and television actor Rob Schneider cheers before game three of the 2014 NLCS playoff baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
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Comedian Rob Schneider is mostly known for making people laugh.

He's recently, however, angered the fans of Dikembe Mutombo, who died from brain cancer Sept. 30. Schneider used the death to promote an anti-vaccination agenda. In response to a Mutombo video from 2021 that urged the public to get vaccines, Schneider responded with this on X:

"Rest in Peace…
I’m sure this is just (another) coincidence.
But I took a pass on the Jab and I’m gonna not let anyone I know (and who will Listen) get it either!"

It appears Schneider had no idea Mutombo was battling cancer. NBA fans quickly put him on blast. Schneider made an incorrect statement and insensitive comment about one of the most loved figures in sports.

Mutombo was the No. 4 pick in the 1991 by the Denver Nuggets. He won Rookie of the Year that season. Among his highlights was helping the No. 8 Nuggets defeat the No. 1 Seattle Supersonics in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

He also helped the Philadelphia 76ers reach the 2001 NBA Finals.

More importantly, Mutombo became one of the league's best global ambassadors. His foundation, started in 1997, helped millions across Africa.

"On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in the history of the NBA," league commissioner Adam Silver said. "Off the floor, he poured his heart and soul into helping others.

"There was nobody more qualified than Dikembe to serve as the NBA's first Global Ambassador. He was a humanitarian at his core. He loved what the game of basketball could do to make a positive impact on communities, especially in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo and across the continent of Africa. I had the privilege of traveling the world with Dikembe and seeing first-hand how his generosity and compassion uplifted people. He was always accessible at NBA events over the years - with his infectious smile, deep booming voice and signature finger wag that endeared him to basketball fans of every generation."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com