Bismack Biyombo’s abbreviated nickname is “Bis” among his friends and Suns personnel.
That’s appropriate because the 11-year center is all business away from court for his philanthropy in his native Democratic Republic of Congo.
Biyombo has earned several titles and accolades for his community activism over the past year. That includes being named to Time’s 2021 list of Next Generation Leaders, appointed as co-vice president of the NBA Players Association executive committee, and earning the league’s March 2022 NBA Cares Community Award on Tuesday.
Biyombo was scheduled to receive the award, and a $10,000 donation from the NBA and Kaiser Permanente to his eponymous foundation, before Game 2 of the Suns’ first-round series against the New Orleans at Footprint Center on Tuesday night.
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He’s the second Suns’ player to earn an NBA Cares Community Award in the past year since Devin Booker won the 2021-22 season-long award.
“All of this is we have a team of guys who do care about our community and I think that’s the most important thing,” Biyombo said about the Suns during their Game 2 pregame shootaround.
“You can go down the list, everybody and myself been doing and they are doing something in the community. We play in a league that’s not just great athletes but great human beings.”
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Biyombo is donating his entire 2021-22 season salary to build a hospital in the Congo. He told The Republic his motivation to play basketball is memories of late father Francois Biyombo in the hospital before he passed away last August, and patients shortly in the same position.
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Biyombo added he silently stars at his jersey for a few minutes before wearing it to reflect on his father before every game this season.
“My motivation recently has just been thinking about when I was going to the hospitals to see my dad, and I’ve seen so many people with oxygens masks and stuff, “Biyombo said.
“And for me, it was always like, ‘Man, these people are fighting for their lives.’ “Some of them are in a coma. You don’t know if they’re gonna wake up, and for me it’s like, ‘I gotta come in and just play basketball? This is nothing. I gotta give 150 percent.'”
In his 11th NBA season, Biyombo joined the Suns on Jan. 1 after starting the season as a free agent. Averaging seven points and five rebounds, Biyombo made an immediate difference with the Suns as Deandre Ayton, JaVale McGee and Jae Crowder were all in the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Biyombo posted five double-doubles in January as he averaged 11.1 points on 64.3% shooting and 8.1 rebounds in 12 games, but his playing time has decreased after those players returned.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism