D. J. Mbenga

Congo Cash

Didier Ilunga - Mbenga ( born December 30, 1980 in Kinshasa, Zaire ), often also DJ Called Mbenga, is a Congolese- Belgian basketball player. After fleeing from his native country, he started professionally in Belgium to play basketball and later moved into the American professional league NBA, where he in 2009 and 2010 won the championship with the LA Lakers, after he had previously with the Dallas Mavericks in 2006 and the Lakers twice in 2008 had reached the finals.

Mbenga was born the son of an official who was imprisoned in the Congo wars from the new regime. His brother and he spent nine months in captivity until his brother bribed a guard, so that they could flee to Belgium. Mbengas father came around, but he got political asylum in his new home.

In the refugee camp, he started playing basketball for the first time at the age of 17 years.

Basketball career

The 2.13 m wide Mbenga first played at smaller Belgian club. In the 2001 /02 season he was initially in the squad from the second division Spirou Gilly, reserve team of Belgian first division club Spirou Charleroi from BC. After a season in the first division of lions, he returned to Spirou and won in the 2003/04 season with the defending champions again the Belgian championship. Following this he was engaged by the Dallas Mavericks from the NBA in 2004. On the side of Dirk Nowitzki, he mostly played backup for the starting center Erick Dampier and reached in the 2005/06 season, the NBA finals, where he lost to the Mavericks with the Miami Heat with 2:4.

Mbenga joined in the 2007/ 08 season with the Golden State Warriors from California. On 6 January 2008, he was dismissed from the Warriors, however. On 21 January, he was obliged by the Lakers in Los Angeles for a ten-day contract. After a second ten-day contract he signed on 11 February for the remainder of the current season with the Lakers. After the 2007/ 08 NBA season, the Lakers extended the contract of Mbenga for one year. When he reached the Lakers in the 2008 playoffs also the finals, but where one failed because of the Boston Celtics with 2:4. After two failures Final series Mbenga won in the playoffs in 2009 with the Lakers the championship, as the team defeated the Orlando Magic in the finals 4-1. In 2010, he won the title with the Lakers, they won this time the finals against the Celtics 4-3.

For the 2010/11 season signed Mbenga a contract with the Hornets in New Orleans, which he left in the first play-off round of 2011 against his former Lakers team. In all his previous clubs in the NBA Mbenga acted previously as a reserve player with not more than eight minutes operating time and nearly two points per game. In the shortened due to the lockout NBA 2011/12 he was without a contract. After the season preparation for the following season with his former club Dallas Mavericks in their season squad he was not included, Mbenga joined the Chinese Basketball Association to the Double Star Eagles from Qingdao. Here, however, he completed only a few games before they separated again in December 2012. In March 2013 Mbenga joined the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barako Bulls.