Hawks great Dikembe Mutombo plans Atlanta concert to help hurricane victims

Hawks legend Dikembe Mutombo has long been involved in humanitarian work.  Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

Credit: ccompton@ajc.com

Credit: ccompton@ajc.com

Hawks legend Dikembe Mutombo has long been involved in humanitarian work. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

Former Hawks center Dikembe Mutombo is known for his big smile. He’s also shown that he has an enormous heart.

Mutombo, who also played for the Houston Rockets during his 18-year NBA career, has announced he's donating $50,000 to a Hurricane Harvey relief fund.

The NBA Hall of Famer also is planning a benefit concert in Atlanta to raise money to assist victims of the storm. The Atlanta Loves Houston event, featuring Princess of Africa Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Peabo Bryson, will be at the Cobb Energy Centre on Sunday, Sept 17. All proceeds benefit hurricane relief efforts in Texas.

"It's now our responsibility to see what can we do to restore the lives of those who lost everything,” Mutombo said.

The 7-foot-2 Mutombo, 51, has long been involved in humanitarian work for his native Congo, including building a hospital. He’s also worked with the Special Olympics and CARE, helped with the fight against polio world-wide, and partnered with his alma-mater Georgetown to provide care for visually impaired children from low-income families in Washington, D.C.