NBA Wordle #36
Monday, August 10, 2026 · already played
The answer
Spoiler for the puzzle of Monday, August 10, 2026. Today's puzzle is not revealed anywhere on this page.
MUTOMBO
Dikembe Mutombo
C · 1991–2009
Dikembe Mutombo's career
Dikembe Mutombo played 18 seasons between 1991 and 2009, across 6 franchises — Nuggets, Hawks, 76ers, Nets, Knicks and Rockets. Over 1,196 regular-season games he averaged 9.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1 assists, finishing with 11,729 career points. He was 8× All-Star, 3× All-NBA and 4× Defensive Player of the Year.
He entered the league in the 1991 draft, taken 4th overall, a lottery pick expected to start immediately. That makes him a product of the 1990s, and his career totals should be read against the pace and rules of that period.
Across a unusually long career of 18 seasons he was a rotation piece at 9.8 points per game. On the glass he was among the players a team could build a defence around.
- Games
- 1,196
- PPG
- 9.8
- RPG
- 10.3
- APG
- 1
- Points
- 11,729
- Rebounds
- 12,359
- Assists
- 1,240
- 3PM
- 0
Teams
- Nuggets · 1992–1996
- Hawks · 1997–2001
- 76ers · 2001–2002
- Nets · 2003
- Knicks · 2004
- Rockets · 2005–2009
Honours
8× All-Star · 3× All-NBA · 6× All-Defensive · 4× Defensive Player of the Year
About the answer
The answer was MUTOMBO — 7 letters, made up of 5 distinct letters and beginning with M.
The optional hint offered that day read: “Played for DEN 1992–96, ATL 1997–01, PHI 2001–02, BKN 2003, …”.
Why this was a fair answer
Answers are never obscure by design: the pool is every NBA All-Star who debuted in the 1969-70 season or later, plus current players carrying a real scoring role. Dikembe Mutombo qualifies on the first route, with 8 All-Star selections — a perennial selection rather than a one-off.
With 6 franchises on his record, the shared-team clue was unusually generous here — a wide range of guesses would have lit it up green and pointed the wrong way as often as the right one. He never won a title, which quietly rules out a large share of the most-guessed names.
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