Dikembe Mutombo Nearly Ended the World by Saying 'C for Cookie'

I want to distill Dikembe Mutombo’s voice and pour it over flapjacks.

That is the physical and emotional satisfaction I receive from hearing the former NBA center speak in his breathless, Congolese rasp. It’s like listening to boulders making love under a waterfall.

If you’re anything like me in this regard, you will end up on the ground after watching Mutombo’s recent interview on The Pete Holmes Show. Mutombo and the comedian sat down and talked about the tall man’s struggle, heated toilet seats and Mutombo’s beautiful voice.

Paul Sacca of NextImpulseSports.com spotted footage of this singular event, which included Mutombo uttering the phrase “C for cookie.”

The interview began with a few question about Mutombo’s charitable works in the Congo but quickly turned to the big man’s spectacular vocal cords.

Holmes started by beat boxing as Mutombo repeated his full name. For the sake of KNOWLEDGE, here’s how that name looks spelled out: “Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo.”

“You got a great voice,” Holmes said. “I’m blown away by your voice.”

“It’s very deep,” Mutombo said. “Some people compare me to the Cookie Monster.”

After a little prodding, Holmes managed to get Mutombo to spit out the line everyone wanted to hear.

“C for cookie,” Mutombo said, officially making every basketball fan’s day with three words.

I think we can all agree that life is now just an expensive cab ride on a downward slope after hearing Mutombo quote the Cookie Monster. With that said, the line proved to be just one of several amazing parts to a hilarious interview. Here are some of my other favorite quotes from Holmes’ sit-down with Mutombo:

“How far do you think you could heave me?”

“Everything is custom-made for Mutombo.”

“Your voice sounds like you froze Han Solo in carbonite.”

And thus went the best Dikembe Mutombo interview you’ll hear in a long time. Holmes’ chat with the former center went about 1,000 times better than his recent talk on Highly Questionable with Dan LeBetard and company. 

DeadSpin recorded video of the interview with Mutombo, who shot down the urban legend that he once walked into a strip club and yelled, “Who wants to sex Mutombo?”

We can all probably agree Mutombo’s segment with Holmes was exponentially more satisfying (and less soul-crushing) than the one where he ruined one of sports’ greatest myths.

We can only hope to see more Mutombo interviews in the following months. He needs to get his charity some face time, and the people need quotes from the Congolese quote machine. 

It really is a win-win situation.

Mutombo: A national treasure on two continents. 

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