Bismack Biyombo to donate full NBA salary from this season to build hospital in DR Congo and honor late father

Biyombo had been a free agent after leaving the Charlotte Hornets but took time away from the sport to care, and then grieve, for his father Francis.Now back on the court, Biyombo’s sole mission is to dedicate his season to his father’s memory — channeled through his performances and the efforts of his Bismack Biyombo Foundation.”I think once my Dad passed, the love of the game kind of fell a little bit because he was my everything — my friend, my business partner, my mentor and everything,” Biyombo said in a video posted to the foundation’s Youtube channel.”I wanted to make this year about my Dad because my Dad spent most of his life making his life about me, my brothers, my sisters and servicing people.”Biyombo spent 45 days with his father, first in Congo and then, after organizing a transfer, in Turkey before he died at the age of 61 in August 2021.In an interview with Andscape last month, Biyombo said his dad had been diagnosed with Covid in July 2021. He recovered but Covid created other health complications. During the early stages of the pandemic in 2020, Biyombo’s foundation delivered almost $1 million worth of medical equipment across the DRC, according to an interview with Time magazine.To this point the foundation has refurbished hospitals and ensured the smooth running of facilities in the DRC, as well as training staff, but now Biyombo wants to go one step beyond.”We’re just trying to make sure we can save as many lives as we can,” Biyombo said.”I’ve seen how people try to survive daily in the Congo. I thought we were doing enough by refurbishing hospitals and clinics but I think it’s time we go a little bigger by building something that will service people, hopefully for generations.”