Talk:Didier Ilunga Mbenga

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Who screwed up this article? There was no mention of him surviving the Rwandan Massacre at all, and top-selling jerseys? Geez.

Contents 1 Three seasons or five? 2 Petros and Money Show 3 Title 4 Requested move 4.1 Survey 4.2 Discussion

[edit] Three seasons or five?

According to the trivia section of this article, Mbenga "played three seasons in the Belgian League averaging 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds." However, the table in the playing career section (originally from the French Wikipedia) states that he played for five seasons in Belgium. Which one is correct? Bash Kash (talk) 21:22, 28 December 2007 (UTC)

Never mind, I just realized that the Antwerp Diamond Giants only counts as "National Junior Youth League", which would leave the other three as being in the Belgian League. Bash Kash (talk) 19:34, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Petros and Money Show

If Mbenga has stated on KLAC 570 that his Wikipedia biography is not entirely accurate, then I don't see any reason why we should include it in its current state. It is a completely unsourced translated version from the French Wikipeida (other Wikipedias do not meet WP:RS), so I'm removing it per WP:BLP. If someone can find me this interview (I've looked on their website but to no avail), then this would be a start in restoring his biography. However for the time being it should be removed. Bash Kash (talk) 05:33, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Here's an accurate source. http://youtube.com/watch?v=9i0tWOUD0UU.

72.67.85.131 (talk) 05:53, 20 May 2008 (UTC)

This is good - it proves that most of the information is accurate for the most part. Firstly however, we must determine the source of this video. Who did the interview? I think Mbenga was recently on NBA Access with Ahmad Rashad, although I was unable to catch the content of the interview. Hopefully it will be posted on NBA.com shortly. However, the main problem is that I don't think we're allowed to link to YouTube, so we must find the source of the video/interview. Maybe a transcript would be even better so we can cite direct quotes of his early life. Thanks for the video, this is a good start. Bash Kash (talk) 03:05, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

Ok, here is the link (NBA Access: Lakers-Jazz). Apparently it is an elongated version of your video, so both of them are from NBA Access. Here is the summary: Cameras follow the Lakers and the Jazz, and the amazing journey of Los Angeles big man DJ Mbenga. Growing up in war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mbenga faced imprisonment and certain execution until his father managed to buy his freedom. After fleeing to Belgium, Mbenga was discovered by a national basketball legend who coached him and paved the way for his career in the NBA.

To save people the trouble, I have transcribed Ahmad Rashad's words in the video.

Mbenga was raised in Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where his father held a government job. When a new regime took over power, it hunted down everyone who worked for the previous leader.

Escalating unrest in the country endangered the survival of the Mbenga family when D.J.'s father was imprisoned. Although he was ultimately unable to save himself, he did manage to negotiate on behalf of his sons, who were also thrown in jail, facing execution.

Mbenga fled the country on a plane headed for Belgium, where he received asylum. While living in a refugee center, he was discovered by a national hoops legend, who helped him learn the game. But more importantly, provided D.J. with an escape from his past.

After playing a few years in the Belgian league, D.J.'s improbable journey landed him in the NBA. While he's proud to be on a championship contender, any basketball success Mbenga might have is easy for him to put in perspective.

So hopefully with this info we can start the Early life section from scratch. Thanks again for the link. Bash Kash (talk) 05:38, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

The "Early life" section has been restored. Bash Kash (talk) 21:32, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Title

This page should probably be at D.J. Mbenga, since this is the name he is mostly known by in English. What do other people think? Bash Kash (talk) 21:39, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Requested move

Didier Ilunga Mbenga → D.J. Mbenga — In English, he is more commonly referred to as D.J. Mbenga (this is how they say his name almost always on television) as opposed to his full name in French: Didier Ilunga Mbenga. Google corresponds to this: 95,500 vs. 23,100. Bash Kash (talk) 04:48, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Survey

Feel free to state your position on the renaming proposal by beginning a new line in this section with *'''Support''' or *'''Oppose''', then sign your comment with ~~~~. Since polling is not a substitute for discussion, please explain your reasons, taking into account Wikipedia's naming conventions.

• Oppose. I do not think his full name is difficult to pronounce or type. And if anyone would like to search for DJ Mbenga or D.J. Mbenga, they are free to do so and the redirect will bring them here. I think it is fully appropriate that D.J. Mbenga is listed in the first line of the article. --DerRichter (talk) 18:42, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

• I never said that it is difficult to pronounce or type, but I don't think it should be the title of the article. Is Allen Iverson at Allen Ezail Iverson? Michael Jordan at Michael Jeffrey Jordan? Typically we don't have titles for the full name of individuals unless they are most well-known in English by their full name. Bash Kash (talk) 18:55, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

• I must have misunderstood. I thought that Ilunga Mbenga was two last names, as displayed on the NBA page which hyphenates the two. I change my vote to Support as long as there is a redirect created for Didier Ilunga Mbenga and the full name is mentioned and bolded in the first line of the article. --DerRichter (talk) 19:37, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Discussion

Any additional comments:

Interesting case. His NBA page uses "Didier Ilunga-Mbenga" (notice the hyphen) but then NBA news releases use "D.J. Mbenga." ESPN also uses "D.J." but Mbenga's blog uses both. Since it seems wider USA media usage favors "D.J. Mbenga" and Mbenga is more notable for his US career than his Belgian one, the move should be made. — AjaxSmack 16:38, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

• Many websites may use these abbreviations becuase it is just shorter to write and fits better on a page. Does anyone know how he is announced at the beginning of games? Although this would be a horrible analogy, I know that Ichiro Suzuki's uniform says only Ichiro despite the fact that most players use a last name on the back, and he is much more recognized by his first name than both names together. --DerRichter (talk) 18:42, 8 June 2008 (UTC)