The loss of a parent can change how a person sees life. For Bismack Biyombo, it also changed how he wanted to use his NBA career. The Congolese basketball player lost his father, François, in Aug. 2021 after he contracted COVID-19. Months later, Biyombo made a major decision. He pledged his entire salary for the 2021-22 NBA season, worth around $1.3 million, to help build a hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The project would honour his father and support families who struggle to access medical care.
Bismack Biyombo dedicated his NBA salary to honour his late father
Bismack Biyombo announced the salary donation in March 2022, while playing for the Phoenix Suns. His father’s death had led him to think about his career and the opportunities it had given him. He wanted to use those opportunities to help people in the country where he grew up.The plan was to build a hospital in his homeland and name it in his father’s honour. The pledge covered his full salary for the 2021-22 season, which CBS News reported was worth $1.3 million. The hospital was a planned project at the time of the announcement, rather than a facility that had already opened.Biyombo explained that his father had spent much of his life caring for his family and serving others. He wanted to continue that work through a project that could help people for years.“I wanted to make this year about my dad because he spent most of his life making his life about me, my brothers, my sisters and servicing people, and I’ve seen how people try to survive daily in the Congo,” Biyombo said in an NBA announcement.He also explained why he wanted to take the foundation’s healthcare work further.“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,” he said.His words reflected a shift in how he viewed his role as an NBA player. He had already used his resources to support projects in his home country. After his father’s death, he wanted to make a larger commitment to healthcare.In an interview with CBS News in April 2022, Biyombo spoke about his determination to follow through with the plan.“When I’m set on something, nobody really, especially something like this, nobody’s changing my mind,” he said.The donation was a significant personal commitment. Instead of keeping his earnings from that season, he chose to direct the money towards a project intended to serve people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
His father’s death brought the need for better healthcare into focus
The hospital plan was closely linked to what Biyombo experienced while his father was ill. François died in the Congo after contracting COVID-19 in August 2021. The experience made the need for accessible medical care especially personal for the NBA player.In his CBS News interview, Biyombo discussed the challenges people in the country face when they need treatment. He said he wanted to help families who could not afford to take loved ones abroad for medical care.“If your loved one is going to the hospital, they have a higher chance of dying than surviving. It really breaks my heart,” Biyombo told CBS News.His concerns were tied to the work of the Bismack Biyombo Foundation, which his father co-founded with him in 2016. The foundation has supported community projects in the Congo, including schools, basketball academies and efforts to improve healthcare facilities.The hospital was meant to take that work further. Biyombo wanted to create a facility that could improve access to treatment for people who had limited options. The project would also carry his father’s name, giving the family’s work a lasting connection to François.The decision came as Biyombo was returning to basketball after taking time away following his father’s death. He joined the Phoenix Suns during the 2021-22 season. He also chose to wear jersey No. 18 to honour his father’s birthday. The NBA later recognised his community work by naming him the winner of the March 2022 NBA Cares Community Assist Award.The award recognised his efforts to improve the lives of people in his homeland. The NBA and Kaiser Permanente also pledged $10,000 to the Bismack Biyombo Foundation, with the Suns organisation matching that contribution.
The Biyombo Foundation continues its work in the Congo
Biyombo’s hospital pledge was part of a wider effort to support people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His foundation works across healthcare, education and sports, with a focus on creating better opportunities for children and communities.In June 2022, Biyombo met Pope Francis at the Vatican and discussed the foundation’s humanitarian work. He spoke about the hospital plan in his father’s honour and shared details of efforts to refurbish hospitals and schools, build new schools and provide scholarships for children.The foundation’s work reflects the values Biyombo has associated with his father. It aims to give children access to education and sport while helping communities improve their healthcare resources. Basketball remains part of that mission, but his charitable work reaches beyond the game.Biyombo’s commitment has also received recognition outside the NBA. In January 2025, the foundation highlighted his receipt of the Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award, another recognition linked to his work beyond basketball.The hospital project remains a key part of his story because it grew out of a personal loss and a clear goal. However, the available sources confirm the pledge and the plan to build the hospital, not that the hospital has since opened. That distinction is important when looking at the project’s progress.For Biyombo, the donation was a way to honour a father who had encouraged him to care for others. His decision also showed how an NBA career could provide resources and visibility for work in his home country.The $1.3 million pledge was announced in 2022, but the reason behind it began with his father’s death the year before. Biyombo wanted to build something that could help families beyond his own. Through the hospital project and the foundation’s wider efforts, he has continued to connect his basketball journey with the people and communities that shaped him.