Five Facts You Didn't Know About Bismack Biyombo

Bismack Biyombo has taken the Eastern Conference Finals by storm. The former first-round pick has become the talk of the Toronto Raptors surprising resurgence against the Cleveland Cavaliers, with his unbelievable effort on the defensive end and his rebounding prowess.

In a 99-84 Raptors win in Game 3, Biyombo played 39 minutes and scored just seven points, but hauled in an insane 26 rebounds while blocking four shots. In Monday’s 105-99 Game 4 win, he played 42 minutes and scored just five points, but blocked three shots and grabbed 14 boards.

He’s finger-wagging his way into the hearts of NBA fans everywhere. So just who is Bismack Biyombo? Here are five facts you might not know about Toronto’s newest star.

I mean, the land is still there, it didn’t get blown up like Alderaan or something, but Biyombo was born in Lubumbashi, Zaire, which isn’t the name of his country of origin anymore. It’s now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, not to be confused with the Republic of the Congo, which borders it…Africa is confusing.

Biyombo entered the world on August 28, 1992 (supposedly…more on that later) into a country led by “President” and military dictator Joseph-Desire Mobutu. Mobutu’s government was guilty of major human rights violations, embezzled government funds and at one point renamed the country four times in 11 years. He settled on the “Republic of Zaire” in 1971 and it stayed the same until an armed rebellion forced him out of the country in 1997. Nearly two decades of unrest have followed, though the country now sports the name Democratic Republic of the Congo.

So whenever you think you grew up in a bad situation, just think of what Biyombo and his fellow Congolese kids had to deal with for years.

Luckily for Biyombo, he showed a natural talent for basketball at a young age and was able to escape his home country. His father and uncle played in the Congo’s semi-professional first division and friends urged Bismack to start playing competitively when he was 14. He wound up playing in the Congo’s first division at 15.

Unfortunately for Biyombo, his route out of his home country went through Yemen, which isn’t exactly much of an upgrade on the stability scale. But it was in Yemen – of all freaking places – that Portuguese coach Mario Palma discovered him during a youth tournament.

Biyombo was 16 and impressed Palma so much that the coach gave him an opportunity to train and play in Spain. He spent the next two seasons playing with CB Illescas and Baloncesto Fuenlabrada in Spain’s Liga ACB. He also played at the 2011 Nike Hoops Summit, where he posted a triple-double (12 points, 11 rebounds, 10 blocks) for the World Select Team against Team USA. He was the first player to ever record a triple-double in the event’s history.

Biyombo is 23 and will turn 24 this summer, or at least that’s his listed age. But there are people who think that’s laughable.

When he made himself eligible for the draft, there were a ton of observers who refused to believe Biyombo was just 18 years old. Apparently those rumors had been around since the kid arrived in Spain at age 16. How bad was it? His agent at the time, Igor Crespo, actually took Biyombo to a specialist who conducted a “bone age study” when he got to Spain.

The study involved taking x-rays of his wrists and hands to determine whether or not his growth plates were still open. Because Biyombo’s cartilage hadn’t fused at that point, the doctor concluded that he was younger than 18 at the time.

Still, some NBA scouts weren’t convinced and believed that instead of being 18 when he was in the draft pool, he was more likely 21 or 22.

Biyombo speaks five languages: English, Spanish, French, Swahili and Lingala (the last two are the national languages of his home country). That’s not bad for a kid who grew up in a family with seven kids smack, dab in the middle of a war-torn country.

During draft evaluations in 2011, Biyombo measured at 6-foot-8 and is now listed at 6-foot-9. As an NBA center, it’s hard to believe a guy that small would be able to average 1.6 blocks per game in just 21.2 minutes per game over his career. How does he do it? With his freakishly long arms.

During those same draft evaluations, Biyombo was measured with an insane 7-foot-6 wingspan and a standing reach of 9-foot-3. When he strides to the free throw line the guy looks like he could easily reach into the first row and grab a handful of popcorn. It’s ridiculous.