Dikembe Mutombo wants a 17th season in the NBA.

The 40-year-old Mutombo was contemplating retirement after the Rockets were ousted by the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs. But dinner with Hakeem Olajuwon changed all that.  

"To have someone like that, who I admire so much, tell me I have too much to offer to walk away meant a great deal. What Hakeem had to say really motivated me," Mutombo told Houston television station KRIV.

"I talked with my wife and kids and they want me to play and my brother keeps telling me to play as well," Mutombo said.

Mutombo, who is set to be a free agent, said he told Rockets owner Leslie Alexander he wanted to continue playing for the team.