Dikembe Mutombo sat courtside Wednesday night in Memphis with the organization hoping he can help influence Hasheem Thabeet.

?He?s very interested in Hasheem,? Griz general manager Chris Wallace said. ?He wanted to come in and get together with Hasheem.?

Mutombo has served as a global ambassador for the NBA since he retired from the Houston Rockets in 2009. It is not uncommon for the former Defensive Player of the Year to visit different NBA cities throughout the season.

It is believed, too, that the Griz might talk to Mutombo about working as a paid consultant in the offseason.

Memphis struck out in its bid to hire Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who revealed late last year that a bout with cancer would prevent him from working.