"Bismack Biyombo is the youngest active player in the NBA. He also seems to be one of its oldest souls.

Biyombo, 19, has taken one of the strangest routes ever into the league -- from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Yemen to Spain to Charlotte. The Bobcats selected him No. 7 overall in the NBA draft in June -- trading up to get a teenager hardly anyone had heard of six months before -- and have bet millions that the 6-foot-9 post player with the 7-foot-7 wingspan will become one of this struggling franchise's cornerstones.

For now, Biyombo is a backup center on a Bobcats team that may be the worst in the NBA. But Bobcats owner Michael Jordan has compared Biyombo to a young Hakeem Olajuwon. General manager Rod Higgins believes Biyombo could one day play defense and block shots like Ben Wallace.

"It's just crazy when I look back now," Biyombo said. "I have come a long way. A long, long way."

Biyombo can seem young. His infectious laugh can often be heard bouncing off the walls at Time Warner Cable Arena. He gets a kick out of locker room horseplay and often bounds around at practice like a puppy.

And he can seem old. He is the eldest of seven children and speaks longingly of his brothers and sisters -- he hasn't been back to Africa since before the June NBA draft. He is the rare NBA player who doesn't like video games because he believes he has outgrown them."