PHOENIX -- Three years ago, while visiting his hometown of Kebemer in Senegal, Minnesota Timberwolves center Gorgui Dieng witnessed something that would change his perspective—which, in turn, would change countless lives in West Africa.

“I saw a pregnant woman laying on the ground because they don’t have a bed for her,” Gorgui tells CloseUp360 at Timberwolves practice in Phoenix. “That’s when I started getting involved. That was the first day I talked to the doctor. I was, like, ‘Listen, I don’t promise anything to you guys, but I want to know exactly what you guys need.’ And since then, I’ve taken over from there.”

Some of the hospital rooms only had tables instead of beds. And most of the beds that were around didn’t have mattresses, so patients had to lay directly on springs.

This was typical of life in Senegal until 2014, when Gorgui started his foundation to provide medical assistance and food to the people back in his native country. As much as basketball has done for him, he hopes to do so much more with the game—and the platform it’s led him to the NBA—to give back to where he’s from.

“I’m more excited about the things I do off the court,” Gorgui says. “I don’t want people to label me as a basketball player. I want people to label me like I care. What I do is to help my community and help people.”