NBA Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo has died after a battle with brain cancer. Family and friends surrounded the 58-year-old. In 2022, the league revealed that Mutombo was diagnosed with a brain tumor and had undergone treatment for the disease.
Following his passing, the NBA released a statement calling Mutombo “larger than life.”
“Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life. On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in the history of the NBA. Off the floor, he poured his heart and soul into helping others,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver wrote.
Mutombo was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was a bit of a late bloomer. Dikembe didn’t pick up a basketball until he was 17 years old. But it didn’t take much time for his potential to be realized. Not long after he started playing, Mutombo was recruited to play college basketball for Division One powerhouse Georgetown University under Hall of Fame coach John Thompson.
He was named Big East Player of the Year twice at Georgetown in 1990 and 1991 before the Denver Nuggets selected him fourth overall in the 1991 NBA Draft.
In 1196 career NBA games, Mutombo nearly averaged a double-double with 9.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
Mutombo is widely regarded as one of the greatest centers of all time and has the resume to support that claim. Mutombo was named an NBA All-Star eight times, selected to the All-NBA team three times, and the NBA All-Defensive team six times. He is also one of three players to win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award four times (Ben Wallace, Rudy Gobert).
Despite already having a Hall of Fame career on the court, Mutombo’s second act was perhaps even more significant. Following his retirement after his last season with the Houston Rockets in 2009, he went all-in with his Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, doing humanitarian to improve the quality of life in his hometown of the Congo.
Mutombo then extended his reach even further. Through his participation in the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program, he traveled to several parts of Africa, teaching residents basketball and helping improve the infrastructure.
His work earned him several awards, including the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Global Citizenship Award and the President’s Service Award, the nation’s highest honor for volunteer service. Following Mutombo’s passing, multitudes of tributes poured in from friends, colleagues, and others Dikembe had touched throughout his life.
“No matter what you know about him as a basketball player, he was an even better human being. One of the most beautiful, beautiful human beings I’ve ever known,” ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith said on Monday’s episode of First Take.
“Dikembe was beloved by the entire NBA community, and his tireless humanitarian efforts left an indelible mark on our league,” Houston Rockets’ owner Tillman Fertitta said.
May Dikembe Mutombo rest in peace.
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