NBA Hall of Fame player Dikembe Mutombo dies

Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo has died after a battle with brain cancer.

He was 58 years old.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said, “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 Global Ambassador and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo passed away today at the age of 58 from brain cancer. He was surrounded by his family.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued the following statement. pic.twitter.com/fkFPaiMVD3
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) September 30, 2024

Mutombo was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and, according to CBS Sports, was one of the best internationally-born players in the league.

He had 3,289 blocks, the second-highest in the history of the NBA, only surpassed by Hakeem Olajuwon.

Mutombo played for six teams over his career: the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets.

As a player in the off-season, he returned to his home country and held basketball clinics. He also paid for the national women’s basketball team to travel to the 1996 Olympics, the Post reported.

He was 42 when he retired from playing in 2009, The Washington Post reported, but he didn’t leave the NBA, instead, he became an ambassador for the league in Africa.

Mutombo was diagnosed with a brain tumor around 2022, CBS Sports reported.

He started playing college ball when he was 21, becoming a standout for Georgetown. He spoke nine languages but did not understand much English. He had planned on studying medicine but started playing for the Hoyas under John Thompson, the Post reported.

Through his foundation, Mutombo pushed to build a 300-bed hospital in Congo’s capital in 2007. It is named after his mother who died of a stroke a decade before because she could not get medical help because of a curfew in her hometown, the Post reported.

The hospital cost $29 million to build and Mutombo paid $15 million and asked fellow NBA players for donations, the Post reported.

After three seasons, he was selected by the Nuggets as the No. 4 overall in the 1991 draft. He was a key defensive player for both the Nuggets and Hawks, winning four Defensive Player of the Year Awards between 1995 and 2021. He was also named an All-Star eight times and three All-NBA teams.

Mutombo left behind his wife Rose and seven children, four of whom were nieces and nephews the couple adopted.