a Basketball Hall of Famer who was a lifetime worldwide ambassador for the game and among the best defensive players in NBA history, passed Monday following a brain cancer battle. He had fifty-eight.
Two years ago, his family disclosed that he was receiving brain tumor therapy in Atlanta. The NBA reported he passed accompanied by his family.
"Dikembe Mutombo was simply bigger than life," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated. " Among the best defensive players and shot blockers in NBA history, he performed on the court.
He devoted his heart and soul into serving others off the floor.
Mutombo played for Denver, Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia, New York, and the then-New Jersey Nets during eighteen seasons in the NBA.
Having averaged 9.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game over his career, the 7-foot-2 center out of Georgetown was an eight-time All-Star, four-time defensive player of the year, three-time All-NBA pick, and Hall of Fame inductee in 2015.
Last active in the 2008–09 season, Mutombo devotes his time following retirement to humanitarian and charity activities.
Speaking nine languages, he established the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in 1997 with an eye toward enhancing quality of life, education, and health for Congolese people.