Dikembe Mutombo, the “larger-than-life” basketball icon and NBA Hall of Famer, has died aged 58 after a battle with brain cancer.
The league confirmed in a statement on Monday that the eight-time NBA All-Star, who had also served as the league’s first global ambassador, had passed away surrounded by his family.
Mutombo had first revealed back in 2022 that he was receiving treatment for a brain tumour.
A dominant centre who hailed from the Democratic Republic of Congo and stood at 7ft 2ins tall, he played a total of 18 seasons in the NBA after a successful college career at Georgetown saw him drafted fourth overall by the Denver Nuggets in 1991.
Mutombo played for five years with the Nuggets before going on to spells with the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets, retiring due to a knee injury in 2009 aged 42.
He established a firm reputation as one of the NBA’s best defensive players of all time, a truly formidable shot-blocker known for his trademark finger wag and “no no no” response to the opponents whose attempts he had thwarted.
Mutombo was a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015 and saw his No55 jersey retired by both the Nuggets and Hawks.
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As well as serving as a long-time global ambassador for the NBA after retirement in 2009, he also launched the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in 1997 and served on the boards for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Constitution Center, Special Olympics International and on the National Board for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.
In a heartfelt statement, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in tribute: “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.
“There was nobody more qualified than Dikembe to serve as the NBA’s first Global Ambassador. He was a humanitarian at his core.
“He loved what the game of basketball could do to make a positive impact on communities, especially in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo and across the continent of Africa.
“I had the privilege of traveling the world with Dikembe and seeing first-hand how his generosity and compassion uplifted people.
“He was always accessible at NBA events over the years – with his infectious smile, deep booming voice and signature finger wag that endeared him to basketball fans of every generation. Dikembe’s indomitable spirit continues on in those who he helped and inspired throughout his extraordinary life.
“I am one of the many people whose lives were touched by Dikembe’s big heart and I will miss him dearly. On behalf of the entire NBA family, I send my deepest condolences to Dikembe’s wife, Rose, and their children; his many friends; and the global basketball community which he truly loved and which loved him back.”
