ATLANTA — Dikembe Mutombo, a former Hawks player and Basketball Hall of Famer, is undergoing treatment for a brain tumor, the NBA announced Saturday.
Mutombo had his No. 55 retired by the Hawks in November 2015, two months after the center’s Hall of Fame enshrinement.
The NBA statement read: “NBA Global Ambassador and Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo is currently undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. He is receiving the best care possible from a collaborative team of specialists in Atlanta and is in great spirits as he begins treatment. Dikembe and his family ask for privacy during this time so they can focus on his care. They are grateful for your prayers and good wishes.”
Mutombo became the fourth player in Hawks franchise history to have his number retired. He joined Bob Pettit (9), Lou Hudson (23) and Dominique Wilkins (21). He was the first since Wilkins in 2001. Pete Maravich (44) later joined the group.
Mutombo spent 4 1/2 seasons of his 18-year career with the Hawks (1996-2001). The 7-foot-2 center ranks second on the NBA’s all-time career blocks list with 3,289 and 19th on the rebound list with 12,359. He was an eight-time All-Star, a four-time defensive player of the year and a six-time All-Defensive team selection. Three of his defensive player of the year awards were won while he was with the Hawks, including his final season, when he was traded to the 76ers midseason.
“I wanted to be remembered as one of the best defensive players to play this game,” Mutombo said during his Hall of Fame speech at the Springfield Symphony Hall. “I think I accomplished that.”
Mutombo was enshrined at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Sept. 11, 2015. Before his induction, he was honored by Fulton County with a Dikembe Mutombo Day.
Mutombo, a native of the Congo, has made his home in Atlanta since signing with the Hawks as a free agent from the Nuggets in 1996. The Nuggets also retired Mutombo’s No. 55 in 2016.
Mutombo was the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award winner twice for “outstanding service and dedication to the community.” Through the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, he has done a great deal of charity work. He built the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital in honor of his mother in 2007.
