Dikembe Mutombo dies at 58 after brain cancer battle
09/30/2024 10:53 AM
The NBA announced on Monday morning that NBA Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo has passed away at the age of 58 after a battle with brain cancer.
Dikembe Mutombo passed away today at the age of 58 from brain cancer.
Naismith Hall of Famer
8x NBA All-Star
6x All-Defensive Team
4x DPOY
2nd all-time in blocks (3,289)Thoughts and prayers go out to his family pic.twitter.com/c47ToD2Od9
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 30, 2024
The 7’2″ big man spent a total of 18 years in the NBA, playing for the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, and New Jersey Nets. In a total of 1,196 career games, Mutombo blocked 3,289 shots, the second-most all-time behind only Hakeem Olajuwon, who blocked 3,830 shots in his career.
Mutombo will be remembered for his bright smile that always lit up the room, as well as his infamous finger wag after denying a shot from the court into the crowd. Even players from other sports would often copy Mutombo’s finger wag celebration because of the mark he left on professional sports as a whole.
“Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said of Mutombo on Monday. “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 Congo and across the continent of Africa… He was always accessible at NBA events over the years — his infectious smile, deep booming voice and signature finger wag that endeared him to basketball fans of every generation.
“I am one of the many people whose lives were touched by Dikembe’s big heart and I will miss him dearly.”
Despite playing for several teams over the course of his career, Mutombo left his mark as the defensive anchor everywhere he was. Not only was he an eight-time All-Star, but Mutombo led the league in blocked shots in three different seasons, as well as earning All-Defensive honors six times over the course of his career. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
The NBA mourns the loss of their global ambassador and a past player that everyone always had nothing but great things to say about.
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