Basketball Corridor of Famer Dikembe Mutombo has died at 58 years outdated after a battle with mind most cancers.
Mutombo’s profession spanned from 1991-2009, and featured eight All-Star appearances and 4 Defensive Participant of the Yr awards.
“Dikembe Mutombo was merely bigger than life,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver stated in an announcement.
“On the court docket, he was one of many best shot blockers and defensive gamers within the historical past of the NBA. Off the ground, he poured his coronary heart and soul into serving to others.”
Hailing from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mutombo performed faculty basketball at Georgetown and was chosen fourth total within the 1991 NBA Draft by the Nuggets.
He later performed for the Hawks, Sixers, Nets, Knicks and Rockets.
One of many iconic moments of his NBA profession got here in 1994 when the eighth-seeded Nuggets shocked the Western Convention’s top-seeded Supersonics in a first-round playoff collection, and Mutombo celebrated jubilantly on the ground whereas clutching the basketball.
He led the league in blocks per recreation 3 times — he would typically have fun his blocks by wagging his finger to say, “nuh uh” — and rebounds per recreation twice.
After his taking part in profession, he turned an envoy for the NBA, spreading his love of the sport worldwide.
“There was no person extra certified than Dikembe to function the NBA’s first World Ambassador. He was a humanitarian at his core. He beloved what the sport of basketball might do to make a optimistic impression on communities, particularly in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo and throughout the continent of Africa,” Silver’s assertion continued.
“I had the privilege of touring the world with Dikembe and seeing first-hand how his generosity and compassion uplifted folks. He was all the time accessible at NBA occasions through the years – together with his infectious smile, deep booming voice and signature finger wag that endeared him to basketball followers of each era.
“Dikembe’s indomitable spirit continues on in those that he helped and impressed all through his extraordinary life. I’m one of many many individuals whose lives had been touched by Dikembe’s huge coronary heart and I’ll miss him dearly. On behalf of your complete NBA household, I ship my deepest condolences to Dikembe’s spouse, Rose, and their kids; his many mates; and the worldwide basketball neighborhood which he actually beloved and which beloved him again.”
Along with his spouse, Rose, Mutombo is survived by their three kids, plus 4 adopted kids from Rose’s brothers after they handed.
