Dikembe Mutombo, NBA Hall of Famer and humanitarian, dies at 58
Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, whose towering presence dominated basketball on and off the court, has died of brain cancer at the age of 58.
“Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement Monday. “On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in NBA history. From the floor up, he poured his heart and soul into helping others.”
Aided by his 2.20 meter frame, Mutombo finished his career second in the NBA’s all-time list for blocked shots. He was also an eight-time All-Star and four-time Defensive Player of the Year in an 18-season NBA career that lasted from 1991 to 2009. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015 and had his number retired by two of his teams, the Atlanta Hawks and the Denver Nuggets. He also played for the Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and the then New Jersey Nets.
Mutombo was also known for his humanitarian work, especially with the Special Olympics and in his hometown in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where his Dikembe Mutombo Foundation focused on improving health and quality of life in the country.
“It’s a sad day, especially for us Africans… and actually for the whole world because apart from what he accomplished on the basketball court, I think he was even better off the court,” said Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid Monday. “He’s done a lot of great things. He did a lot of great things for a lot of people, so he was a role model for me.
Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey, who worked with Dikembe during their time with the Houston Rockets, was in tears as he spoke about his friend on Monday.
“There aren’t many guys like him,” Morey said. “Just a wonderful person. When I was a rookie GM in this league, my first opportunity in Houston, he was someone I went to all the time. … We don’t have to talk too much about his performance on the field. Just a great person, what he did off the field for Africa. Rest in peace, Dikembe.’
Mutombo, who was also a naturalized US citizen, served on a number of boards, including Special Olympics International, the CDC Foundation and the National Board for the US Fund for Unicef, where he was able to make use of the seven languages he spoke.
“There was no one better qualified than Dikembe to serve as the NBA’s first Global Ambassador. He was essentially a humanitarian,” Silver said. “He loved what the game of basketball could do to positively impact communities, especially in his native Democratic Republic of Congo and across the African continent. I had the privilege of traveling the world with Dikembe and seeing firsthand 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.
So was Mutombo known for his playful finger movementwhich he often used after a blocked shot.
“Every time I blocked shots, people still came and tried to attack me a little bit. Then I shook my head every time I blocked the shot,” Mutombo once explained. “Then I said, man, fuck this. Those guys don’t listen to me. Maybe if I start waving the finger at them. And I tell you what, I lost a lot of money on that finger wagging, man. I got so many technical fouls, but no referee would kick me out of the match.”
Mutombo’s family first announced two years ago that he was undergoing treatment for brain cancer. He had three children with his wife Rose, and the couple adopted four more children. His son Ryan, who also stands 7 feet tall, currently plays college basketball at Georgia Tech after three seasons at Georgetown, his father’s alma mater. The NBA said he died surrounded by his family.