Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo dies of brain cancer at age 58

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Dikembe Mutombo

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Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo dies of brain cancer at age 58​

Dikembe Mutombo, the Hall of Fame, finger-wagging center who spent much of his post-basketball career as an ambassador for the sport, has died of brain cancer at the age of 58, the NBA announced Monday. Mutombo's family revealed two years ago that he was undergoing treatment in Atlanta for a brain tumor. The NBA said he died surrounded by his family. "Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "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.

The 7-foot-2 Mutombo played 18 NBA seasons for the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, then-New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets before retiring after the 2008-09 season. The Georgetown center was the league's top defensive player four times, earned three All-NBA selections and played in eight All-Star Games. He ranks 20th in rebounds (12,359) and finished with 3,289 blocks, second to Hakeem Olajuwon (3,830). He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015 after averaging 9.8 points and 10.3 rebounds for his career. His No. 55 jersey is retired by both the Nuggets and the Hawks.

Following his playing career, he worked extensively for charitable and humanitarian causes. He served as an ambassador for the sport, particularly in the development of the Basketball Africa League. Mutombo spoke nine languages and founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in 1997, concentrating on improving health, education and quality of life for the people in Congo. His foundation led the building of a 170-bed hospital in Kinshasa, the capital city, and that facility has treated nearly a half-million people regardless of their ability to pay for care.

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Dikembe Mutombo College Career

Mutombo attended Georgetown University on a USAID scholarship. He originally intended to become a doctor, but the Georgetown Hoyas basketball coach John Thompson recruited him to play basketball. He spoke almost no English when he arrived at Georgetown and studied in the ESL program. During his first year of college basketball as a sophomore, Mutombo once blocked 12 shots in a game. Building on the shot-blocking power of Mutombo and teammate Alonzo Mourning, Georgetown fans created a "Rejection Row" section under the basket, adding a big silhouette of an outstretched hand to a banner for each shot blocked during the game. Mutombo was named the Big East Defensive Player of the year twice, in 1990 (shared with Mourning) and in 1991. At Georgetown, Mutombo's international background and interests stood out. Like many other Washington-area college students, he served as a summer intern, once for the Congress of the United States and once for the World Bank. In 1991, he graduated with bachelor's degrees in linguistics and diplomacy.

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