NBA Legend Dead At Age 58

Iconic NBA player Dikembe Mutombo passed away after a battle with brain cancer.

He was 58.

“Mutombo’s career spanned from 1991-2009, and featured eight All-Star appearances and four Defensive Player of the Year awards,” the New York Post noted.

BREAKING – Basketball great Dikembe Mutombo dies aged 58: NBA https://t.co/ORYYfHeqZR pic.twitter.com/hVkvX7lVoa

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) September 30, 2024

The basketball legend’s family revealed two years ago he was undergoing treatment for brain cancer.

“Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life. 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,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.

“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 the Congo and across the continent of Africa. I had the privilege of traveling the world with Dikembe and seeing first-hand 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,” he continued.

NBA Global Ambassador and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo passed away today at the age of 58 from brain cancer. He was surrounded by his family.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued the following statement. pic.twitter.com/uHgZgSBDUJ

— NBA (@NBA) September 30, 2024

Per ESPN:

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 product 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 career 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 per game for his career.

“It’s a sad day, especially for us Africans — and really the whole world — because, other than what he’s accomplished on the basketball court, I think he was even better off the court,” Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, who was born in Cameroon, said Monday. “He’s one of the guys that I look up to, as far as having an impact, not just on the court, but off the court. 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 of mine. It’s a sad day.”

Mutombo followed most blocks with a playful wag of his right index finger, a gesture that became his enduring signature and inspired many others after him.

Dikembe Mutombo has sadly passed away at 58 years old due to brain cancer.

This pose will forever be legendary. Rest in peace to a legend pic.twitter.com/27PU6XKm6z

— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) September 30, 2024

RIP to the great Dikembe Mutombo, one of the greatest shot blockers in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/z8NfnGWgFl

— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) September 30, 2024

NBC News reports:

Younger fans who might not have been familiar with Mutombo’s NBA career (1991-2009) were introduced to his finger wag during a Geico car insurance ads that comically featured his blocks and taunts.

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After his career of protecting the rim and sending shots back from where they came, Mutombo dedicated his life to charitable healthcare efforts back in his native Democratic Republic of Congo and other developing countries.

The Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital’s emergency room, intensive care unit and 150 beds began serving patients in Kinshasa, the capital of his homeland, when it opened in December of 2007.

“My thing is about fighting the mortality rate so we can allow the people to live longer,” he told NBC News in 2016. “That has been my cause, my drive.”

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