Basketball Hall of Famer and former Denver Nuggets all-star Dikembe Mutombo has died after a two-year battle with brain cancer, the NBA announced Monday. He was 58.
Born in Congo, the Denver Nuggets drafted Mutombo from Georgetown University ahead of the 1991-1992 NBA season. He went on to play five seasons in Denver and played for five other teams before retiring in 2009.
In 1994, Mutombo helped the eight-seed Nuggets take down the one-seed Seattle Supersonics in a major playoff upset. He was also an eight-time all-star selection and won the league’s defensive player of the year four times.
“Mount Mutombo,” as he was known, became famous for his shot-blocking ability and defensive play. He often wagged his finger at opponents after blocking their shots, a gesture that became one of the NBA’s most notorious taunts.
After retiring, Mutombo became the NBA’s first global ambassador to the game. His efforts included extensive humanitarian work in Africa.
“There was nobody more qualified than Dikembe to serve as the NBA’s first Global Ambassador. He was a humanitarian at his core,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “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.”
Mutombo announced in October 2022 that he was battling brain cancer and was receiving treatment in Atlanta. The NBA said he died surrounded by his family.
“Dikembe’s indomitable spirit continues on in those who he helped and inspired throughout his extraordinary life. I am one of the many people whose lives were touched by Dikembe’s big heart and I will miss him dearly,” Silver said. “On behalf of the entire NBA family, I send my deepest condolences to Dikembe’s wife, Rose, and their children; his many friends; and the global basketball community which he truly loved and which loved him back.”
