After losing a battle with brain cancer, 18-year NBA veteran Dikembe Mutombo has passed away at the age of 58 (h/t The Athletic’s Shams Charania).
Former Nuggets, Hawks, Sixers, Rockets Giant Dikembe Mutombo Passes Away At 58
Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo has passed away at 58 years old due to brain cancer. pic.twitter.com/taDWSFeCQE
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 30, 2024
In 2022, the NBA released a statement on the behalf of Mutombo and his family. It was then revealed that the former big man was beginning treatments for a brain tumor (per ESPN News Services).
The fourth overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft out of Georgetown, Mutombo starred for multiple teams in his storied career. The most notable of these were the Denver Nuggets and Atlanta Hawks. By the time he retired, he won four Defensive Player of the Year awards, was named to the All-Star team eight times, and amassed the second-most blocks in NBA history (3,289) among other several other achievements.
He was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
As the most successful basketball player out of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mutombo is also widely regarded an inspiration for foreign-born hoopers, especially those from Africa. The Kinshasa native immigrated to America in 1987 but never forgot his roots. As a result, he was a great humanitarian. When he won the Sager Strong Award in 2018, his work with the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation was highlighted, with the organization opening the DRC-based Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital their most celebrated accomplishment.
A Mountainous Career
Mutombo began his career with the Nuggets, earning his first All-Star as a rookie while averaging 16.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game. There, he would popularize the finger wag celebration that players still use today. Unfortunately for both parties, Denver wasn’t able to muster enough firepower to consistently to make the playoffs. In 1996, just a year after winning his final Defensive Player of the Year award, Mutombo became a free agent.
After failed negotiations with the Nuggets, big man signed a five-year contract with the Atlanta Hawks. There, he was able to win over 50 games in consecutive seasons and back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards. Ironically, the Hawks traded Mutombo to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2000-01. This was the final year he would win Defensive Player of the Year. Mutombo also reached the NBA Finals for the first time that year, though the Sixers would fall to the Los Angeles Lakers.
It wasn’t until 2004, three years later, that Mutombo finally found another permanent home. He was far past his physical prime, playing into his early 40s. However, the Houston Rockets appreciated his shot-blocking (and rebounding) ability nonetheless. He all but rode into the sunset in Texas, but suffered a season-ending quadriceps injury early in 2008-09.
16 years later, and Mutombo has gone into the good night, leaving behind a mountain of a legacy. There’s unlikely to ever be another player like him. Nonetheless, the players that he’s inspired —as well as his family —will live through him.
