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NBA Great Dikembe Mutombo Dead at 58 After Cancer Battle, Remembered as ‘Larger Than Life’
NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo has died at the age of 58 following his battle with brain cancer.
“Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement on Monday, September 30, while confirming the athlete’s death. “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.”
Silver, 62, went on to praise Mutombo for his work 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,” he continued. “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,” Silver added.
The basketball star – who was diagnosed with cancer in 2022 – was surrounded by his family at the time of his death.
Mutombo played for the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, then-New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets during his career that lasted 18 seasons. Following his legendary professional career, Mutombo retired at the end of the 2008-2009 season.
He may be best known for his performance during the 1994 playoffs, in which he helped the Nuggets beat the Seattle Supersonics while they were the No. 1 seed. The center blocked an NBA-record 31 shots in the series, while Sonics then-head coach, George Karl, even acknowledged that Mutombo had psychologically intimated his team.
“He got in our players’ heads at the very beginning and never left,” Karl, 73, said at the time.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo native’s career was honored in 2015 when he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. “When I was an NBA rookie, someone asked me what I thought my career would be like. I never dreamed it would include this,” he said while accepting the honor. “I only want to be remembered as one of the best defensive players to ever play this game. I like to think that I accomplished that.”
He then dedicated the award to his wife, Rose Mutombo, whom he married in 1996. They shared three children together, who he also thanked during his acceptance speech.
Mutombo kept busy after he retired from the NBA by working for several charitable and humanitarian causes. He served as an ambassador for basketball and helped develop the Basketball Africa League.
He started the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in the Congo in 1997, with the goal of improving health, education and quality of life in the African country. Additionally, he served on the board of Special Olympics International, the CDC Foundation and the National Board for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.
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