When Mutombo passed away, his community surrounded him.
Dikembe Mutombo, a humanitarian and famous photo blocker, passed away at the age of 58, according to the NBA. The cause of demise was head cancer, which he was diagnosed with back in Oct. 2022. When Mutombo passed away, his household surrounded him.
Mutombo, who was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was one of the greatest defense people in his 18-year job. He played for six teams overall, but spent most of his time with the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets. ( He spent one-plus times with the Philadelphia 76ers and one year each with the New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks. ) He was an eight-time All-Star and a four-time defense player of the year. He led the NBA in stones in 1994, 1995 and 1996, and led the club in touchdowns in 2000 and 2001. Both the Hawks and Nuggets have retired his amount, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.
Before being recruited by famed basketball coach John Thompson, Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacque Wamutombo had originally intended to pursue a career in medicine and intended to attend Georgetown. He earned levels in grammar and politics in 1991, but with the Nuggets drafting him with the third overall pick, there was no problem his coming was in baseball and no foreign relations.
Of course, you ca n't talk about Mutombo without mentioning the finger wag. When Mutombo was executing a particularly brutal stop, he would expel the infamous "no, no, no, no" hand wag.
" No, no, no" !On this day in 1997… Dikembe Mutombo had 3 straight blocks and broke out the finger wag. # NBAVault# NBA75 pic. twitter.com/dgOYwXuLXr
— NBA History ( @NBAHistory ) April 9, 2022
Mutombo was aboard the hand wiggle, which grew larger than life. He did it in pictures, he did it on the red floor, he did it in commercials. It became part of who he was, and just like living itself, he embraced it.
Following Mutombo's pension from the NBA in 2009, he focused on generosity and altruism, wanting to give back to his home state and the whole continent of Africa. He created the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in 1997 ( 12 years before he'd retire ) to improve living conditions in the DRC, and received numerous awards from the NBA and other organizations for his work in Africa to improve conditions and reduce the spread of polio.
Only a quick story. Dikembe's mother died during wartime in the Congo when she could n't get to a hospital in time because an ambulance was unavailable. Plus, she could have been arrested due to the weather. Dikembe's answer to that horror? He built a doctor in his home.
— Myron Medcalf ( @MedcalfByESPN) September 30, 2024
Commissioner Adam Silver, who named Mutombo the second NBA Global Ambassador, released a statement about his brother's death.
" Dikembe Mutombo was merely larger than life on the jury, he was one of the greatest chance filters and defensive players in the background of the NBA. He dedicated his life to helping people, even from the ground.
" There was nobody more competent than Dikembe to function as the NBA's initial world adviser. He was primarily a charitable. He admired the good effects that baseball could have on communities, particularly in his local Democratic Republic of the Congo and throughout Africa. I had the honor of accompanying Dikembe on his global mission and witnessing first-hand how his kindness and compassion helped individuals. Over the years, he was generally available at NBA events thanks to his infectious smile, deep voice, and unique finger wag, which endeared him to all-generational basketball fans.
" Dikembe's unwavering spirit lives on in those who he helped and inspired throughout his extraordinary life. I did miss him dearly and am one of the many individuals whose lies Big Heart touched. On behalf of the entire NBA home, I send my deepest sympathies to Dikembe's family, Rose, and their children, his some friends, and the international basketball group, which he truly loved and which loved him back".
Mutombo is survived by his family, Rose, their three kids, and four children of Rose's dying boys they adopted in 1996.
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