Breaking: Basketball HOFer Dikembe Mutombo Passes Away at Age 58

Lead Sports Editor Will Lyons memorializes the legendary shot blocker and humanitarian Dikembe Mutomobo after a battle with brain cancer.

Dikembe Mutombo was a giant in stature standing 7 foot 2, with his warm personality and with his big heart highlighted by his humanitarian work in his home continent of Africa. Dikembe was a star at Georgetown University playing for Hall of Fame Coach John Thompson being one of the many noteworthy bigs that the program became known for over the years (Ewing, Mourning).

After his time in college, he played 18 seasons in the NBA playing for multiple franchises including the Nuggets, Hawks, 76ers and Houston Rockets. Mutombo’s rebounding and shot-blocking were the trademarks of his game, winning Defensive Player of the Year four times (tied for most all time). Mutombo was one of the greatest defensive specialists in the history of the game and he turned his talent into a lifeline for his people.

As one of the early ambassadors of basketball in Africa Mutomobo started the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation. The organization’s mission was to improve the quality of life in Dikembe’s native Republic of Congo. He then became one of the faces of Basketball Without Borders. His most recent project was the construction of a pre-K through 6th-grade school in Congo named after his father.

Mutombo was one of the most well-known players during his playing career but his humanitarian efforts well exceeded anything he accomplished on the court. He was an ambassador for his people and used his earnings to improve life for his fellow Congolese citizens.