Dikembe Mutombo, one of the best shot-blockers in NBA history, died of brain cancer on September 30 at the age of 58. Mutombo’s record of 3,289 blocked shots is the second-highest in NBA history.
Mutombo was a 7-foot-2 center who would taunt opposing players with an electrifying and antagonistic finger-wag that he displayed throughout his 18-season career with teams like the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, and Philadelphia 76ers. He was primarily known for his lockdown defense, having won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award four times and earning eight All-Star selections throughout his career.
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At his peak, Mutombo averaged 4.5 blocks per game. He led the league in rebounds and blocks multiple times throughout his career. In an iconic Adidas commercial, Mutombo famously declared that “Man cannot fly in the house of Mutombo.”
Born in Kinshasa, Congo, Mutombo moved to the United States to study at Georgetown University, where he majored in linguistics and diplomacy. There, he interned at Congress and the World Bank. Mutombo was unsure if he should enter the NBA until Georgetown head coach John Thompson introduced Mutombo to NBA legend Bill Russell, who convinced Mutombo he could play in the league. He received his bachelor’s degree the same year he was drafted.
Soon, Mutombo transformed from a student into a basketball star known for his shot-blocking prowess. He left his mark on the game immediately, helping the Denver Nuggets go on an impressive playoff run in 1994, upsetting the one-seeded Seattle Supersonics in the first round of the playoffs as an eighth seed. It was the first time in NBA history that an eighth-ranked team had beaten a one-seed.
For as transformative as he was on the court, Mutombo will be remembered for his philanthropic efforts around the world. Mutombo would lead basketball clinics back in his home country. He paid for the national women’s basketball team to travel to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Through his foundation, he oversaw the construction of a 300-bed hospital in his hometown of Kinshasa in 2007.
