Dikembe Mutombo, legendary NBA star and humanitarian, dies at 58
NBA legend and humanitarian Dikembe Mutombo has died at 58, leaving behind a lasting legacy.
Dikembe Mutombo playing for the Georgetown Hoyas in Landover, Md., on Jan. 1, 1991.
According to The National Basketball Association, former NBA player and philanthropist Dikembe Mutombo has died aged 58 fighting brain cancer in Atlanta on the 30th of September 2024. The 7-foot-2 player penetrated in 18 years for six teams and had the rank of most blocked shots in the league only after Hakeem Olajuwon.
Kevin Pritchard Mutombo learned to make opposing players think twice about testing him defensively by perfecting the finger wag. In seasons 1993-1994, he stunned the SuperSonics by leading the Denver Nuggets to a historic playoff series win over the giants. “I was born in Africa and brought up in the United States, and I used basketball as a vehicle to get where I’m going,” Mutombo said in a Sports Illustrated interview in 2022. Most of Mutombo’s time away from the court was devoted to improving the lives of people around him. He opened a hospital in Kinshasa in 2006 named after his mother and has raised millions of dollars for various charitable causes.
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Photo: Reuters
Furthermore, Mutombo was involved with the campaign to vaccinate people against COVID-19 and helped finance the construction of a $4 million school in Tshibombo Village, built in 2020. In 2006, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen, and President George W. Bush praised him in a State of the Union address. Mutombo is survived by his wife, Rose, and children.
Dikembe Mutombo is a man worthy of being talked about not just because of his achievements in basketball but also because of how he related to people and the charity work that he did. He had a simply lovely smile, a jocular personality, and tremendous selflessness for goodwill. As we always pay tribute to him and celebrate his life, it is apparent how much difference one person can make in many lives.
May Dikembe Mutombo’s soul rest in peace. Dikembe Mutombo, thank you for everything. People will remember you for many years, and your followers will be motivated and elevated for a long time.
