#dies at 58

[reasoningdaily]

Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo – known for his shot-blocking and famed finger wave after denying opponents at the hoop – died Monday from brain cancer aged 58, according to the NBA.

Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, he was an eight-time NBA All-Star and won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award four times.

His defensive prowess – leading the league in blocks for five consecutive seasons during an 18-year playing career and retiring second on the NBA’s all-time blocked shots list – was offset by his huge, playful smile.

Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the 7-foot-2-inch Mutombo came to Washington’s Georgetown University initially on an academic scholarship in 1987 and rose to fame when he joined the basketball team in his second year.

He was selected fourth in the 1991 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets.

Aside from the Nuggets, he played for the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, the then named New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets.

Off the court, the towering center was known for his humanitarian work. In 1997, Mutombo established the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation with a mission to improve education and quality of life in his native DRC.

In 2022, the NBA said Mutombo was receiving treatment for a brain tumor in Atlanta.

The league said he was surrounded by his family when he died Monday.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued a statement, saying, “Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life. 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.

“There was nobody more qualified than Dikembe to serve 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.

“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.

“Dikembe’s indomitable spirit continues on in those who he helped and inspired throughout his extraordinary life. I am one of the many people whose lives were touched by Dikembe’s big heart and I will miss him dearly.

“On behalf of the entire NBA family, I send my deepest condolences to Dikembe’s wife, Rose, and their children; his many friends; and the global basketball community which he truly loved and which loved him back,” Silver’s statement said.

‘He was even better off the court’

Sixers general manager Daryl Morey lauded Mutombo during the team’s scheduled media day on Monday.

“There aren’t many guys like him. Just a great human being,” Morey said. “When I was a rookie GM in this league, my first chance in Houston, he was someone I went to all the time. He was older than me which is pretty rare.

“Obviously, his accomplishments on the court, we don’t need to talk about too much but just an amazing human being – what he did off the court, for Africa. Rest in peace, Dikembe.”

Speaking to reporters, 76ers star Joel Embiid said: “It’s a sad day, especially for us Africans and really the whole world, because other than what he’s accomplished on the basketball court, I think he was even better off the court.

“He’s one of the guys that I look up to as far as having an impact, not just on the court but off the court. He’s done a lot of great things, he did a lot of great things for a lot of people. He was a role model of mine, so like I said, it is a sad day.”

‘A heart of gold’

CNN Sport anchor Andy Scholes was a Rockets ballboy as a child, and fondly remembers getting to witness Mutombo up close.

“I was around him nearly every day for three years. He was intimidating on the court but off it he had a heart of gold,” Scholes said.

“I didn’t see him for some time after starting my journalism career. But at an All-Star game some 10 years ago, he came running up to me and said: ‘Andy, why didn’t you tell me you work for CNN! I watch you on TV every morning’.

“From then on whenever we’d see each other he always told me how proud he was of me. That meant so much to me because I always looked up to Dikembe, literally and figuratively.”

[malcolmreeds]

a handful of the various plushies i have available on my etsy shop!

find them by clicking here :3c

[spraypaintstainonawhitewall]

i know in my heart that before they got together nico would fake five injuries per day so he could go the infirmary and see will

[snarp]

Reviews of Morgott

[izfaish]

yeah hi he's my oc now. bold words i know. anyway here's my fic about him bc i'm starved of lore skfjgfhds

[alchemisticramblings]

hello tumblr please have my idiot gambler son that i hate

if you don't like him please go fistfight @skryae who told me to put him here

[biomic]

my sister made me watch jake paul vs mike tyson. critics are calling it the worst boxing match of all time

[sgt-celestial]

Like I am sorry if you don't see it. But I Do

[sunmontuewrites]

Somedays I miss my mum SO MUCH. I wish I could ask her SO MANY QUESTIONS. I'm so glad I had her as my mum, and I hope that my kids feel just as loved as she made me feel loved.

[metalcorebarbie]

i can’t stop thinking about this article that i saw yesterday about one of the russos (i don’t remember which one, it’s not relevant khjafsf) say that the reason why marvel movies are flopping is because of the audience and that the kids are so impatient now and want everything immediately and they don’t want to wait for new content that long… and i thought that was stupid but then i looked at the comments and some guy was saying that the actual reason why marvel movies are not succesful anymore is because they are so woke now and then the comment ended with him saying ”get woke, get broke!!!!!!” and like. where do i even start. i’m ben affleck smoking dot jpg.

[tibialtybalt]

Have an unlisted sekiro speedrun before I psyche myself out of it

[oldfangirl81]

My brain is odd. My coping is odd.

My brain just made a connection between Batman and my Dad.

Bruce Wayne adopted Jason Todd after stealing the Batmobile tires.

My Dad adopted my sister after spotting a teenage girl breaking into cars while was on patrol.

Dad did once cosplay as James Gordon.

[lavarend]

Typing the word “attack” shows you some of the most bizarre tags ive ever seen. It also showed me some that didnt even have the word attack in them at all.

[lusyscilly]

Tempo fa qui avevo visto una battuta sul fatto che se questi avessero il prof esterno di filosofia alla maturità, sarebbero tutti bocciati

Non posso che sottoscrivere quanto questa persona aveva scritto

[kissycat]

I love that post so much, I need to write a cental europe version of it once I'm done with this actual writing I have to do

[leftyoudreamless]

Visited my great grandmas house today for her 98th birthday 💛