Dikembe Mutombo has died from brain cancer. Joel Embiid said the former Sixer ‘was a role model of mine.’
Daryl Morey also paid tribute to Mutombo after learning of his death. The Hall of Fame center was 58.
The basketball world lost a literal and figurative giant Monday when it was announced that Hall of Famer and former 76ers center Dikembe Mutombo died at 58 in Atlanta following a battle with brain cancer.
“Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “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.”
Known for his patented finger wag after blocking shots, Mr. Mutombo joined the Sixers in the February 2001 trade that sent injured center Theo Ratliff, Toni Kukoč, Nazr Mohammed, and Pepe Sánchez to the Atlanta Hawks. He was an eight-time All-Star and a four-time defensive player of the year in his 18-year NBA career.
Mr. Mutombo played two seasons for the Sixers, including on their 2000-01 team that reached the NBA Finals, and played the final years of his career with the Houston Rockets during Daryl Morey’s tenure as general manager. When Morey, who is now the 76ers president of basketball operations, learned of his death during a press conference on the team’s media day, he paused to reflect on what Mr. Mutombo meant to him.
“There aren’t many guys like him,” Morey said. “Just a great human being. 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, and 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.”
Morey and head coach Nick Nurse resumed their press conference, but Nurse had to answer the next question — even though it was directed at Morey — as Morey was still too emotional.
Mr. Mutombo was a longtime humanitarian in his home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in Africa overall. The former Georgetown star founded a hospital in Kinshasa, Congo’s capital, and funded initiatives to vaccinate Congolese people against polio in addition to supporting the Special Olympics and young athletes in Africa.
“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,” said Sixers center Joel Embiid, who grew up in Cameroon.
“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,” Embiid said. “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.”
During his 18-year NBA career, the 7-foot-2 center averaged 9.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game. In addition to playing with the Sixers and Rockets (2004-09), he also spent time with the Denver Nuggets (1991-96), Hawks (1996-2001), New Jersey Nets (2002-03), and New York Knicks (2003-04).
Mr. Mutombo was the fourth overall selection in the 1991 draft, by the Nuggets, and remains second in league history in total blocks, behind Hakeem Olajuwon.
Current Sixer Kyle Lowry was Mr. Mutombo’s teammate with the Rockets in 2009.
“The spirit of Dikembe Mutombo is never going to be forgotten,” Lowry said. “Everyone that he has ever been around, everyone who ever met him knows how great of a man he was. He’s got a great family, great children. It’s a big loss for our league. The things he’s done, hospitals, doing things for where he comes from. It’s tough for everybody, it’s tough for the world.
“Being a fan of his and then having an opportunity to play with him, it gives me a different perspective as a friend of his,” Lowry said. “It’s a tough day, but he’s going to be watching over us.”
In 1994, Mr. Mutombo was part of one of the league’s most iconic playoff moments, helping eighth-seeded Denver oust top-seeded Seattle in the first round. That best-of-five series marked the first time a No. 8 beat a No. 1 in NBA history.
Mr. Mutombo last played during the 2008-09 season, devoting his time after retirement to charitable and humanitarian causes. He spoke nine languages and founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in 1997, concentrating on improving health, education, and quality of life for people in the Congo.
Mr. Mutombo — born Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacque Wamutombo on June 25, 1966 — is survived by his wife, Rose; their three children; and four children of Rose’s deceased brothers, whom they adopted in 1996.
“There was nobody more qualified than Dikembe to serve as the NBA’s first Global Ambassador,” Silver said. “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,” Silver said. “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.”
This article contains information from the Associated Press.