“NBA Global Ambassador and Hall of Fame member Dikembe Mutombo is currently undergoing treatment for a brain tumor,” the statement said, adding that he “is receiving the best care possible from ‘a team of specialists from Atlanta’.
“Dikembe, as well as his family, ask to respect his privacy during this period, so that they can focus on his care”, concludes the NBA, whose boss, Adam Silver, hastened to send a message of support: “All our thoughts and prayers go out to Dikembe, one of the great humanitarians in our world.”
Quadruple best defender in the league in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001 (a record he shares with former Pistons Ben Wallace), Mutombo has been one of the most deterrent players the NBA has ever known.
Born in Kinshasa, he mastered the art of counter like few and had even made it his signature, with the “Mutombo Finger Wag”, this way of waving his finger from left to right in front of the opponent, when he came from pass one, to tell him “not in my house”.
With 3,289 blocks inflicted, he is the second best blocker in history, behind the legendary Hakeem Olajuwon.
With the Nigerian, they were the first two African representatives to win in the best championship in the world, paving the way for other talents, from the Sudanese Luol Dieng to the Cameroonian (since naturalized French and American) Joel Embiid.
Eight times selected in the All-Star Game, top rebounder in the 1999/2000 and 2000/2001 regular seasons, Mutombo began his career in Denver, which drafted him in 4th position in 1991. In 1996, he took over the management of Atlanta, before moving to Philadelphia in 2000.
Nine months later, alongside star Allen Iverson, he played in his first NBA Finals, eventually losing to the Lakers of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. The second will also be a failure, in the jersey of the New Jersey Nets this time, but still against Los Angeles.
After a season in New York, which began its decline, he ended his career in Houston in 2009.