Legendary basketball player Dikembe Mutombo has passed away
Dikembe Mutombo, one of the legendary players in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), has passed away at the age of 58.
AA
In a post shared on the NBA's social media account, it was announced that Mutombo, who had been receiving treatment for a brain tumor for two years, has passed away.
Throughout his career, Mutombo, a Congolese-American former basketball player who played for the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, and Houston Rockets in the NBA, was remembered for his effective shot-blocking and defensive performance under the rim.
During his 18 seasons in the league, Mutombo was selected as an All-Star 8 times and was named Defensive Player of the Year 4 times; he was also the league leader in blocks 3 times and rebounds 2 times. With 3,289 blocks, Mutombo also succeeded in becoming the second-highest shot-blocker in NBA regular season history, trailing only Hakeem Olajuwon (3,830).
Mutombo, whose number 55 jersey was retired by both the Hawks and the Nuggets, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.