Former Congolese basketball player Dikembe Mutombo, who played nineteen seasons in the NBA, died at the age of 58 due to cancer, the North American Basketball League announced on Monday, September 30, in a press release issued on X.
Very tall center – 2.18 meters – he was an All-Star eight times (annual match between the best players of the Eastern and Western conferences of the NBA) in the 1990s and 2000s, especially for his defensive qualities. He was voted defender of the year four times, best blocker three times and best rebounder twice.
He had gotten into the habit, after each counter, of moving his index finger in the air while saying “no no no, not in my house” (“no no no, none of that at home”), as if to say that it was unthinkable to score a basket in front of him. A gesture that has become a sporting legend.
Recognized for his humanitarian work
Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques wa Mutombo – his full name – played in two NBA finals, in 2001 with the Philadelphia Sixers against the Lakers and in 2003 with the New Jersey Nets against the San Antonio Spurs, but he never won the title. .
“Mount Mutombo” wore the jersey of several NBA franchises (Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, etc.) during a journey that began in 1991 and ended in 2009 at the age of 43.
Dikembe Mutombo’s son, Ryan, paid tribute on Instagram (his account is private) to a “hero” WHO “He just cared about others.”. “He loved others with all his being. That’s what made it so accessible. That’s what made it real.”he added. Dikembe Mutombo was recognized for his numerous charitable contributions. In particular, in 2015 it financed the construction of a hospital near Kinshasa.
In a statement posted on X, NBA landmark Michael Jordan said “deeply sad” for the death of Dikembe Mutombo, a player “who changed the way of playing basketball” and who has “Above all (…) “He changed the world and improved countless lives through his humanitarian work in Africa.”.
