NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo is undergoing treatment for a brain tumour, the league announced on October 15. The Hall of Famer played 18 seasons and was renowned for his blocking skills.
He played for six different teams: Denver Nuggets (1991–1996), Atlanta Hawks (1996–2001), Philadelphia 76ers (2001–2002), New Jersey Nets (2002–2003), New York Knicks (2003–2004), and Houston Rockets (2004–2009).
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He surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the second-most prolific shot blocker in NBA history on January 10, 2007, trailing only Hakeem Olajuwon, and he averaged a double-double for the majority of his career.
The 56-year-old announced his retirement at the end of the 2009 NBA playoffs.
In 1,196 regular-season games, he averaged 10.3 rebounds, 9.8 points, and 2.8 blocks. He received four Defensive Player of the Year titles and was chosen to participate in 8 All-Star games. In 2015, he was admitted to the Hall of Fame.
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Mutombo, a centre who stood 7 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 260 pounds, was regarded as one of the greatest inside defenders in history. With his nickname Mt. Mutombo, he was known for his height, strength, and long arms. Ben Wallace is the only other player to have won four NBA Defensive Player of the Year titles.
From 1994 through 2002, Mutombo spent nine straight seasons in the top three players in the vote for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
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His exceptional shot-blocking and rebounding abilities were the cornerstones of Mutombo’s defensive success. He averaged 10.3 rebounds per game and 2.8 blocks throughout the course of his career. He is the 20th most effective rebounder in history.
In addition, he was selected for three All-NBA, six All-Defensive, and eight All-Star teams. Mutombo wasn’t just good on defence; up to the age of 35, he also averaged at least 10 points per game offensively.
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On the court, Mutombo also attained a certain level of renown. He was renowned for waiving his index finger after a successful block to mock his opponents, mimicking a father reprimanding a misbehaving child. NBA officials would penalise the gesture later in his career with a technical foul for unsportsmanlike behaviour.
After a block, Mutombo started pointing his finger at the spectators or the television cameras, which is not deemed taunting by the rules, in order to avoid the technical foul.
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His flailing elbows were also known to have hurt a number of NBA players, including Yao Ming, LeBron James, Tracy McGrady, Patrick Ewing, Dennis Rodman, Charles Oakley, Chauncey Billups, and Ray Allen.
Yao Ming, a former teammate, cracked a joke about it: “I need to talk to Coach to have Dikembe held out of practice, because if he hits somebody in practice, it’s our teammate. At least in the games, it’s 50/50.”
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Following are snippets of highlights from his long and illustrated career:
– 4-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year: 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001
– 8-time NBA All-Star: 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002
– 3-time All-NBA:
Second Team: 2001
Third Team: 1998, 2002
– 6-time All-Defensive:
First Team: 1997, 1998, 2001
Second Team: 1995, 1999, 2002
– NBA All-Rookie First Team: 1992
– 2nd in Career NBA Blocks: 3,256
– 2-time NBA regular-season leader, rebounding average: 2000 (14.1), 2001 (13.5)
– 4-time NBA regular-season leader, total rebounds: 1995 (1029), 1997 (929), 1999 (610), 2000 (1157)
– NBA regular-season leader, offensive rebounds: 2001 (307)
– 2-time NBA regular-season leader, defensive rebounds: 1999 (418), 2000 (853)
– 3-time NBA regular-season leader, blocked shots average: 1994 (4.1), 1995 (3.9), 1996 (4.5)
– 5-time NBA regular-season leader, total blocks: 1994 (336), 1995 (321), 1996 (332), 1997 (264), 1998 (277)
– Invited to be a special guest at 2007 President George W. Bush’s State of the Union address; commended for his humanitarian aid to his homeland, the Democratic Republic of Congo
– The oldest player in NBA history to collect over 20 rebounds in a game at 40 years old, March 2, 2007, vs. Denver Nuggets
– Played as a retired NBA alumnus in Team Africa at the 2015 NBA Africa exhibition game
– Hall of Fame, Class of 2015
– NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, Class of 2016
– No. 55 retired by the Atlanta Hawks on November 24, 2015
– No. 55 retired by the Denver Nuggets on October 29, 2016
– Sager Strong Award on June 25, 2018
