The NBA announced on behalf of Dikembe Mutombo and his family on Saturday that he is receiving treatment for a brain tumour. Mutombo is the gravelly-voiced centre whose finger-wagging shot-blocking made him a Denver Nuggets icon and developed a cult following among basketball fans worldwide.

Also read: Dikembe Mutombo, NBA legend, undergoing treatment for brain tumor

“He is receiving the best care possible from a collaborative team of specialists in Atlanta and is in great spirits as he begins treatment,” the statement read.

Before relocating to the United States and participating in college basketball at Georgetown University, Mutombo, 56, was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the 1991 draft, the Denver Nuggets selected him as the fourth overall choice.

Later, he played for six NBA teams throughout the course of his 18-year career and was selected to the NBA All-Star squad eight times.

Also read: Dikembe Mutombo age, wife, children and net worth

He retired from the game in 2009, and in 2015, he was admitted to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

When he made an appearance in a Geico commercial that aired during the Super Bowl and continued for months after that, he gained even more popularity. He also made an appearance in a commercial for the CHEQ security platform.

Mutombo established the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in the Congo in 1997 in addition to his career in basketball. He also sits on the National Board for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, the CDC Foundation, and Special Olympics International’s board of directors.

Also read: Dikembe Mutombo career stats and highlights

Mutombo married his wife Rose in 1996 and they have seven children together, four of whom are adopted. Ryan Mutombo, who is exactly the same height as his father, 7 ft 2 in, and plays centre at Georgetown, is now following in his father’s footsteps.