The NBA announced on Saturday that Dikembe Mutombo, a basketball legend and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, is receiving treatment for a brain tumour in Atlanta.

The NBA said in a statement that the 56-year-old former shot-blocking legend is “in great spirits” on behalf of his family.

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The statement read, “He is receiving the best care possible from a collaborative team of specialists in Atlanta and is in great spirits as he begins treatment. Dikembe and his family ask for privacy during this time so they can focus on his care. They are grateful for your prayers and good wishes.”

Who is Dikembe Mutombo?

A former professional basketball player from the Republic of Congo, Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo was born on June 25, 1966. Mutombo played for 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has earned recognition for his charitable endeavours in addition to basketball.

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The centre, who is 7 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 260 pounds, started his career with the Georgetown Hoyas. He is renowned as one of the best shot blockers and defenders of all time and has won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award four times. He was also an eight-time All-Star.

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.

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After the 2009 NBA Playoffs, Mutombo made an announcement about his retirement. He was admitted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 11, 2015.

Ilo Mutombo, Mutombo’s 6’10” older brother, started playing Division II collegiate basketball with the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles as a freshman in 1987. At the Capital Center, the brothers faced off against one another in a 1990 game.

During a trip to Kinshasa in 1995, he met his wife, Rose. They have three kids together and reside in Atlanta. Furthermore, they adopted four kids from Rose’s late brothers.

The 16th-best centre in high school, Ryan, made a 2021 commitment to play at Georgetown. Standing at 7 ft 2 in, Ryan was a highly sought-after 4-star recruit in the 2021 recruiting class right out of high school.

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On March 22, 2016, Mutombo was one of those who saw the 2016 Brussels bombings at Brussels Airport. He announced that he was safe on his Facebook page shortly after the attacks. His initial message read, “God is good. I am in the Brussels Airport with this craziness. I am fine.”

He made the announcement that he was getting treatment for a brain tumour on October 15, 2022.