Dikembe Mutombo was an NBA star known for his towering height and his shot-blocking skills.
- Died: September 30, 2024 (Who else died on September 30?)
- Details of death: Died in Atlanta of brain cancer at the age of 58.
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Dikembe Mutombo’s legacy
Born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mutombo came to the U.S. in 1987 to attend Georgetown University. Already 21 years old when he enrolled, he was planning to attend medical school and help the sick. But at 7 feet, 2 inches tall, Mutombo caught the eye of the school’s basketball coach, John Thompson (1941–2020). He wasn’t new to the sport; he’d played back home, alongside football and martial arts. At Georgetown, he built on his early training and became a formidable defensive player, feared by opponents for his shot blocking.
The fact that Mutombo was several years older than his fellow college graduates didn’t matter in the face of his talent. He was the fourth overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft, selected by the Denver Nuggets. Fans quickly fell in love with his skills – and his signature taunt after blocking a shot. After swatting a ball away from the basket, Mutombo would wag his finger, a cheeky warning that became indelibly associated with him.
In 1996, Mutombo signed with the Atlanta Hawks. He went on to play for the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, and Houston Rockets before his 2009 retirement. Along the way, he became an eight-time All-Star and four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. With 3,289 blocks over his 18-year career, Mutombo was the second greatest shot blocker in NBA history. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, and his No. 55 jersey was retired by the Nuggets and the Hawks.
Along with his defensive prowess, Mutombo was known for his humanitarian work. He established the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation to improve healthcare and education in his home of Democratic Republic of the Congo. Among the foundation’s successes was the building of Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital right outside Kinshasa, named in memory of the NBA star’s late mother. He was also a global ambassador for Special Olympics and a spokesman for the international relief agency CARE.
Mutombo’s trademark finger wag became well known to a new generation when he starred in a GEICO commercial, swatting away objects like a crumpled piece of paper and a pile of laundry while chuckling and making the iconic gesture. He also made cameo appearances in such movies as “Like Mike” and “Coming 2 America.”
Mutombo on the finger wag
“To me, it was fun to do it, even though I was fined so many times for it. People forget that. I lost a lot of money on that finger wag; I got so many technical fouls. I had so many conversations with the commissioner about it, but it all worked out.” — from a 2021 interview for Sports Illustrated
Tributes to Dikembe Mutombo
Full obituary: The New York Times
