(CNN) – Dikembe Mutombo, a basketball Hall of Famer known for his blocks and famous finger movements after preventing opponents from scoring, died Monday at age 58 from brain cancer, according to the NBA.
Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, he was an eight-time NBA All-Star and a four-time league Defensive Player of the Year.
His defensive prowess (he led the league in blocked shots for five straight seasons during his 18-year playing career and finished second on the NBA’s all-time blocked shots list) was accompanied by his huge, playful smile.
Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mutombo attended Georgetown University in Washington in 1987 on an academic scholarship and rose to prominence when he joined the basketball team as a sophomore.
He was selected fourth in the 1991 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets.
In addition to playing for the Nuggets, he played for the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, then called the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets.
Off the field, this towering center was known for its humanitarian work. In 1997, Mutombo created the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation with the mission of improving education and quality of life in his native DRC.
In 2022, the NBA reported that Mutombo was being treated for a brain tumor in Atlanta.
The league said he was surrounded by his family when he died Monday.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement saying: “Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life. On the court, he was one of the best blockers and defenders in NBA history. Off the court, he gave himself body and soul to helping others.”
“There was no one more qualified than Dikembe to be the NBA’s first global ambassador. At heart he was a humanist. He loved how basketball could positively impact a community, especially in his native Democratic Republic of Congo and throughout the African continent. I have had the honor of traveling the world with Dikembe and seeing first-hand how his generosity and compassion lift people. Over the years, he was always available at NBA events with his infectious smile, booming voice and signature finger movements that endeared him to basketball fans of all generations.”
“Dikembe’s indomitable spirit lives on in those he helped and inspired throughout his extraordinary life. I am one of many people whose lives were touched by Dikembe’s big heart and I will miss him dearly. On behalf of the entire NBA family, I extend my deepest condolences to his wife Dikembe Rose and his children; to his many friends; and to the global basketball community, which he truly loved and who loved him in return,” the statement said.