Getty Former NBA Player, Dikembe Mutombo attends the Washington Wizards v Golden State Warriors - NBA Japan Games
Dikembe Mutombo played for the New Jersey Nets for one season. He was traded to the Nets in 2002 after making the NBA All-Star team in the previous season. Mutombo was sent to the Nets by the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Keith Van Horn and Todd MacCulloch. Mutombo suffered injury during his time in New Jersey that only allowed him to play in 24 games, starting 16 of those. His most memorable role with the Nets was serving as their sixth man during their NBA Finals series against the San Antonio Spurs. The Nets lost that series and bought out the remainder of Mutombo’s contract that offseason.
The seven-foot-two big man played 18 seasons in the NBA for Denver, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York, and Houston. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. Mutombo has also served in recent years as an NBA Global Ambassador and has been attached to multiple philanthropic efforts.
Dikembe Mutombo Undergoing Treatment for Brain Tumor
On Saturday, October 15, the NBA issued an unexpected statement that the former NBA All-Star, Mutombo, will undergo treatment for a brain tumor.
“NBA Global Ambassador and Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo is currently undergoing treatment for a 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. 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,” the Mutombo family shared in a statement distributed by the NBA.
The family assured fans that he is well-taken care of with a team of specialists and asked for their privacy at this time.
Dikembe Mutombo
Mutombo is 56 years old and just as popular now, more than a decade after he retired from the NBA in 2009. He appeared in a series of Geico commercials displaying his patented finger wag celebration for block shots in comedic real world situations. The All-Stars’ famous finger wag has been carried on to the next generation of basketball players and is a celebration in the popular video game NBA2K. After every blocked shot, Mutombo would wave his fingers at the opposing team’s player, and the eight-time All-Star did that a lot, as he is currently number two in league history for blocked shots all-time.
Mutombo is also known for his philanthropy. He has worked with his foundation, The Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, which spearheaded the building of a 170-bed hospital in Kinshasa, the Congo’s capital city. The facility has cared for almost a half-million people, regardless of their ability to pay for treatment.
His commitment has earned him honors like the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, which he has been awarded twice. On April 13, 2011, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health gave Mutombo the Goodermote Humanitarian Award “for his efforts to reduce polio globally as well as his work improving the health of neglected and underserved populations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.