Dikembe Mutombo, a Hall of Fame basketball player, star 76ers center, tireless advocate, dies

Dikembe Mutombo , the shot-blocking Hall of Fame center who played for the 76ers, Knicks, Nets, Nuggets and Rockets has died after a battle with brain cancer, the NBA announced Monday.

He was 58.

A four-time Defensive Player of the Year, the 7-2 Mutombo averaged 9.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game over his 18-year career from 1991-2009.

His 3,289 blocks rank second in NBA history , behind only the 3,830 compiled by Hakeem Olajuwon.

An eight-time All-Star, the fun-loving Mutombo was known for celebrating blocks by wagging his index finger.

Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement Monday.

On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in the history of the NBA.

Off the floor, he poured his heart and soul into helping others.

Mutombo went to the NBA Finals with the then-New Jersey Nets in his lone season with the team in 2002-03, coming off the bench as a 36-year-old veteran during the Nets loss in six games to the Tim Duncan-led San Antonio Spurs.

Mutombo then spent the 2003-04 season with the Knicks , starting 56 of his 65 appearances.

Drafted No.

4 overall out of Georgetown by the Nuggets in 1991, the Congolese-born Mutombo spent his first five seasons with Denver, and then the next five with the Hawks.

He played two seasons with the 76ers from 2000-02 and appeared in the Finals with Philadelphia in 2001.

After his short stints with the Nets and Knicks, Mutombo played his final five seasons with the Rockets, primarily as a backup to one of the few players taller than him, the 7-6 Yao Ming.

Off the court, Mutombo was known for humanitarian work, with a foundation devoted to improving life in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

After retiring, Mutombo became the NBAs first Global Ambassador.

He loved what the game of basketball could do to make a positive impact on communities, especially in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo and across the continent of Africa, Silver said.

I had the privilege of traveling the world with Dikembe and seeing first-hand how his generosity and compassion uplifted people.

He was inducted into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.

On behalf of the entire NBA family, Silver said, I send my deepest condolences to Dikembeas wife, Rose, and their children; his many friends; and the global basketball community which he truly loved and which loved him back..

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