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    Hall of Fame center dies of brain cancer at age 58

    Vaseline Posted on

    Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, who played 18 seasons in the NBA and served as a global ambassador for the league after his retirement, has died of brain cancer, the NBA announced Monday.

    Mutombo turned 58.

    “Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement announcing his death. “On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in NBA history. Off the floor, he poured his heart and soul into helping others.”

    The 7-2 center was the fourth overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets. He quickly established himself as a force in the paint, averaging 16.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game on his way to second place in the 1992 Rookie of the Year voting.

    Mutombo played for six different teams during his pro career, earning eight All-Star selections and being named to three all-NBA teams.

    However, he was best known as a shot blocker: he led the league in that category in three consecutive seasons from 1994 to 1996 and was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year four times.

    Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mutombo came to the United States to play college basketball for Georgetown University and legendary coach John Thompson.

    He played his first five seasons with the Nuggets before signing as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks in 1996. He subsequently played for the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks before ending his career with the Houston Rockets.

    Mutombo retired at the end of the 2008–09 season, finishing his career with 11,729 points (9.8 per game) and 12,359 rebounds (10.3 per game).

    He was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.

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