R.I.P. Dikembe Mutombo

I was starting a thread, but I'll move it here. From ESPN:


Dikembe Mutombo, the Hall of Fame, finger-wagging center who spent much of his post-basketball career as an ambassador for the sport, has died of brain cancer at the age of 58, the NBA announced Monday.

Mutombo's family revealed two years ago that he was undergoing treatment in Atlanta for a brain tumor. The NBA said he died surrounded by his family.
The 7-foot-2 Mutombo played 18 NBA seasons for the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, then-New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets before retiring after the 2008-09 season.

The Georgetown center was the league's top defensive player four times, earned three All-NBA selections and played in eight All-Star Games. He ranks 20th in rebounds (12,359) and finished with 3,289 blocks, second to Hakeem Olajuwon (3,830).

Pretty terrific article. There's more on his humanitarian causes, and the origin of the finger wag. It's missing the iconic image of him on the floor, gripping the basketball in his hands in celebration, as the Nuggets upset the Sonics in the 1994 playoffs. Fortunately, this video has it:


His son Ryan Mutombo, also 7-2, followed his father to Georgetown, where he spent three seasons and graduated. He transferred back home to Atlanta in the offseason, and will finish his career as a grad transfer at Georgia Tech.
 
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