The sporting community is mourning the loss of a legend.
Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo died Sept. 30 after a battle with brain cancer, the National Basketball Association confirmed in a statement. He was 58.
“Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver wrote alongside the statement. “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.”
And on Mutombo’s role as the first NBA Global Ambassador, Silver continued of the Congolese native, “He was a humanitarian at his core. 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. I had the privilege of traveling the world with Dikembe and seeing first-hand how his generosity and compassion uplifted people.”
Silver also shared his condolences to Mutombo’s wife Rose and their seven children, whom he said were by the former athlete’s side when he passed, adding, “Dikembe’s indomitable spirit continues on in those who he helped and inspired throughout his extraordinary life.”