Dikembe Mutombo is mourned by the NBA world after his death

Dikembe Mutombo was a legend larger than life and one of basketball’s greatest ambassadors.

Basketball Hall of Famer, four-time Defensive Player of the Year, and 8-time NBA All-Star Dikembe Mutombo is dead at the age of 58 after a battle with brain cancer. The tragic news about the larger-than-life big man was reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, shocking the basketball world with a devastating bombshell on Monday morning.

A native of the Republic of Congo, Mutombo turned in one of the finest careers in NBA history. He was a defensive ace for every team he played for, a prolific shot-blocker who amusingly made light of his highlight plays with an iconic “finger wag” celebration.

The finest team moment of Mutombo’s illustrious career might have been when he led the 1994 Denver Nuggets — the No. 8 seed in those Western Conference playoffs — to a stunning upset of the No. 1 Seattle Supersonics.

Mutombo was an incredible professional basketball player but an even better person. He was seemingly wearing a smile from ear to ear any time anyone saw him in public, bringing sheer, unbridled joy into any room he walked into. More importantly, Mutombo went to great lengths to use his huge platform to help improve living conditions in the Republic of Congo while also later working to improve basketball infrastructure in Africa in general.

Mutombo was a giant of the game in every imaginable way, and his loss is tremendous.

The NBA world mourned Mutombo after his death