NBA’s Dikembe Mutombo dies at 58 from brain cancer

October 1, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Former NBA star Dikembe Mutombo stopped by M.S. 447 in Boerum Hill on Monday to encourage kids studying computer science — and he even got a lesson from them afterward. Eagle photo by Rob Abruzzese

Dikembe Mutombo passed away at 58 from brain cancer. Eagle photo by Rob Abruzzese

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CROWN HEIGHTS — BASKETBALL ICON Dikembe Mutombo passed away on Monday from brain cancer at 58, according to the NBA, shocking and saddening fans around the world. Known for his signature finger-waving taunt to opponents, Mutombo played 18 seasons in the NBA for various teams, including the Knicks and the then-New Jersey Nets, and made the All-Star team eight times before retiring from the court in 2009.

Mutombo was born in what is now Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1966 and originally moved to the U.S. to study at Georgetown, where he obtained dual degrees in diplomacy and linguistics — Mutombo was a speaker of nine languages — before being recruited into their basketball program. Following his retirement, he devoted his energy to humanitarian work through his foundation, which focuses on improving education and healthcare in the Congo, and through his service on the boards of organizations such as the Special Olympics and UNICEF.

Speaking to Brooklyn students at a learn-to-code event in 2014, Mutombo offered hope for the future: “For you to get a job and to have success, you have to know more about science than I did as a child growing up… I’m so happy to be a part of this because I believe in each one of you. Some [of] you might go to Harvard, Georgetown or Georgia Tech. One of you one day might take us to the moon.”

Mutombo was also an inspiration for other African players in the NBA. Current star and Cameroon native Joel Embiid on Monday said, “It’s a sad day, especially for us Africans, and really the whole world. He did a lot of great things for a lot of people. He was a role model of mine.”

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