By OSV News
WASHINGTON (OSV News) — A beloved NBA superstar who got his start on the Georgetown University courts died Sept. 30. Dikembe Mutombo, class of 1991, passed away at age 58 from brain cancer.
An All-American on the men’s basketball team at Georgetown and an NBA Hall of Fame player, Mutombo dedicated his life to philanthropic and humanitarian work to advocate for those in need.
“Dikembe Mutombo was the embodiment of the spirit of Georgetown,” said Joseph Ferrara, Georgetown vice president and chief of staff to president John J. DeGioia, in a press release on the university’s website.
“From his prolific college and professional basketball careers to his tireless work in retirement to improve the lives of those in need of better health and opportunity, he lived Georgetown’s values in a way we always will hold with great esteem and pride,” Ferrara said. “His passing is a tremendous loss for the Georgetown community and indeed the United States, Congo, and everywhere else where he uplifted those around him.”
Throughout his life, Mutombo stayed involved with the university, including as a member of its board of directors from 2017 to 2023.
“He brought to that work the expansiveness, humanity, and global perspective for which he was known in all of his endeavors,” said board chair Tom Reynolds in the press release. “His impact on Georgetown as a student, athlete, alumnus and institutional leader was incalculable.”
In three seasons at Georgetown, Mutombo was a two-time All-Big East selection and twice named Big East Defensive Player of the Year. He helped capture one Big East regular season title and the 1989 Big East Tournament title.
After Georgetown, Mutombo was legendary for his defensive prowess in 18 seasons in the NBA and won four NBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards, culminating with his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
The 7-foot-2 center played for six NBA teams: Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets.
“Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a 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.”
After retiring from the NBA Mutombo became a full-time advocate and ambassador, with the goal of helping people in need gain access to health services and educational and economic opportunities to live better lives, and for their children to become healthy, productive members of their communities.
In 1997, he founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, with a mission to improve the health, education and quality of life for people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, his home country. In 2007, the foundation sponsored the opening of the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital in Congo, which has served hundreds of thousands of people.
Mutombo also served on the board of the National Constitution Center, Special Olympics International, the CDC Foundation and the National Board for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.
In 2002, Mutombo was inaugural recipient of Georgetown’s Samuel A. Halsey Jr. award, honoring Black alumni who demonstrate commitment and service to the university and the wider community. In 2010, he received an honorary doctorate from Georgetown and was recipient of the John Thompson Jr. Legacy of a Dream Award, which was named after Mutombo’s coach at Georgetown and recognizes an individual or group that has demonstrated outstanding service in Georgetown’s Jesuit tradition of being people for others.
In 2013 he received the Timothy S. Healy, S.J. Award from the Georgetown University Alumni Association for his outstanding and exemplary community, public and professional service.
“Georgetown lost one of its best in Dikembe Mutombo,” said Lee Reed, Francis X. Rienzo director of intercollegiate athletics, in the university’s press release. “Basketball fans remember him for his defense, rebounding and that trademark finger wag, but to those of us who knew him well, we will miss the father, teammate, mentor and friend.
“Dikembe left his mark on the Georgetown community in so many ways, but he will be best remembered for his unique gift of leveraging his platform as a Hall of Fame basketball player to maximize his global impact as a humanitarian,” Reed said. “Our deepest condolences to the entire Mutombo family, Dikembe is a true Hoya who will not be forgotten.”
Mutombo is survived by his wife, Rose, and three children: Carrie, JJ and Ryan.