LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Congolese-American basketball great Dikembe Mutombo, renowned as one of the best defensive players in National Basketball Association (NBA) history, has died aged 58, the league announced on Monday.

Mutombo, an eight-time NBA All-Star, passed away surrounded by his family after a battle with brain cancer, the league added.

“Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said of the 7-foot-2 Hall-of-Famer 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,” Silver added, noting Mutombo’s extensive humanitarian work.

Mutombo, who played 18 seasons in the NBA, worked tirelessly to improve living conditions in his native Democratic Republic of Congo through his personal foundation.

Those efforts, which included donating millions of dollars to help build a hospital on the outskirts of Kinshasa, earned him multiple humanitarian accolades including the US President’s Volunteer Service Award.

“He was a humanitarian at his core,” said Silver, who often traveled alongside Mutombo in his work as the NBA’s Global Ambassador.

“He loved what the game of basketball could do to make a positive impact on communities, especially in his native Democratic Republic of Congo and across the continent of Africa,” Silver said. 

“I had the privilege of traveling the world with Dikembe and seeing first-hand how his generosity and compassion uplifted people.”

Mutombo retired from the NBA in 2009 after a dazzling playing career in which he became synonymous with defensive dominance.

After moving to the United States from his homeland to pursue basketball as a 21-year-old, Mutombo shone during his collegiate career with Georgetown before being chosen by the Denver Nuggets with the fourth pick of the 1991 NBA Draft.

He played five seasons with Denver before spending another five years with the Atlanta Hawks, followed by stints with Philadelphia, the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets.

Mutombo rapidly established himself as an elite defensive player, and became known for his signature finger wag whenever he blocked a shot — a move the NBA banned at one stage after ruling it to be a form of taunting.

Mutombo said the finger wag was a way of asserting his defensive dominance.

“The purpose was to stop anybody that was coming to the basket, and my mission was to win,” Mutombo said in a 2020 interview.

“And any time I would block shots, people would still be coming and trying to put a little bit on me. Then I used to shake my head every time I would block the shot. Then I said ... ‘Those guys are not listening to me. Maybe if I start giving them the finger wag.’” 

“And I tell you what, I lost a lot of money because of that finger wag, man. I got so many technical fouls, but no referee would kick me out of the game.”

Mutombo, a four-time NBA defensive player of the year, finished his career with 3,289 blocks, second all-time behind only Hakeem Olajuwon with 3,830.

Mutombo played in two NBA finals — in 2001 and 2003 — but finished on the losing side on both occasions.

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid led the tributes as news of Mutombo’s passing swept across the NBA on Monday as teams staged their pre-season media days.

“It’s a sad day, especially for us Africans and really the whole world because, other than what he’s accomplished on the basketball court, he was even better off the court,” the Cameroon-born former NBA MVP Embiid said.

“He’s one of the guys that I look up to, on and off the court. He’s done a lot of great things. He did a lot of great things for a lot of people, so he was a role model of mine.”

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, who worked closely with Mutombo in his previous role as a general manager with Houston, described Mutombo as “just a great human being.”

“There aren’t very many guys like him,” Morey said. 

“When I was a rookie GM in this league, my first chance in Houston, he was somebody I went to all the time… amazing human being, what he did off the court for Africa. Rest in peace, Dikembe.”