The NBA has announced that Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo is currently receiving treatment for a brain tumor.
In a statement, the league gave an official update on Mutombo’s health status.
“NBA Global Ambassador and Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo is currently undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. He is receiving the best care possible from a collaborative team of specialists in Atlanta and is in great spirits as he begins treatment," the statement read. "Dikembe and his family ask for privacy during this time so they can focus on his care. They are grateful for your prayers and good wishes.”
"We know he will approach this challenge with the same determination and grit that have made him a legend on and off the court," Atlanta Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler added.
Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mutombo begin playing basketball at 17 years old before being recruited to play basketball at Georgetown University under Hall of Fame coach John Thompson. He would be named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year twice before graduating in 1991 with a Bachelor's degree in Linguistics and Diplomacy. (His son plays center at Georgetown).
Drafted at number four in the first round of the 1991 NBA Draft, Mutombo would spend 18 seasons in the NBA playing for the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets. In his career, he was an eight-time All-Star and was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year four times.
In 2015, he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame,
After his playing career, Mutombo became a full-time global humanitarian. Through the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, he's helped thousands of women receive free cervical and breast cancer screenings. He also served as an ambassador of the NBA and was instrumental in the development of the Basketball Africa League.
In 2007, he opened Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital which was named after his mother. To date, the medical facility has treated over 500,000 patients.
Currently, the foundation is building a high school in the Congo with a focus on medicine and science.
