NBA basketball legend and Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo is being treated for a brain tumor in Atlanta, the league announced Saturday.
The 56-year-old former superstar saves the shot is “great spirit”, a statement from the NBA on behalf of his family read.
“He is receiving the best care possible from a collaborative team of professionals 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 taking care of him. They are grateful for your prayers and well wishes.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver added: “Our thoughts and prayers are with Dikembe, one of the world’s great humanitarians.”
Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the 7-foot-2-inch Mutombo went to Washington’s Georgetown University initially on an academic scholarship in 1987 – and rose to fame when he joined the basketball team in his sophomore year.
Picked fourth in the 1991 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets, Mutombo went on to become a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time All-Star. He played 18 seasons for the Denver, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets.
He retired second on the league career save list and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
Outside of court, he is known for his humanitarian work. In 1997, two years before retiring from the NBA, Mutombo founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation with a mission to improve education and quality of life in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
