Dikembe Mutombo dies at 58: Larger than life was an integral part of Georgetown's legacy of great men

Former Georgetown and NBA star Dikembe Mutombo, a defensive threat whose rim protection and famous pointing finger made him special one of the faces of defensive basketball He died Monday of brain cancer in the 1990s and early 2000s, the NBA said. He was 58 years old.

Mutombo was a unique shot blocker extraordinaire who almost never became one, making his emergence as one of the most influential players of his generation – and a Hall of Famer – all the more unlikely.

Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mutombo attended Georgetown on scholarship with the intention of becoming a doctor. However, it wasn't long before his tall 9'10'' stature was recognized at the highest level. Legendary coach John Thompson contacted him within a week of his arrival and expressed interest in recruiting him to his basketball team. It wasn't until the next year, however, that Mutombo committed, marking the beginning of a development that changed Georgetown basketball and Mutombo's life.

“It was a week after I arrived in the US in Georgetown. There was a student who came to pick me up and they said the basketball coach wanted to meet me,” Mutombo said in a 2020 interview with NBA on TNT John Thompson. “They took me to McDonough Gym. When I realized this big, huge man came out the door and looked at me and asked, 'How are you, son?' I was so scared and just panicked. It was the first time I saw someone that tall and looked them in the eyes with a crazy look and said, “Hey, how do you?” Welcome to the United States of America.'”

“'Rejection Row' a highlight for Hoyas.”

After arriving at Georgetown in 1987, Mutombo tried out for and made the Hoyas and Thompsons team in 1988. He wasn't an instant star, but he was immediately influential, finishing with 2.3 blocks per game in his first year – including one contest in which he recorded 12 blocks. He was also a key figure, alongside teammate Alonzo Mourning, in a meteoric cultural rise of reckless rejections. At home games played at the Capital Center, fans set up a special cheering area to celebrate blocked shots by displaying hand cards called “Rejection Row” for each block.

This year, Georgetown led the Big East with 9.1 blocks per game as a team – more than three blocks per game more than the league's second-best team in that category. It was more than twice the blocks per game average of the leading teams in that category in the Pac-10, Big Ten and SEC conferences, and more than any other league in America at the time. This was also true in 1989-90 and 1990-1991. Rejection line was The Here you can watch the best shot blocking show in America.

A tip from a government official

As Mutombo emerged and developed as a player – which happened quickly for someone who preferred playing football and later took up the game in his youth – he transformed into an unstoppable force. In the 1989-90 season, he led Georgetown in rebounds (10.5) and blocks (4.1) per game alongside All-American Alonzo Mourning. He did the same the following season, totaling 12.2 rebounds and 4.7 blocks per game, while leading the team with 15.2 points per game as a senior.

It was initially just a coincidence that Thompson came across Mutombo. The 7-foot-2 height must have been hard to ignore, but Thompson later admitted that he found him after being informed about him by a government official, almost as if the government knew about him before anyone else has cute and long feet The wingspan could change the game of basketball at this time.

“A gentleman from a government agency here in Washington came in and told us about him,” Thompson later told the Los Angeles Times. “I guess the guy sent a message, but you get a lot of notes. You get pictures from overseas that are very misleading. If the boy stands a little distance from the basket and holds up the ball and you take a photo of him, it looks like he is taller than him. We get a lot of them.

“But we were playing the summer league at the time. And I showed the man (2.10 meters) Ben Gillery, who was lying on the ground outside. And I asked him if (Mutombo) was as tall as Ben Gillery. And he said, ‘Bigger.’ My interest changed immediately.”

That was 1989. Thompson believed at the time that he could be as good or better than Mourning, who was the No. 1 recruit in a class that included Christian Laettner. Maybe he was right.

How good were the Hoyas?

Thanks to Thompson's keen eye for big man talent, John Thompson and the Hoyas were a lasting force in the 1980s. In 1981-82, a freshman named Patrick Ewing burst onto the scene and eventually helped the team to a national title in 1984. Then in 1988 he achieved great success again – at the same time – when Mourning and Mutombo joined the team together. They led the Hoyas to a Big East title in their first season and to the Elite Eight in 1989 and ultimately to a No. 2 ranking in the AP poll. It was a decade defined by the Hoya's excellence: The team won 293 times and lost 76 times from 1979–80 to 1989–90 – an average of 26.6 wins per season that ranked in the top five in collegiate history. Hoops teams of the decade counted.

Kind-hearted and philanthropic work

The fun of Mutombo becoming a relentless refusenik on the sidelines, with a cold-blooded guy to boot, was partly due to the striking dichotomy between who he was off the pitch and who he was on it. He was a cheerful person with a lively personality and a big heart. After his playing career ended, he dedicated much of his life to charity work, serving on the boards of the CDC, Special Olympics International, the National Constitution Center and the National Board for the US Fund for UNICEF, among others. One of his many lasting legacies was his role in the construction of a hospital in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, through the Mutombo Foundation he founded.

“Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life. “On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in NBA history,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Monday. “Off the floor, he poured his heart and soul into helping others.

“No one was more qualified than Dikembe to serve as the NBA’s first global ambassador,” Silver added. “He was a humanitarian at his core. I had the privilege of traveling the world with Dikembe and seeing firsthand how his generosity and compassion encouraged people. Over the years, he was always available at NBA events with his infectious, deep smile.” His booming voice and signature finger wag endeared him to basketball fans of every generation.

“Dikembe’s indomitable spirit lives on in those he helped and inspired throughout his extraordinary life. I am one of the many people whose lives were touched by Dikembe’s big heart and I will miss him greatly.”