Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri was one of many people from around the basketball world to speak out about the tragic loss of Dikembe Mutombo on Monday.
Mutombo, a Basketball Hall of Famer, one of the best defenders in NBA history and a longtime global ambassador, died Monday of brain cancer, the league announced. He was 58 years old.
His family revealed two years ago that he was undergoing treatment in Atlanta for a brain tumor. The NBA said he died surrounded by his family.
“It’s really hard to believe,” Ujiri said, pausing several times because he was overcome with emotion shortly after hearing the news of Mutombo’s death. “It’s hard for us to be without this guy. You have no idea what Dikembe Mutombo meant to me. …This guy made us who we are. He’s a giant, an incredible person.”
Mutombo last played in the 2008-09 season and devoted his time after retirement to charitable and humanitarian causes. He speaks nine languages and established the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in 1997, which focuses on improving the health, education and quality of life of people in Congo.
Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, one of the best defenders in NBA history and a longtime global ambassador, died Monday of brain cancer, the league announced. He was 58 years old.
His family revealed two years ago that he was undergoing treatment in Atlanta for a brain tumor. The NBA said he died surrounded by his family.
LeBron James laughingly pointed out Monday that Mutombo didn’t necessarily improve the health of others.
“My best memory of Dikembe Mutombo? He fractured my face on my birthday in Cleveland with an elbow,” James, the Los Angeles Lakers star, said, taking several minutes Monday to pay tribute to Mutombo’s life. “I never had the chance to talk to him about it. But yes. I don’t remember the age… I was in Cleveland, during my first visit, and I think I was maybe 22…”.
“I went to the hole and got one of those Dikembe elbows, and if anyone knows Dikembe elbows, they know they’re not very nice. He fractured my face, I went to the hospital that night and wore a mask for a little while. That’s my memory of Dikembe,” James said.
James didn’t get the details wrong: The match took place on December 29, 2004, at the end of the first half, a day before his 20th birthday.
