NBA legend in 'great spirits' after shock diagnosis

2 years ago 69

Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo is undergoing attraction successful Atlanta for a encephalon tumor, the NBA announced.

Mutombo has been 1 of the NBA's planetary ambassadors for years, and precocious appeared astatine Hall of Fame enshrinement events successful Springfield, Massachusetts and a brace of pre-season games successful Saitama, Japan.

He besides appeared with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken astatine an lawsuit successful the Congo, Mutombo's autochthonal country, successful August.

“He is receiving the champion attraction imaginable from a collaborative squad of specialists successful Atlanta and is successful large spirits arsenic helium begins treatment," Mutombo's household said successful a connection distributed by the NBA. “Dikembe and his household inquire for privateness during this clip truthful they tin absorption connected his care. They are grateful for your prayers and bully wishes."

The household did not merchandise immoderate different details, including what prompted the tumor being discovered.

“We cognize helium volition attack this situation with the aforesaid determination and grit that person made him a fable connected and disconnected the court," Atlanta Hawks main proprietor Tony Ressler said.

The 56-year-old Mutombo spent 18 seasons successful the NBA, playing for Denver, Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia, New York and the then-New Jersey Nets. The 7-foot-2 halfway retired of Georgetown was an eight-time All-Star, four-time antiaircraft subordinate of the year, three-time All-NBA enactment and went into the Hall of Fame successful 2015 aft averaging 9.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per crippled for his career.

Mutombo past played during the 2008-09 play and has worked extensively for charitable and humanitarian causes since. Blinken lauded him erstwhile the brace were unneurotic successful the Congo, telling Mutombo “you’ve done truthful overmuch to bring the satellite together."

Mutombo speaks 9 languages and founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation successful 1997, concentrating connected improving health, acquisition and prime of beingness for the radical successful the Congo. His instauration led to the gathering of a 170-bed infirmary successful Kinshasa, the superior city, and that installation has treated astir a half-million radical careless of their quality to wage for care.

He besides has served connected the boards of galore organisations, including Special Olympics International, the CDC Foundation and the National Board for the US Fund for UNICEF.

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!