Dikembe Mutombo, a Hall of Fame player and tireless advocate, dies at 58 from brain cancer

AP Basketball Writer

Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, one of the best defensive players in NBA history and a longtime global ambassador for the game, died Monday from brain cancer, the league announced. He was 58. 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. Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid, who was born in Cameroon, says “it’s a sad day, especially for us Africans, and really the whole world.”