Former NBA player Dikembe Mutombo is currently undergoing treatment for a brain tumor in Atlanta, the NBA said Saturday in a statement.
“[Mutombo] is receiving the best care possible from a collaborative team of specialists in Atlanta and is in great spirits as he begins treatment,” the league’s statement read. “Dikembe and his family ask for privacy during this time so they can focus on his care. They are grateful for your prayers and good wishes.”
The 56-year-old Basketball Hall of Famer was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He then went on to star at Georgetown from 1988 to 1991.
The eight-time All-Star center averaged 9.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocked shots over 18 NBA seasons before retiring in 2009. Mutombo spent 18 seasons in the NBA, playing for Denver, Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia, New York and the then-New Jersey Nets.
Mutombo speaks nine languages and founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in 1997, concentrating on improving health, education and quality of life for the people in the Congo. His foundation led the building of a 170-bed hospital in Kinshasa, the capital city, and that facility has treated nearly a half-million people regardless of their ability to pay for care.
Dikembe Mutombo reveled he has a bran tumor. Photo courtsey of The New York Post
