Dikembe Mutombo, Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA Global Ambassador, dies at 58

During a long career that included stops in Denver, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York and Houston, he took 3,289 shots, the second most in NBA history.

Many of those blocked shots were followed by an intimidating finger wag to signal to opponents that it was in their best interest not to shoot the basketball within reach of his 9-foot-11 frame.

Younger fans who may not have been familiar with Mutombo’s NBA career (1991-2009) were introduced to his finger-wagging during a Geico auto insurance commercial that comically depicted his blocks and taunts.

After a career protecting the rim and returning shots from where they came, Mutombo dedicated his life to charitable health efforts in his homeland, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other developing countries.

Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital’s emergency room, intensive care unit and 150 beds began serving patients in Kinshasa, the capital of his home country, when it opened in December 2007.

“My concern is to address the mortality rate so we can give people longer lives,” he told NBC News in 2016. “That was my concern, my motivation.”

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