Dikembe Mutombo Is Undergoing Treatment For A Brain Tumor, Says The NBA

Dikembe Mutombo is currently battling a brain tumor.

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Though NBA players are often considered extremely healthy and fit people when compared to the rest of the world's population, there are times when they have to deal with health issues.

A recent announcement by the NBA revealed that Dikembe Mutombo is undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. There is no doubt that this is a serious issue to be dealing with, and hopefully, Dikembe Mutombo will be able to get better with treatment going forward.

Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo is undergoing treatment for brain tumor, per statement issued by the NBA on behalf of Mutombo and his family. 

There is no question that Dikembe Mutombo contributed a lot to the NBA, and he was an iconic player throughout his career due to how elite he was on the defensive end of the floor. He notably had one Finals appearance with Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers in 2001.

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Dikembe Mutombo Was An Elite Player In His Career

There is no doubt that Dikembe Mutombo was a star-level player for a large portion of his career. He was well known for doing the finger-wag celebration after blocking an opponent's shot. At one point, commissioner David Stern asked him to stop, but Mutombo refused, claiming that it comes "naturally".

“Back then, I didn’t really care how much money they were fining me. I know it was $5,000 for every technical foul. For a few years, I let the NBA give me a technical foul, but my technical fouls weren’t, like, me going after the referee or cursing. I was just having fun.

I remember Uncle David [Stern], our late commissioner, used to call me all the time and say, ‘Deke! What’s going on? Can you stop? Can you stop?’ and I said, ‘David, I can’t. It’s just coming naturally.’

It got to the point where there were so many coaches complaining, and he told me, ‘You know what? You can just do it. We’re not going to fine you anymore. Just make sure you look at the fans when you’re doing it.’ It took the NBA like 15 years before they changed their mind about it.”

There is no doubt that Dikembe Mutombo touched the hearts of many on the court, and he is remembered fondly by fans. There are few players in history that were as good as Mutombo was on defense.

All of us will hope that Dikembe Mutombo manages to recover from his brain tumor. The big man was loved by all who watched the game, and hopefully, we get a good update on this situation in the future.