Colorado Sports And Nuggets Legend Dikembe Mutombo Dead At 58

A bright spot in Colorado sports in the early 90s when things were otherwise pretty dim, Dikembe Mutombo was by far the most popular Denver Nuggets player until the Joker. Another legend lost way too soon.

Denver Nuggets Icon Dikembe Mutombo Has Passed Away

The most popular finger wagger in all of sports, and was a dominant defensive force to be reckoned with on the basketball court. As a kid, I was lucky enough to see Mutombo play live at the old McNichols Arena in Denver.

Selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 4th overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft, Mutombo was, to that point, the most popular Nuggets player in franchise history. Standing at a massive 7 feet 2 inches, he earned his nickname which was "Mount Mutombo."

Mutombo would play with the Nuggets from 1991-1996 when he reportedly had asked for a 10-year contract, which at the time Denver wasn't able to make happen for him. The Nuggets GM at the time, Bernie Bickerstaff, has publicly acknowledged that not finding a way to bring back Mutombo was the biggest fail as an NBA GM.

Colorado Sports Legend Dikembe Mutombo Dies From Brain Cancer At 58

The NBA sadly announced this morning (9/30/24) that the Denver Nuggets legend had passed today after a fight with brain cancer, at the young age of just 58. The league said he was surrounded by family and friends.

The commissioner of the NBA,  Adam Silver, said in a statement:

Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life. On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in the history of the NBA.

The entire post from the NBA Commissioner is below...

The NBA Cares Instagram account also posted a nice tribute the the NBA Giant...

The Denver Nuggets released a statement this afternoon on the loss of one of the team's all-time greats.

Dikembe played 18 seasons in the NBA, scoring nearly 12'000 points, and that magical NBA career all began right here in Colorado. His number 55 is retired and hanging from the Ball Arena rafters, where he will forever be a Denver Nugget. Rest in Paradice, Mutombo, and thank you.