Dikembe Mutombo – basketball Hall of Famer and global ambassador of the game – passed away Monday from brain cancer at the age of 58. His family had announced he was undergoing treatment for a brain tumor in 2022. Mutombo was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and initially came to the U.S. on an academic scholarship from Georgetown University in 1987 before he rose to fame when he joined the basketball team in his second year.
Mutombo was drafted by the Denver Nuggets and went on to play for several teams throughout the league. He was an eight-time NBA All-Star and a four-time recipient of the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award. Off the court, he was known for his humanitarian work.
If you would like more context on this matter, please consider Lisa Delpy Neirotti, the director of the MS in Sport Management Program and an associate professor of Sport Management at the George Washington University. She has been a professor of sport, event and tourism management at GW for more than 30 years. Beyond her responsibilities at GW, Delpy Neirotti works with a number of sport event organizations, sponsors, and professional teams to conduct economic and market research studies including the Olympic Games, World Cup, College Football Bowl Games, among others.
Delpy Neirotti crossed paths with Mutombo through his work with the Special Olympics. She can discuss his career, on and off the court, and his legacy.
If you would like to speak with Professor Delpy Neirotti, please contact Media Relations Specialist Cate Douglass at [email protected].
-GW-