(CNN) — Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo — known for his shot blocking and famous finger wave after denying opponents at the hoop — died Monday of brain cancer at age 58, according to the NBA.

He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, was an eight-time NBA All-Star and won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award four times.

His defensive prowess — he led the league in blocks for five consecutive seasons during an 18-year playing career and ranked second on the NBA’s all-time blocked shots list — was offset by his huge, playful smile.

Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the 7-foot-2 Mutombo initially came to Georgetown University in Washington on an academic scholarship in 1987 and rose to fame when he joined the basketball team in his sophomore year.

He was selected fourth overall in the 1991 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets.

In addition to the Nuggets, he played for the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, the then New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets.

Off the field, the towering center was known for its humanitarian work. In 1997, Mutombo founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation with the mission of improving education and quality of life in his native DRC.

In 2022, the NBA said Mutombo was receiving treatment for a brain tumor in Atlanta.

The league said he was surrounded by his family when he died Monday.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued a statement saying, “Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life. On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in NBA history. From the floor up, he poured his heart and soul into helping others.

“There was no one better qualified than Dikembe to serve as the NBA’s first Global Ambassador. He was a humanitarian at heart. He loved what the game of basketball could do to positively impact communities, especially in his native Democratic Republic of Congo and across the African continent.

“I had the privilege of traveling the world with Dikembe and seeing firsthand how his generosity and compassion uplifted people. He was always accessible at NBA events over the years – with his infectious smile, deep, booming voice and signature finger wag that endeared him to basketball fans of every generation.

“Dikembe’s indomitable spirit lives on in those he helped and inspired throughout his extraordinary life. I am one of the many people whose lives were touched by Dikembe’s big heart and I will miss him dearly.

“On behalf of the entire NBA family, I extend my deepest condolences to Dikembe’s wife, Rose, and their children; his many friends; and the global basketball community that he truly loved and who loved him back,” Silver said in the statement.

‘He was even better off the field’

Sixers general manager Daryl Morey praised Mutombo during the team’s scheduled media day on Monday.

‘There aren’t many guys like him. Just a great person,” Morey said. “When I was a rookie GM in this league, my first opportunity in Houston, he was someone I went to all the time. He was older than me, which is quite rare.

“Obviously we don’t have to talk too much about his achievements on the field, but just about a great human being – what he has done off the field, for Africa. Rest in peace, Dikembe.’

Speaking to reporters, 76ers star Joel Embiid said: “It’s a sad day, especially for us Africans and actually for the whole world because apart from what he accomplished on the basketball court, I think he was even better off the field.

“He is one of the guys I look up to in terms of his impact, not only on the field, but off it as well. He’s done a lot of great things, he’s done a lot of great things for a lot of people. He was a role model for me, so like I said, it’s a sad day.”

‘A heart of gold’

CNN Sport host Andy Scholes was a Rockets ball boy as a kid and fondly remembers seeing Mutombo up close.

“For three years I was near him almost every day. He was intimidating on the pitch, but off the pitch he had a heart of gold,” said Scholes.

“I didn’t see him for a while after I started my journalism career. But at an All-Star game about ten years ago, he came running up to me and said, “Andy, why didn’t you tell me you work for CNN! I watch you on TV every morning.”

‘From then on, every time we saw each other, he always told me how proud he was of me. That meant so much to me because I always looked up to Dikembe, literally and figuratively.”

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