BREAKING: NBA star Dikembe Mutombo dead at 58

"Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated about the former player, "On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in the history of the NBA. Off the floor, he poured his heart and soul into helping others."

"Dikembe’s indomitable spirit continues on in those who he helped and inspired throughout his extraordinary life," Silver said. "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 send my deepest condolences to Dikembe’s wife, Rose, and their children; his many friends; and the global basketball community which he truly loved and which loved him back."

The league posted that Mutombo was surrounded by his family at the time of his death. Mutombo was the CEO and President of the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, which worked to "improve the health, education and quality of life for the people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo."

Mutombo was one of the best defensive players in the league, able to block multitudes of shots as he stood at 7-foot-2. After blocking shots, he would wag his finger to mock opponents, which became known as his signature move in his career.

He told GQ in 2009, "In the beginning, I would shake my head and tell the people, ‘Man cannot fly in the house of Mutombo.’ I felt I was a chief, I was the boss, and nobody could come into the paint unless they knocked on the door and asked permission to come in."

"I felt that way for so long, and it was not so many people who dunked on Dikembe Mutombo. I don’t remember which year, but soon I felt the finger waving would be a great signature," he added at the time.