“Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. “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 Mutombo, the Hall of Fame center whose finger-wags after blocking shots — which he did more than 3,000 times in his career — has died at the age of 58 due to brain cancer, the NBA announced.