The tributes have been pouring in ever since the news broke that National Basketball Association (NBA) legend Dikembe Mutombo has died due to brain cancer at the age of 58. He died on Monday, 30th September. One of the tributes was from Michael Jordan's ex-wife Juanita Vanoy and several others from the teams he has played throughout his career.
What did Juanita Vanoy post on her Instagram?
The teams such as Atlanta Hawks, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets included messages in their tribute to Mutombo, but Vanoy rather took the easy way out and opted for a simple tribute.
She took to her Instagram and posted a monochrome photo on her story of Dikembe Mutombo and wrote 'RIP'.
Mutombo featured in a total of 18 seasons in the NBA. He was drafted fourth overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 1991 draft. He played till the 2008-09 season with the Houston Rockets before calling it quits. The other teams that Mutombo has played for were the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets (now not functional) and the New York Knicks.
He was considered as one of the best paint protectors during his playing days. He averaged a staggering 2.8 blocks per game in his career and won the Defensive Player of the Year award four times in his career.
In terms of blocks per game, Mutombo led the charts from 1994 to 1996 and averaged 4.2 blocks that won him the NBA blocks leader award thrice. On top of it, Mutombo ranks second best in terms of all-time blocks with 3,289 and behind Hakeem Olajuwon (3,830).
Dikembe Mutombo was an eight-time All-Star and teams such as Hawks and Nuggets gave him a fitting tribute for his services as they retired his jersey number, 55.
Wife of Kobe Bryant, Vanessa Bryant also shared a story for Dikembe Mutombo
Vanessa Bryant, wife of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant also took time out to remember Dikembe Mutombo. She also took the easy way out and followed Vanoy's tactics by sharing a story on her Instagram.
She also reposted a clip of her late husband telling the story of how their daughter Natalia had met Mutombo for the very first time. The clip was originally posted by the Instagram page 'thebookofkobe'.
In the clip, Kobe Bryant is seen telling the media how her daughter met Mutombo during an All-Star weekend event. Kobe brought her daughter to meet Mutombo and as soon as the latter reached out to shake his hands, instead of doing the same, Natalia did the opposite and pulled out the famous finger wag gesture that made both the legends laugh.
