I will forever picture Mutombo in tears of joy...lying on his back, clutching the ball to his chest after his eighth-seeded Denver Nuggets shocked the top-seeded Seattle SuperSonics in the first round of the 1994 playoffs.

Away from the court, Deke was a philanthropist. He was heavily involved with the NBA / FIBA "Basketball Without Borders" initiative. He also set up the "Dikembe Mutombo Foundation" to improve the health, education and quality of life for people in his homeland of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The focal point of his foundation has been the construction and opening of the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center, a $29 million, 300-bed hospital in Kinshasa named after his late mother that held its formal dedication ceremony in 2007.

He donated $15million to build the hospital.

Thanks for the memories Deke...as well as the classic lines: "Man no fly in house of Mutombo".