Atlanta Hawks will retire Dikembe Mutombo's jersey

The Atlanta Hawks will retire the jersey of center Dikembe Mutombo.

The Atlanta Hawks will retire the jersey of center Dikembe Mutombo, the team announced Tuesday.

The Hawks were Mutombo’s second team in the NBA. He played in Atlanta from 1996–2001.

Mutombo was a force in the paint during his time with the Hawks, particularly on the defensive side. He won two Defensive Player of the Year awards in an Atlanta uniform, and a third during the season in which he was traded from Atlanta to Philadelphia.

Mutombo led the Hawks to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons with the team.

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In retirement, Mutombo has become known for his humanitarian efforts. He helped open a hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in 2011 received the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Goodermote Humanitarian Award.

The Hawks will retire Mutombo’s jersey on Nov. 24.

ESPN captured Mutombo’s reaction to the announcement in the video below.

- Rohan Nadkarni