Jason Kidd Speaks On Loss of Former Teammate Dikembe Mutombo

Kidd was saddened by the loss of one of the best teammates he's ever had

Mar 3, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd walks off the court after the Dallas loss to the Philadelphia 76ers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The NBA lost one of the giants of the game Monday, as it was announced that former four-time Defensive Player of the Year Dikembe Mutombo had passed away following a battle with brain cancer. Mutombo is most known for his time with the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, and Philadelphia 76ers, but he also spent a season with the New Jersey Nets as a teammate of current Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd.

Kidd was asked about the loss of Mutombo on Monday during the Mavs' media day and was saddened by the loss of one of the greatest teammates he's ever had.

Jason Kidd on his former teammate Dikembe Mutombo 🤍 pic.twitter.com/oxxqQ0jkve

— NBA (@NBA) September 30, 2024

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"Our prayers and thoughts go out to his family, " Kidd started. "When you talk about a great human being, on and off the floor, the things that he did for his country, the hospital [the Mutombo Foundation opened a hospital outside of his hometown in the Democratic Republic of the Congo], he's going to be dearly missed... Unfortunately, he was taken a little bit too soon from us. But what he was on the court... a Defensive Player of the Year, protecting the rim, playing the game the right way, that was Dikembe. I got to play with him in Jersey, and he's an incredible teammate, one of the best teammates I've had, so he'll be dearly missed."

Mutombo had an outstanding career, named an All-American and two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year in college, made eight All-Stars Games, three All-NBA teams, six All-Defensive teams, won four NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards, led the league in blocks three times, and led the league in rebounds twice. He currently sits 20th in rebounds and 2nd in blocks in NBA history.

While playing with Jason Kidd, Mutombo only played in 24 games due to injury, but the Nets still made it to the NBA Finals, Mutombo's second trip to The Finals in three seasons (he also made it with the 76ers and Allen Iverson in 2001). They'd fall short to the San Antonio Spurs in six games in the 2003 Finals, leaving Mutombo without a ring for his resume.

My condolences to the family of Dikembe Mutombo. On and off the court, he was a force to be reckoned with in all of the best ways. He was a tough opponent and you never wanted to be on the receiving end of his iconic finger wag. He also made a tremendous impact in the global… pic.twitter.com/KDfa7UQOvp

— Jason Kidd (@RealJasonKidd) September 30, 2024

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