Dikembe Mutombo named 2016 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award winner

Former Georgetown Hoyas center and Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo has been announced as a 2016 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award winner, the organization announced Thursday.

Throughout his career at Georgetown and in the NBA, Mutombo made numerous off-court contributions to his community, as he still does to this day.

Below is what the NCAA said about Mutombo

"Former Georgetown University men’s basketball student-athlete Dikembe Mutombo was the two-time Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and is ranked third all time in Georgetown history for career blocked shots (354). He graduated from Georgetown with degrees in linguistics and diplomacy, and he is fluent in nine languages, including five African languages.  He won a spot on Georgetown’s All-Century Team, and went on to a successful National Basketball Association career. The 2015 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee was an eight-time NBA All-Star and four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. In 1996, Mutombo paid for the Congo national women’s basketball team to travel to Atlanta and compete in the Summer Olympic Games, and he also covered the cost of the track and field team’s uniforms and expenses. In 1997, he founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, dedicated to improving the health, education and quality of life for people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His foundation provides comprehensive health care at the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, while promoting disease prevention, health policy, health research and increased access to health care education. He was named the Humanitarian of the Year in 2014 by the NBA."

Mutombo, along with the other honorees, will receive their awards at the NCAA Convention in San Antonio, Texas on January 15.