Boris Becker mourns the demise of NBA Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo

Boris Becker paid tribute to NBA Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo after news of the latter's demise came on Monday, September 30. Mutombo died due to complications arising from brain cancer at the age of 58.

Mutombo played for the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, the then New Jersey Nets, the New York Knicks, and the Houston Rockets in his 18-year-long career. He was a four-time recipient of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, tying him with Ben Wallace and Rudy Gobert for the most awards.

He was known for his shot-blocking followed by a signature finger wave in a 'No' to the crowd after denying the shooter from scoring. The former veteran player was also known for his humanitarian work in his home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Boris Becker took to Instagram to post a story in remembrance of the basketball legend. It contained a picture in which Mutombo can be seen wearing a suit and smiling into the camera with his hands crossed over a basketball.

"Rest in Power Big Man," Becker captioned the post.

Screengrab from Boris Becker's Instagram @borisbeckerofficial

The story also contained a short clip in which the commentators could be heard expressing their excitement at watching a young Mutombo in action on-court.

"He was absolutely amazing," Becker captioned the clip.

Screengrab from Boris Becker's Instagram @borisbeckerofficial

Becker has long been a basketball fan and often reacts to news from the basketball world via social media.

Becker was also in the news recently for supporting Jannik Sinner amid his doping test ordeal.

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Boris Becker appreciates Carlos Alcaraz for supporting Jannik Sinner after WADA's appeal against Italian's acquittal

Boris Beckaer at a press event at the 2023 US Open. Image: Getty

Not long ago, Jannik Sinner was acquitted after testing positive twice for the banned substance Clostebol. The case was presented to a tribunal by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) that cleared Sinner of any wrongdoing. They found that the substance was not ingested intentionally by Sinner. It was also proved to be an error by Sinner's former physiotherapist, who used a spray that contained Clostebol on the Italian.

However, WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) has appealed to the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sports) against the ruling. They believe that the ruling of 'no fault or negligence' was not as per the rules and are asking for a ban of one to two years.

In light of the appeal, in a post-match press conference at the China Open, Carlos Alcaraz supported his peer. He praised the reigning Australian Open and US Open champion for his mental fortitude.

"The game and the level that he's playing with everything he's been through right now, it's insane. He's able to put all the things aside when he steps on the court, playing a good tennis, is unbelievable," he said.

Boris Becker expressed his admiration for the Spaniard's stand in favor of World No. 1.

"Carlos is a class act !" Becker said on X.

Both Alcaraz and Sinner have reached the semifinals at the 2024 China Open. Alcaraz will clash with Daniil Medvedev, while Sinner will face Yunchaokete Bu for a spot in the final.