Fully vaccinated basketball star Dikembe Mutombo, who played 18 seasons in the NBA and served as a global ambassador for the league, has died after a short bout with an aggressive brain cancer. The Hall of Famer was 58 years old.

“Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement announcing his death. “On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in the history of the NBA. Off the floor, he poured his heart and soul into helping others.”

In his retirement, Mutombo dedicated himself to humanitarian efforts, promoting COVID-19 vaccinations to millions in his native Congo during the pandemic.

In a 2021 interview, he shared how he organized drones to deliver Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to remote jungle communities, pushing the vaccine on millions of Congolese who otherwise would have avoided the mRNA shots.

Dikembe Mutombo also said he urged family members and friends to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

“For our community to be safe, I have to be vaccinated and you have to be vaccinated, so that we can keep our community going,” he says.

Mutombo contributed financing to secure the services of Australian air logistics company Swoop Aero to use drones to airlift vaccines from staging areas in the DRC to remote providers, teaming up with Alpharetta-based KORE Wireless, where Romil Bahl is the CEO.

“These drones, the latest generations, can carry a load of about 6 kilos,” Bahl says. “So, that’s about 6.6. pounds, give or take. That’s about 50 vials, or 250 vaccines, per flight.”

Mutombo’s family revealed two years ago that he was undergoing treatment in Atlanta, Georgia for a brain tumor. The NBA said he died surrounded by his family.

Mutombo spent 18 seasons in the NBA, playing for Denver, Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia, New York and the then-New Jersey Nets.

The 7-foot-2 center out of Georgetown was an eight-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA selection and went into the Hall of Fame in 2015 after averaging 9.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game for his career.