21-year-old Ryan Mutombo currently plays collegiate basketball for Georgia Tech, where he is pursuing a graduate degree.
Key Takeaways
- Ryan Mutombo paid a heartfelt tribute to his late father on Instagram.
- His father, Dikembe Mutombo, was battling brain cancer since 2021.
- Ryan has a promising basketball career and currently plays for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Ryan Mutombo is a former Georgetown Hoyas basketball player and son of legendary NBA player Dikembe Mutombo.
The college athlete lost his father on Monday (Sept. 30, 2024) from brain cancer.
Honoring his late father, he wrote a heartfelt Instagram post.
The touching message read,
My dad will forever be my hero. Not because of his success — not because of the millions who, over the last four decades, have come to know and love him. My dad is my hero because he simply cared. He remains the purest heart I have ever known.
Via Instagram
At times, I thought of my dad as a super-human. The child in me would sigh to hear that this was never actually the case. My dad was a regular man who would stop at no lengths to honor the world, its people, and its creator. He loved others with every ounce of his being. That’s what made him so accessible. That’s what made him real
Dikembe had three children with his wife, Rose Mutombo, and adopted four of Rose’s deceased brother’s children.
Ryan is one of Dikembe’s biological children and has a promising basketball career ahead.
Ryan Mutombo was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 28, 2003.
Having one of the best players the sport has seen as his father and sharing his physical gifts by standing at 7-foot-2 and around 260 pounds, the 21-year-old‘s decision to pursue basketball was an easy one.
Ryan attended the Lovett School in his hometown of Atlanta, where he was named to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s All-State first team at center during his senior season.
He surpassed the 1,500-point milestone in his high school career.
For college, Ryan decided to join in his father’s footsteps and enrolled at Georgetown University, where Dikembe was named “Big East Defensive Player of the Year” twice.
Ryan’s first choice, however, was the University of North Carolina.
Having become the first modern-era player to complete his degree requirements a year early, Ryan only played three seasons for the Georgetown Hoyas.
At the Hoyas, he averaged 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in government, he transferred to play for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for the 2024-2025 season, where he is pursuing a Master’s degree in management.
Ryan Mutombo graduating from Georgetown a whole year early. Congrats to him. Incredible achievement! (via ryanmutombo/IG) pic.twitter.com/3e4PVrz9Ox
— Hilltop Hoops (@HilltopHoops_) May 5, 2024
Ryan Mutombo is not only a gifted basketball player but also an academic.
He has a promising career regardless of whether he chooses to follow the sport or his other areas of interest.
The recent untimely loss of his father at just 58 is devastating.
We pray for Ryan and his family’s strength to bounce back and wish him luck with his future.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Dikembe Mutombo was born on June 25, 1966, in Léopoldville, Republic of the Congo, and moved to the US at 21 for University.
- Impressively, Dikembe is fluent in nine languages, including English, French, Spanish, and several African languages.
- He graduated from Georgetown University with a double major in linguistics and diplomacy in 1991.
