CAMDEN, NJ – The Philadelphia 76ers, the NBA and the world at large lost a great man on Monday with the passing of legendary big man Dikembe Mutombo. Mutombo, a Hall of Famer, averaged 9.8 points and 10.3 rebounds in his career and won the Defensive Player of the Year award four times.

Mutombo was acquired by the Sixers from the Atlanta Hawks at the deadline in 2001 and helped them reach the Finals that season. As a native of Africa, Mutombo did a lot of philanthropic work to help the continent and he always gave back to where he came from.

Sixers star Joel Embiid, himself a native of Africa, expressed his condolences to the Mutombo family and spoke about his influence on him as a young man.

“My condolences go out to his family,” a somber Embiid said. “It’s a sad day, especially for us Africans – actually for the whole world – because apart from what he achieved on the basketball court, I think he was even better off the court. He’s one of the guys I look up to so far. “Because he didn’t just have an impact on the field, he did a lot of great things for a lot of people.

Kyle Lowry briefly played with Mutombo for the Houston Rockets during the 2008-09 season. He was able to spend some time with the gentle giant and share his thoughts with everyone affected by Mutombo’s death.

“First and foremost, God rest his soul,” Lowry added. “I think the spirit of Dikembe Mutombo will never be forgotten. I think everyone he’s ever been with, ever been a part of, whoever he’s ever met knows what a great man he was. He has a great family, great children. It is a great loss for our league and for our world.

The Sixers and the NBA world will mourn the loss of one of the greatest people in the world.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Joel Embiid and Kyle Lowry discuss the death of NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo