Dikembe Mutombo, NBA legend and Hall of Famer, dies of brain cancer at 58​

Hall of Famer, humanitarian and legendary shot blocker Dikembe Mutombo has died at 58, the NBA announced on Monday. The cause of death was brain cancer, which he was diagnosed with in October 2022. Mutombo was surrounded by his family when he passed.

Mutombo, originally from Democratic Republic of the Congo, became one of the best defensive players of all time over his 18-year career. He played for six teams total, but spent most of his time with the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets. (He spent one-plus seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers and one season each with the New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks.) He was an eight-time All-Star and a four-time Defensive Player of the Year. He led the NBA in blocks in 1994, 1995 and 1996, and led the league in rebounds in 2000 and 2001. Both the Hawks and Nuggets have retired his number, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.

After scanning some of the articles and social media following MSU's loss to Ohio State, I am in the same boat with a lot of people. Despite the final result on the scoreboard, I saw a lot of encouraging things for the Spartans this weekend. I even have a little bonus data to bolster my point.

That said, the neighborhood looks like it got a little tougher this weekend. Future opponents Indiana, Illinois and Rutgers all continue to look better than expected. When it is all said and done, MSU's odds for a bowl game are back down to just 50-50.

Check out me full set of analysis below in Against All Odds

Jonathan Smith is set to speak to the media. Spartans Illustrated will provide updates here throughout his press conference.

UPDATE:

Video of Smith's presser

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