Dikembe Mutombo, a Basketball Hall of Famer who was one of the best defensive players in NBA history and a longtime global ambassador for the game, died Monday from brain cancer, the league announced. He was 58.

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

“Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “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.”

Mutombo was distinctive in so many ways — the playful finger wag at opponents after blocking their shots, his height, his deep and gravelly voice, his massive smile. Players of this generation were always drawn to him and Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid, who was born in Cameroon, looked to Mutombo as an inspiration.

“It’s a sad day, especially for us Africans, and really the whole world,” Embiid said Monday. “Other than what he’s accomplished on the basketball court, I think he was even better off the court. He’s one of the guys that I look up to, as far as having an impact, not just on the court, but off the court. He’s done a lot of great things. He did a lot of great things for a lot of people. He was a role model of mine. It is a sad day.”

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.

Women’s basketball

WNBA teams protect up to six players for expansion draft >> The WNBA will have its first expansion draft in 16 years in December as the Golden State Valkyries start to fill out their roster.

The draft will be on Dec. 6 and the Valkyries will begin play next season.

Teams will be able to protect a maximum of six players who will not be available for selection by Golden State. All other players on a team’s roster will be eligible for selection by the Valkyries.

College football

AP Player of the Week: Alabama’s Jalen Milroe wins top honors for 2nd time in 3 weeks >> The Associated Press national player of the week in college football for Week 5 of the season is Jalen Milroe from Alabama.

The Crimson Tide quarterback was the catalyst in a wild 41-34 win over Georgia and is player of the week for the second time in three weeks.

His late 75-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Williams put the Tide in front again after they had blown a 28-point first-half lead.

Milroe finished 27 of 33 for a career-high 374 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran for a season-high 117 yards and two scores.

Purdue fire offensive coordinator >> Coach Ryan Walters hired Graham Harrell to put his stamp on Purdue’s trademark offense.

He lasted just 16 games as offensive coordinator.

Less than 24 hours after announcing Harrell had been fired, Walters told reporters at his weekly news conference that Jason Simmons will take over the play-calling duties for the rest of this season at the Cradle of Quarterbacks.

Soccer

FIFA bans Cameroon’s Eto’o for 6 months >> Cameroon soccer great Samuel Eto’o was banned by FIFA on Monday from attending any national team games for six months.

Eto’o, who has been president of the Cameroon soccer federation since 2021, faced two charges from an incident at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia on Sept. 11.

FIFA did not specify details of what happened at the round of 16 game that Brazil won against Cameroon 3-1 after extra time.

France’s Griezman retires from national team >> World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann, one of France’s most influential players over the past decade, surprisingly announced the end of his international career on Monday.

The 33-year-old forward, affectionately nicknamed “Grizou” by his supporters, played 137 matches for France and scored 44 times over 10 years. Griezmann’s decision was unexpected after he said only a few weeks ago that he was ready to carry on with the national team until the 2026 World Cup.

Baseball

Ohtani tops jersey sales again >> Shohei Ohtani topped Major League Baseball jersey sales for the second straight season while becoming the first player to reach 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in the same year.

The Los Angeles Dodgers star was followed by Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper, the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge and the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts, said Major League Baseball and the players’ association subsidiary MLB Players Inc., on Monday.

Sailing

Britannia and Luna Rossa stay even in America’s Cup >> Britain’s INEOS Britannia and Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli each won races to remain even in the America’s Cup challenger final on Monday.

Britannia took the first race by 12 seconds, then Luna Rossa crossed the line 17 seconds ahead in the second to keep the first-to-seven series even at 3-3.