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 after a battle with 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 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, four-time defensive player of the year, 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.

Mutombo last played during the 2008-09 season, devoting his time after retirement to charitable and humanitarian causes. He spoke nine languages and founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in 1997, concentrating on improving health, education and quality of life for the people in the Congo.

Mutombo served on the boards of many organizations, including Special Olympics International, the CDC Foundation and the National Board for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

“There was nobody more qualified than Dikembe to serve as the NBA’s first Global Ambassador,” Silver said. “He was a humanitarian at his core. He loved what the game of basketball could do to make a positive impact on communities, especially in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo and across the continent of Africa.”

LeBron feels ‘pure joy’ alongside son >> LeBron James is beginning his 22nd training camp this week with the Los Angeles Lakers, and this one will be a unique experience.

The NBA’s career scoring leader is sharing a locker room and a court with Bronny James, his 19-year-old son and the Lakers’ second-round draft pick. They’ll soon become the first father and son in NBA history to play together, fulfilling an aspiration first expressed by LeBron several years ago.

The 20-time All-Star didn’t downplay his excitement to see one of his few remaining basketball dreams coming true.

“There’s a lot of excitement,” LeBron said. “It’s pure joy, to be honest, to be able to come to work every day, put in the hard work with your son every day and be able to see him continue to grow. We push each other. He pushes me, I push him. We push our teammates. Just a very joyous moment, not only for myself, but for our family.”

Father and son wore the Lakers’ gold uniforms together at the team’s media day, posing for innumerable photos and giving interviews that showcased the easy banter of family. Bronny’s new No. 9 jersey reads “JAMES JR.” on the back, in a nod to his full name, LeBron James Jr.

Tennis

Sinner, Alcaraz advance in China >> Top-ranked Jannik Sinner moved into the semifinals of the China Open with a 6-2, 7-6 (6) victory over Jiri Lehecka in Beijing.

Just two days after the World Anti-Doping Agency announced it was seeking a ban of one to two years for the U.S. Open champion, who tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid in March, the 23-year-old Italian didn’t appear distracted as he quickly got to grips with the No. 37-ranked Lehecka’s serve in a dominant first set.

The defending champion faced two set points at 4-6 in the second-set tiebreak, but found a way to close out his 14th consecutive win and advance to a semifinal.

“So happy how I handled a tough situation,” Sinner said. “Feel like I still can improve a couple of things here so hopefully tomorrow is going to be that day when I feel better on the court.”

Third-ranked Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the semifinals for the second straight year with an impressive 7-5, 6-2 win over Karen Khachanov.

It was Alcaraz’s 46th win of the season and it allowed the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion to climb back above the absent Alexander Zverev into second place in the ATP live rankings.

Alcaraz will face Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals, after the fifth-ranked Russian beat Flavio Cobolli of Italy 6-2, 6-4.

Aryna Sabalenka’s dominant hard-court season showed no signs of slowing down as she cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Ashlyn Krueger for her 14th consecutive victory.

Former No. 1 Naomi Osaka continued her positive start with new coach Patrick Mouratoglou with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Katie Volynets, advancing to a round-of-16 match against sixth-ranked Coco Gauff.

Osaka and Gauff have faced each other four times, each winning twice.

Women’s cycling

Police investigating fatal crash of cyclist >> There are no eyewitnesses or television images yet of the crash that led to the death of Swiss rider Muriel Furrer at the road cycling world championships, investigators in Zurich said.

The 18-year-old Furrer died from her injuries on Friday, one day after crashing on a rain-slicked forest road near Küsnacht, south of Zurich, in the junior women’s race.

Police and the public prosecutor’s office in Zurich jointly said in a statement the exact time Furrer crashed was not yet established.

They said their ongoing investigation showed she crashed on a descent at a slight left-hand bend in the road.

Furrer was discovered unconscious in the forest away from the road by a race safety official, the investigators said. She was later airlifted by helicopter to the hospital.

At a news conference on Friday, officials from the International Cycling Union and local race organizers gave few details of the crash and rescue operation and cautioned against speculation.

Investigators said on Monday they had no evidence any other party was involved in the crash or saw it.

Furrer’s family gave their consent for racing to continue at the nine-day championships which ended on Sunday.

College football

Purdue fires 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.

The move came one day after the Boilermakers (1-3, 0-1 Big Ten) lost their third straight game since routing FCS opponent Indiana State in the season opener.