Dikembe Mutombo

The Atlanta Hawks will retire the shot-blocking, finger-waving center’s No. 55 on Nov. 24, about two months after he is enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Mutombo spent five seasons (1996-2001) with the Hawks after being drafted by the Nuggets in 1991. Hawks CEO Steve Koonin says few players matched the impact Mutombo made “as a player, man and humanitarian.” Mutombo ranks third in franchise history in blocked shots and rebounds per game. He ranks second in NBA history in blocks. Dominique Wilkins (21), Lou Hudson (23) and Bob Pettit (9) are the only other players whose numbers were retired by the team.