NEW YORK - The NCAA announced the recipients of its 2026 NCAA Honors today and former Georgetown men's basketball great and humanitarian Dikembe Mutombo will posthumously receive the NCAA's highest honor - The Theodore Roosevelt Award.

Mutombo will be honored for his lifelong dedication to global health and education. While at Georgetown, he was a two-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and All-America honoree while leading the Hoyas to an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 1989. 

Throughout his 18-year Hall of Fame career in the NBA, Mutombo founded a $29 million hospital in Kinshasa, Congo, through his foundation, served as the NBA's first global ambassador, and received numerous honors — including the Mannie Jackson Human Spirit Award — for his tireless advocacy for health, education and equity worldwide. Mutombo died Sept. 30, 2024, at age 58 from brain cancer.

The Theodore Roosevelt Award is the highest honor the NCAA may confer on an individual. This award is presented annually to a distinguished citizen of national reputation and outstanding accomplishment who exemplifies the ideals of collegiate athletics and amateur sports competitions.

Mutombo and all NCAA honorees will be celebrated at the NCAA Convention in January in the Washington, D.C., area.