Very sad news.. Great shotblocker, great backup to Yao, great ambassador for Africa, and an amazing human being.. RIP big guy..
One of my favorite Rockets of all time. People thought he was totally washed when he signed, but when I watched him block Yao in the Open Scrimmage before his first season, I knew he still had a lot left in the tank. Gonna miss him. **** cancer
I'm super bummed about this. Deke was a great human being that did so much for his native country. I loved his time as a Rockets and I feel honored that I was able to watch him play.
We once got to attend a seasons-ticket party at Toyota Center. My toddler daughter got to go on the court with Dike. She held a ball, he picked her up to the goal and she dropped the ball in. He put her back down and they did a finger wag. He smiled the entire time. Truly a saddening loss.
Damn man, I loved watching him play on the Rockets. He defied father time blocking shots left and right when Yao went out. Such a cool chill dude. Has one of the best commercials too. RIP to a legend.
Great humanitarian who played in the Golden Age of Centers. Great memories Man, he if stayed healthy in 2009. RIP Mr Finger Wag
Did not expect this one, man that’s sad. Knew he was dealing with something but still unexpected. Glad I bought his jersey back in 2008/09, loved that man! One of the biggest hearts with what he did for people in general by making them smile to the unquestionable generosity with his foundation towards humans and his home country. We can all learn something from him. Did at least one team retire his number while he was alive? He deserved one for at least 3 (Nuggets, Rockets & Sixers).
