Dikembe Mutombo's Number Will Be Retired by Atlanta Hawks

The No. 55 struck fear in opponents of the Atlanta Hawks for parts of four seasons as Dikembe Mutombo patrolled the paint, but that number will soon be visible in the rafters at Philips Arena.

According to the Hawks' official Twitter account, the 2015 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee's number will be retired in a special ceremony prior to Atlanta's Nov. 24 game against the Boston Celtics.

Mutombo will join fellow Hall of Famers Bob Pettit and Dominique Wilkins, in addition to Lou Hudson, as the only Hawks to have their jersey numbers immortalized.

Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution captured a photo of the eight-time All-Star as the honor was made official Tuesday:

Per Fulton County, Georgia's Twitter account, the announcement was part of an entire day celebrating Mutombo and his contributions to both the Hawks organization and the community:

Mutombo, who won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award on four occasions—including 1997, 1998 and 2001 with the Hawks—averaged 9.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game over the course of his 18-year NBA career.

The former Georgetown standout, who is second on the NBA's all-time blocks list, may have even more to celebrate during the upcoming season as well.

In addition to his Hall of Fame induction and impending jersey retirement with the Hawks, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post recently reported that the Denver Nuggets plan on retiring his number during the 2015-16 campaign as well.

Mt. Mutombo is one of the most recognizable and iconic figures in NBA history due largely to his 7'2" frame and beloved finger wag after rejecting the opposition.

Even though the upcoming season will represent the seventh since he retired from the game of basketball, Mutombo remains a huge part of the game due to his efforts to expand the sport globally.

Mutombo has had and will continue to have a massive impact on basketball, so it is only fitting that the Hawks and perhaps the Nuggets will honor him for his contributions.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.