LOS ANGELES, CA. (THECOUNT) — TMZ is reporting, Matadi, the young boy NBA star Dikembe Mutombo flew to the U.S. to remove a massive tumor from his face, has sadly died after he suffered a “rare and unpredictable genetic reaction to anesthesia” during surgery.

8-year-old Matadi from the Democratic Republic of Congo died Friday night from his delicate surgery complications at Cedars Sinai Hospital in L.A. … according to The Dikembe Mutombo Foundation.

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As TMZ reported … Matadi went into cardiac arrest during his surgery and was transferred to the ICU, but despite the efforts of the medical staff he did not recover. source

The former NBA star brought the child to the U.S. for surgery because he had been shunned in his homeland.