There’s only one way to accomplish as much as Dikembe Mutombo did in his 58 years, and that’s by moving fast.

“He was a speed demon,” former Nuggets teammate Bryant Stith said of his close friend who had a massive smile and even bigger heart to go with the lead foot.

Stith first met Mutombo, who died Monday following a brain cancer diagnosis, after the Nuggets selected him with the 13th overall pick of the 1992 draft. Mutombo had just finished his rookie season. Denver’s 24-58 record in 1991-92 season did little to dim his light.

“Dikembe greeted me with open arms. Instantly, he became one of my best friends on the team,” Stith said. “Dikembe had such a warm and gentle spirit. He was very welcoming and inviting when I first got to Denver.”

Both players spent their off seasons on the east coast. Eventually, they decided to share some of the road trip with Mutombo, obviously, out in front.

“Dikembe used to drive at high speeds across the plains of Kansas. I did all I could just to keep up. He was always waiting for me. When he would see my headlights and stuff, pop over one of those hills, he would let me catch up. Then, he’d take off again,” Stith said.

“He used to tell me, ‘Stith, you need to keep up.’”

Their paths diverted in St. Louis. Mutombo drove at his desired speed toward northern Virginia. Stith headed to the southern part of the state, but those trips east on Interstate 70 provided some of Stith’s fondest memories.

“We used to hang out, eat dinner, do stuff together at restaurants, take our time going across the country,” Stith said. “That was fun.”

Back in Denver, tardiness was never an issue for Dan Issel, who started coaching the Nuggets in Mutombo’s second season. Maybe it was the speeding, but Mutombo helped set the standard as the Nuggets went from 24 wins in his rookie season to 36 in Issel’s first season.

“Being as dedicated as he was, you didn’t have to worry about Dikembe being late or missing a bus. But when somebody did, we had this routine we would go through all the time. Say somebody was late for practice or missed an airplane, (I’d say) ‘Dikembe, how much is the fine?” Issel said before taking his turn to imitate Mutombo’s iconic, raspy voice.

“‘Coach, about two grand.’”

The next season, 1993-94, Mutombo’s third and Stith’s second in Denver, the Nuggets went 42-40 and returned to the playoffs as the eight seed. Seattle, fresh off a 63-19 regular season, took the first two games of the series. Mutombo led the Nuggets to three straight wins to become the first eight seed to upset a one seed. The decisive Game 5 went to overtime. The Nuggets won the extra period 10-6 to advance to the second round behind a classic Mutombo line – eight points, 15 rebounds and eight finger-wagging blocks.

“That was some of the worst offense in that overtime you can imagine. I think we had three 24-second shot clock violations. Everybody was afraid to shoot the basketball,” Issel said.

“What really enabled us to win the game was how well we played at the defensive end in that overtime. I can remember one play in particular when Shawn Kemp was going in for a dunk, and Dikembe blocked the shot. He blocked it with such strength that he pushed the ball back and Shawn Kemp fell to the floor. It was really our defense, and in particular Dikembe that we won that game.”

Mutombo celebrating on the Seattle Center Coliseum court remains one of the memorable moments in franchise history. He won the first of his four Defensive Player of the Year awards after averaging 12.5 rebounds and 3.9 blocks in the 1994-95 season. The 1995-96 season was Mutombo’s last in Denver. Mutombo did enough in five seasons in Denver that the Nuggets decided to retire his No. 55 in 2016. That set up Issel’s favorite Mount Mutombo memory.

“He asked that I introduce him. They did it at halftime of one of the games, and I had the honor of introducing him before they retired his number,” Issel said.

“He spoke seven different languages, and I told the crowd, ‘However, you’re about to realize that English is not one of them.’ Dikembe looked at me and gave me that finger wag before he took the microphone.”

For as much as he accomplished in a hall-of-fame career – eight All-Star appearances, six All-Defensive selections and three All-NBA honors – Mutombo’s most meaningful work came off the court. He was the NBA’s first global ambassador. He built a hospital in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo and served on the boards of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Special Olympics.

Whether it was on the road, the court or in life, Mutombo led from the front.

“He was always thinking about others,” Stith said. “Dikembe was a great person. I’m so sad this has happened to such a great man. We all know that God is in control. Dikembe has earned his heavenly wings. He’s in heaven smiling down upon us right now.”