'Not in my house!' A look back at NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo's memorable Geico ad

One of the most feared defenders in NBA history also made a heck of a pitchman.

Dikembe Mutombo, the prolific shot blocker and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, has died, the NBA announced Sept. 30. He was 58.

Mutombo was known for wagging his finger in his opponents’ faces after he blocked their shots, a habit that he played up in a 2013 commercial for the insurance company Geico that even non-basketball fans may remember.

In the spot, Mutombo wears a red uniform and eagerly blocks anything that comes his way in everyday situations. He blocks a piece of paper a businessman tries to throw out, coins a driver attempts to put into a toll booth, and a cereal box when a child places it into a shopping cart, sending the food all over the floor. All the while, Mutombo taunts his victims by saying, “Not in my house” or, “No, no, no!” and doing his famous finger wag.

The commercial then ends with two guitarists strumming their instruments.

“Jimmy, how happy are folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to Geico?” one asks.

“Happier than Dikembe Mutombo blocking a shot,” replies the other, before Mutombo races onto the screen and slaps away the “G” in “Geico” that appears.

The commercial is as funny as Mutombo was fierce on the court. The fourth overall pick of the 1991 NBA draft out of Georgetown University, Mutombo, who was also a noted humanitarian for trying to improve life in his native Congo, played for six NBA teams from 1991 until he retired in 2009.

He was a fiery defensive presence during his career, winning NBA Defensive Player of the Year four times and finishing his career second on the all-time blocks list, behind only fellow Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon. He was also an eight-time All-Star and three-time selection on the All-Defensive first team.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com