Manute Bol
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Manute Bol is a Sudanese/American basketball player and activist. Bol is 7'7" (2.31 m), and before the National Basketball Association debut of the several-centimeters-taller Gheorghe Muresan, was the tallest player ever to appear in the NBA. He totaled 397 blocked shots during the 1985-1986 NBA season, a rookie record.
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Height
Bol is believed to be born October 16, 1962 in either Turalie or Gogrial, Sudan. He is the son of a Dinka tribal chief, who gave him the name "Manute," which means "special blessing." his paternal grandfather was said to have been 7'10" (2.39 m) tall, and he claims to have a younger sister who is 6'10" (2.08 m).
College Basketball Career
He moved to the United States at age 18 after being recruited by representatives of Fairleigh Dickinson University. When he played basketball for the first time, he chipped a tooth by getting it caught on the net when he tried to slam dunk. He later attended Cleveland State University despite not having a strong command of written English.
Bol played one year of college basketball at the University of Bridgeport. He was drafted by the San Diego Clippers in the 5th round of the 1983 NBA Draft, then in the 2nd round of 1985 draft by the Washington Bullets. In 1987, the Bullets also drafted the five-foot-three Muggsy Bogues; and as can be expected, the two players were often requested to appear on the same photograph.
In his career he averaged 2.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. He played in the NBA for nine years fom 1985 to 1994 with the Bullets for 3, Golden State Warriors 2, Philadelphia 76ers 3 and the Miami Heat for 1 year.
Professional Career
Due to his height and extremely long limbs, Bol was one of the league's most, if not the most imposing defensive presences, not to mention his frequently being used as a publicity stunt. His actual basketball skills when disregarding his ability to block shots were very limited, and his physique, at only 185 pounds upon entering the NBA, made it difficult for him to compete with the league's physical centers and power forwards. He spent some of his pay on the establishment of a Washington, DC-area nightclub, which eventually failed. After Bol's NBA career ended, he attempted to play professionally in Italy and Qatar before rheumatism caused him to retire permanently.
Charity and Activism
Bol was very active in charitable causes throughout his career. He frequently visited Sudanese refugee camps, where he was always treated like royalty until 2001, when he was held against his will by the ruling Islamic government because of his support of the Dinka-led Christian rebels, the Sudan People's Liberation Army; he has given most of his fortune an estimated $3.5 million to their cause.
In 2002, shortly after beating former football player William "The Refrigerator" Perry in Fox TV's Celebrity Boxing show, Bol signed with the Indianapolis Ice of the Central Hockey League to raise money for the Sudanese. He never stepped on the ice, though.
Personal Problems
Bol was arrested on February 13, 2004 and charged with hitting his daughter. His personal problems continued when, on June 30 of the same year, he was seriously injured when the taxi he was riding in flipped and crashed in Connecticut. The driver was killed; it was later determined that he was driving under the influence. Bol was thrown from the taxi, suffering multiple injuries, the most severe of which were three broken vertebrae in his neck. As of September 30, he is still hospitalized, but is now able to walk.
During his time in Egypt, Bol ran a basketball school in Cairo. One of his pupils was fellow Sudan refugee Luol Deng, the son of a former Sudan cabinet minister. Deng's family eventually received political asylum in the United Kingdom; Luol later moved to the United States to further his basketball career. After an All-American freshman season at Duke University, Deng became the seventh overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. Manute Bol currently lives in West Hartford, Connecticut.