Manute Bol
Manute Bol is a Sudanese/American basketball player and activist. At a height of 7'7" (2.31 m), he is, along with Gheorghe Muresan, the tallest player ever to appear in the National Basketball Association. He played for 11 years for the Washington Bullets, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, and Miami Heat. He totalled 397 blocked shots during the 1985-1986 NBA season, a rookie record.Bol's exact birth date and location are not known, but is believed to be 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." Given his size, it's a surprise that both of Bol's parents were of average height; however, his paternal grandfather was said to have been 7'1" (2.16 m) tall, and he claims to have a younger sister who is 6'10" (2.08 m).
He came 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 on the rim when he tried to slam dunk. He later attended Cleveland State University despite not having a strong command of written English. After an eligibility scandal, Bol played one year of college basketball at the University of Bridgeport. He was drafted by the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Clippers in the 5th round of the 1983 NBA draft, then in the the 2nd round of 1985 draft by the Washington Bullets. He played for the Bullets, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Golden State Warriors and the Miami Heat.
Due to his height and impossibly long limbs, Bol was one of the league's most (if not the most) imposing defensive presences, not to mention his frequent usage as a publicity stunt. His actual basketball skills (when disregarding his ability to block shots) were very limited, and his physique (he weighed only 185 pounds (85 kg) upon entering the NBA) made it difficult for him to compete with the league's physical centers and power forwardss. Indeed, his height was totally negated by the fact that he could, literally, be pushed around by opposing players. But Bol's likability earned him fairly large contracts. He spent some of his pay on the establishment of a Washington, D.C-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 permenantly.
Bol was very active in charitable causes throughout his career, supporting famine relief organizations such as Oxfam and establishing his own charitable foundation, the Ring True Foundation, which aids "the lost boys" orphans in Sudan's long-running civil war. 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 (SPLA); he has given most of his fortune (an estimated $3.5 million USD) to their cause. He eventually escaped to Egypt, and managed to return to the United States in 2002 with the financial support of relatives.
Another controversial aspect of Bol's life is that he, as do many African men, practices polygamy. He has one wife in the United States, but at least 3 in the Sudan. He was attempting to bring his second wife, Ajok, to the U.S. when he was detained by the Sudense government; when he was finally allowed to return home, Ajok was not with him.
Since then, Bol has raised money from appearances on Celebrity Boxing and with Central Hockey League Indianapolis Ice. He's appeared in several spoof programs as himself, including Saturday Night Live and The Man Show. He lives in West Hartford, Connecticut.
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 suffered a broken neck when he was thrown from the taxicab he was riding en route to his house, which killed the driver.
During his time in Egypt, he ran a basketball school in Cairo. One of his pupils was fellow Sudan refugee and Dinka Luol Deng, the son of a former Sudan cabinet minister. Deng's family eventually received political asylum in the United Kingdom; Luol later came 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.
A biography of Bol, , was written by Sports Illustrated's Leigh Montville.