When it came to being tall, no one did it much better than Manute Bol. More importantly though was when it came to being an all-around genuine person and humanitarian, no one did it better than Manute Bol. The NBA has lost one of it's most beloved players in history in Bol earlier today at the age of 47 due to kidney failure and a deadly skin condition called Stevens-Johnson syndrome.
Manute Bol was discovered in his home country of Sudan by a Fairleigh Dickinson assistant coach, and was immediately convinced to come play basketball in the United States after playing for several teams in the Sudan. At 7'7" and 225 pounds, there was an easy possibility that he could see some action at the professional level in the NBA. He attended the University of Bridgeport where he averaged 23 points, 14 rebounds, and seven blocks in his lone season in the college ranks.
Bol was selected in the second round with the seventh pick by the Washington Bullets in the 1985 draft, and became the tallest player to ever step foot on an NBA floor before being beat out by centimeters by Gheorge Muresan a few years down the road. Despite only starting 60 games in his rookie year, he le ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by John Friel
Loss of The Gentle Giant: A Tribute to Manute Bol
June 19th, 2010 by John Friel Leave a reply »
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