Manute Bol

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Manute Bol
Position(s) Center
Jersey #(s) 10, 11, 4, 1
Listed height 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m)
Listed weight 225 lb (102 kg)
Born October 16, 1962(1962-10-16)
Turalei or Gogrial, Sudan
Died June 19, 2010 (aged 47)
Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Career information
Year(s) 1985–1994
NBA Draft 1985 round 2 pick # 31

Selected by Washington Bullets
College Bridgeport
Professional team(s)
Career stats (NBA)
Points 1,599
Rebounds 2,647
Blocks 2,086
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Career highlights and awards
  • 1986 NBA All-Defensive Second Team

Manute Bol (English pronunciation: /məˈnuːt ˈboʊl/; October 16, 1962 – June 19, 2010[1]) was a Sudanese-born basketball player and activist. Until the debut of Gheorghe Mureşan, Bol was the tallest player ever to appear in the National Basketball Association at 7 feet, 7 inches (2.31 meters).[2] Bol is believed to have been born on October 16, 1962 in either Turalei or Gogrial, Sudan. He was the son of a Dinka tribal chief, who gave him the name "Manute," which means "special blessing."

Bol played basketball for many teams over his career. He played for two colleges and four NBA teams. He was known as a specialist player; his shot blocking skills were considered among the best in the league during his tenure, but other aspects of his game were considered fairly weak. One statistical oddity highlights Bol's unique skill set: he is the only player in NBA history to have more blocked shots than points scored.

Contents

Family background

Bol came from a family of extraordinarily tall men and women: "My mother was 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), my father 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and my sister is 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)," he said. "And my great-grandfather was even taller — 7 ft 10 in (2.39 m)."[3]

As a boy, Bol had tended his family’s cattle. According to a tale he was often asked to repeat in interviews, he once killed a lion with a spear while he was working as a cowherd.

Bol is survived by 10 children, including four with his second wife, Ajok.[4]

Basketball career

Amateur years

Bol started playing basketball in 1978 and played in Sudan for several years with teams in Wau and Khartoum. A coach from Fairleigh Dickinson University saw Bol play basketball in Khartoum and convinced him to come to the United States.[5] Bol was drafted by the San Diego Clippers in the 5th round of the 1983 NBA Draft, but the league ruled that Bol had not been eligible for the draft and declared the pick invalid.[6] He was then invited to Cleveland by Cleveland State University head basketball coach Kevin Mackey. While in Cleveland, he attended English language classes for several months at ELS Language Centers on the Case Western Reserve University campus. Bol never played for Cleveland State because its basketball program was placed on probation for two years as the result of providing improper financial assistance to Bol and two other African basketball players.[7] Bol lacked a strong command of written English, which reduced his chances of being eligible to play Division I basketball. He enrolled at the University of Bridgeport, a Division II basketball school, and played college basketball there during the 1984-1985 season.

NBA

In 1985 Bol was drafted in the second round by the Washington Bullets. He played in the NBA for ten years, from 1985–1995, spending parts of four seasons with the Bullets, parts of three with the Golden State Warriors, parts of four with the Philadelphia 76ers and part of one season with the Miami Heat. In 1987, the Washington Bullets drafted the 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) point guard Muggsy Bogues, pairing the tallest and shortest players in the league on the court for one season.

Washington Bullets

Bol's first tenure with the Bullets lasted for three seasons from 1985 to 1988. In his rookie season (1985-1986) Bol appeared in 80 games and recorded a career-high 5.0 blocks per game. His total of 397 blocks set the NBA rookie record, and remains the second-highest single-season total in league history behind Mark Eaton's 456 rejections in 1984-85.

Golden State Warriors

Bol's first tenure with the Golden State Warriors lasted for two seasons from 1988 to 1990. It was his first season in Golden State that Bol first attempted to shoot three pointers with regularity. In that season, he shot a career-high 91 three pointers and made 20 of them. At this time he may have helped to popularize the expression "my bad", although a 2005 suggestion that he coined the phrase has been discounted.[8][9]

Philadelphia 76ers

Bol's first tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers lasted for three seasons from 1990 to 1993. Although he played in a career-high 82 games in his first season in with the 76ers, it was also in Philadelphia that Bol's production as a player began to decline (in terms of both games played and per game statistics). After playing in all 82 games in 1990-1991, he played in 71 games the next season, and in 58 (a career low at the time) games the following season. During Bol's last season in Philadelphia, Bol enjoyed a memorable night while playing against former teammate Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns. Bol hit 6 of 12 three-pointers all in the second half, albeit in a losing effort, against the Suns.[10] Fans have been known to yell out "shoot" as soon as Bol touches the ball when he is far from the basket.[11]

Miami Heat

Bol played in eight games in the 1993-1994 season with the Miami Heat. The Heat were the only team for whom Bol played that did not feature him in its starting lineup. He scored only a two-point field goal with the team and blocked 6 shots in 61 total minutes.

Washington Bullets (2nd stint)

Bol's second stint with the Bullets lasted only two games during the 1993-1994 season. Thereafter he was signed not to play in games, but instead to help with the development of 7 ft 7 teammate Gheorghe Muresan.

Philadelphia 76ers (2nd stint)

Bol's second stint with the 76ers lasted for four games near the end of the 1993-1994 season. There, he helped to mentor 7 ft 6 in teammate Shawn Bradley. In only 49 minutes, he played more aggressively than he did earlier in the season with Miami and Washington. He scored 6 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and blocked 9 shots.

Golden State Warriors (2nd stint)

Bol's final NBA stop was with the 1994-1995 Warriors. Bol, who wore a No 1 Jersey, (he had worn No 10 with the Bullets and earlier stint with the Warriors and No 11 with the Sixers) made the season opening roster and played in what would be his five final NBA games. (It is known that Bol chose the # 1 jersey to establish himself as the most dominant rebounder and shot-blocker in the NBA).[citation needed] On a memorable night in the middle of November, Bol finally made his home debut, coming off of the bench to play 29 minutes against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He intimidated and blocked his usual shots and grabbed his usual rebounds. That night, however, served as a "blast from the past" as Bol was back to shooting three-pointers like he did in the late 1980s. In that game, Bol connected on all three of the three pointers that he took (each was shot several steps beyond the three point line). The crowd, in disbelief, cheered louder and louder with each shot he took. Seven nights later in Charlotte, on a game that was nationally televised by TNT, Bol was in the starting line-up again. By this time, two weeks into the season, Bol's career seemed to be rejuvenated under head coach Don Nelson in Golden State—he was again a defensive force, making threes, and contributing as a starter to create match-up problems. However, after playing in only ten minutes against the Hornets on November 22, 1994, Bol suffered what proved to be a career-ending injury, and never played in the NBA again. Before he left his final game, he recorded a block and two points, and also managed to unload a three point attempt in the limited minutes.

Shot blocking

With his great height and very long limbs, Bol was one of the league's most imposing defensive presences, blocking shots at an unprecedented rate.[12] Along with setting the rookie shot blocking record in 1985-86, over the course of his career Bol tied for the NBA record for the most blocked shots in one half (eleven) and in one quarter (eight, twice).[13] In a game against the Orlando Magic, he blocked four consecutive shots within a single possession.[14]

However, Bol's other basketball skills were very limited, and his rail-thin physique made it difficult for him to establish position against the league's physical centers and power forwards. The sight of the tall, gangly Bol spotting up for a three-pointer during blow-outs became a fan favorite. Off the court, he established a reputation as a practical joker; Charles Barkley, a frequent victim of his pranks, attested to Bol's sense of humor.[citation needed] Bol also developed a close friendship with teammate Chris Mullin.

Career accomplishments

Over the course of his career, Bol averaged 2.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 3.3 blocks per game while only playing an average of 18.7 minutes per game. Bol finished his career with totals of 1,599 points, 2,647 rebounds, and 2,086 blocks, having appeared in 624 games over 10 seasons.[15] As of 2010, Manute Bol remains:

Post-NBA

After the end of his NBA career, Bol played 22 games for the Florida Beach Dogs of the Continental Basketball Association during the 1995-1996 season. In 1996, the Portland (Maine) Mountain Cats of the United States Basketball League announced that he would be playing with the team, and included him in the game program, but he never actually appeared in uniform. He then played professionally in Italy and Qatar before rheumatism forced him to retire permanently.

Activism

Bol was very active in charitable causes throughout his career. In fact, he said he spent much of the money he made during a 10-year NBA career supporting various causes related to his war-ravaged nation of birth, Sudan.[19] He frequently visited Sudanese refugee camps, where he was treated like royalty. In 2001 Bol was offered a post as minister of sport by the Sudanese government. Bol, who was Christian, refused because one of the pre-conditions was converting to Islam.[20] Later Bol was hindered from leaving the country by the Sudanese government, who accused him of supporting the Dinka-led Christian rebels, the Sudan People's Liberation Army. The Sudanese government refused to grant him an exit visa unless he came back with more money. Assistance by supporters in the United States, including Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman, raised money to provide Bol with plane tickets to Cairo, Egypt. After 6 months of negotiations with U.S. consulate officials regarding refugee status, Bol and his family were finally able to leave Egypt and return to the United States.[20]

Bol established the Ring True Foundation in order to continue fund-raising for Sudanese refugees. He gave most of his earnings (an estimated $3.5 million) to their cause. In 2002, Fox TV agreed to broadcast the telephone number of his Ring True Foundation in exchange for Bol's agreement to appear on their Celebrity Boxing show. After the referee goaded, "If you guys don't box, you won't get paid," he scored a third-round victory over former football player William "The Refrigerator" Perry.

In the fall of 2002, Bol signed a one-day contract with the Indianapolis Ice of the Central Hockey League. Even though he couldn't skate, the publicity generated by his single game appearance helped to raise money to assist children in Sudan.[21] Bol once suited up as a horse jockey for similar reasons.

Bol was involved in the April 2006 Sudan Freedom Walk, a three-week march from the United Nations building in New York to the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.. The event was organized by Simon Deng, a former Sudanese swimming champion (currently a lifeguard at Coney Island) who was a longtime friend of Bol. Deng, who was a slave for three years from the age of nine, is from another tribe in Southern Sudan. His Sudan Freedom Walk is especially aimed at finding a solution to the genocide in Darfur (western Sudan), but it also seeks to raise awareness of the modern day slavery and human rights abuses throughout Sudan. Bol spoke in New York at the start of the Walk, and in Philadelphia at a rally organized by former hunger striker Nathan Kleinman.

During his time in Egypt, Bol ran a basketball school in Cairo. One of his pupils was a fellow Sudanese refugee; Chicago Bulls player Luol Deng, the son of a former Sudanese cabinet minister. Deng later moved to the United States to further his basketball career, continuing a close relationship with Bol.

Life after basketball

After a political dispute in Sudan, in 2002 Bol was admitted to the United States as a religious refugee, and resided in West Hartford, Connecticut.[22] In July 2004, Bol was seriously injured in a car accident, breaking his neck when he was ejected from the taxi he was riding in hit a guardrail and overturned.[23] When Bol recovered from these injuries he moved to Olathe, Kansas.[22]

Bol was also the "Brand Ambassador" for Ethiopian Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines Journeys.

Death

On June 19, 2010, Bol died from acute kidney failure and complications from Stevens–Johnson syndrome at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Virginia.[24] [22]

After his death, tributes to Bol's basketball career and charitable works came from around the United States and the world.[25][26][27][28][29][30]

His former teams, and the NBA, issued statements in recognition of his impact on the sport of basketball and on his native Sudan.[31][32][33]

A salute to Bol took place on the floor of the Unites States Senate just a few days after his death.[34]

Funeral service and tribute

Bol's memorial service at the National Cathedral

The memorial service for Manute Bol was held on Tuesday, June 29, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Bol's body lay in an eight-foot-long, specially built casket.[35]

Bol was given tributes by United States Senator Sam Brownback from Kansas, Former National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane, Sudan's Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Akec Khoc Acieu and Bol's Uncle, Mr. Bol Bol Choi, Vice President of the National Basketball Association Rory Sparrow.[36]

Sparrow rembered Bol as "a giant off the court" who should be remembered for humanitarian work and his basketball career.[37]

Senator Brownback recalled that “He literally gave his life for his people. He went over (to Sudan), he was sick. He stayed longer than he should have. He probably contracted this ailment that took his life while in Sudan, and he didn’t have to do that. He was an NBA basketball player. He could have stayed here and had an easy life. I’ve never seen anybody use his celebrity status more nor give his life more completely to a group of people than Manute Bol did. It makes me look at efforts that I do as not enough."

Dr. Akec K.A. Khoc, Ambassador of Sudan to the U.S said that "Manute had a very great heart for his country and people. He did everything to support anybody in need of shoes, blankets, health service, food, and people who were struggling. He went to see them and to encourage them to continue their struggle for their rights, for their freedoms. Manute embodied everything we can think of in Sudan. Reconciling warring groups between the north and south, in Darfur he was working for reconciliation between Darfur and the south and between Darfur and the rest of Sudan. So Manute was a voice for hope."

Sudan Sunrise founder, Reverend Canon Tom Prichard, says Bol's work to reconcile former enemies lives on."Manute's legacy and vision of education and reconciliation, his determination to grow grassroots reconciliation - whether that reconciliation is expressed in a country that divides or holds together, wherever the boundary lines are drawn. Manute stood for grassroots reconciliation,"[38]

Reverend Pritchard went on to say "There’s no question Manute gave his life for his country.”[39][40]

Manute Bol's family patriarch, Bol Bol Chol, said, "This man is not an ordinary man. I believe this man is a messenger like other messengers who were sent into this world - to do something in this world. He has accomplished most of his mission, and so God took him and left the rest of the work to be done by others,"[41]

A number of members of Bol's immediate family, including his sons, were at the service.

Manute Bol's remains were buried in Sudan.[42]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Former Bullet Manute Bol dies at 47". The Washington Post. 19 June 2010. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-breaking-news/former-bullet-manute-bol-dies.html. Retrieved 19 June 2010. 
  2. ^ Brown, Donald H. (2007). A Basketball Handbook. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse. p. 20. ISBN 978-1-4259-6190-9. http://books.google.com/books?id=YJmsqtj-rh4C&pg=PA20. 
  3. ^ "Manute Bol, N.B.A. Player and Activist, Dies at 47," New York Times, June 19, 2010
  4. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/sports/basketball/20bol.html
  5. ^ Manute Bol: Biography from Answers.com
  6. ^ The Draft Review - Manute Bol
  7. ^ Penalties Upheld for Cleveland State, New York Times, April 22, 1988
  8. ^ Pullum, Geoffrey K. (7 December 2005). "Language Log: Pick-up basketballism reaches Ivy League faculty vocabulary". http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002693.html. Retrieved 21 June 2010. 
  9. ^ Zimmer, Ben (22 June 2010). "The Manute Bol Theory of "My Bad"". Word Routes. Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus. http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/2327/. Retrieved 23 June 2010. 
  10. ^ http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/PHO19930303.html basketball-reference.com boxscore
  11. ^ Kerry Eggers, "Around the League," The Sunday Oregonian, March 7, 1993
  12. ^ "Career Leaders and Records for Block Pct". basketball-reference.com. http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/blk_pct_career.html. Retrieved 2008-09-10. 
  13. ^ NBA.com: Regular Season Records: Blocked Shots
  14. ^ Manute Bol: Beyond the Glory, FOX Sports Net (Originally aired April 17, 2005)
  15. ^ "Manute Bol". basketball-reference.com. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bolma01.html. Retrieved 2008-05-29. 
  16. ^ Career Leaders for Blocks Per 48 Minutes - Basketball-Reference.com
  17. ^ Career Leaders and Records for Blocks Per Game - Basketball-Reference.com
  18. ^ a b Career Leaders and Records for Blocks - Basketball-Reference.com
  19. ^ Drive Manute Bol
  20. ^ a b http://www.focusdep.com/articles/Society/NBA_Star_Now_Refugee
  21. ^ Scott, Jon C. (2006). Hockey Night in Dixie: Minor Pro Hockey in the American South. Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd.. p. 184. ISBN 1894974212. 
  22. ^ a b c Schudel, Matt (19 June 2010). "Manute Bol, former Washington Bullet and one of NBA's tallest players, dies at 47". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/19/AR2010061902214_3.html?sid=ST2010061902436. Retrieved 19 June 2010. 
  23. ^ Where Are They Now: Manute Bol
  24. ^ Kendall, Justin (June 19, 2010). "Manute Bol, retired basketball player, has died". The Pitch. http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2010/06/manute_bol_retired_basketball_player_has_died.php. Retrieved June 19, 2010. 
  25. ^ http://www.philly.com/dailynews/sports/96777669.html?cmpid=15585797
  26. ^ "Manute Bol's other legacy". The Washington Post. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-opinions/2010/06/manute_bols_other_legacy.html. 
  27. ^ . http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2010/06/19/GA2010061902220.htmlhpid=moreheadlines. [dead link]
  28. ^ Ryan, Bob (June 22, 2010). "Height, and depth". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2010/06/22/manute_bol_had_height_of_course_but_even_more_depth. 
  29. ^ http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-editorial-manute-bol-20100622,0,5943117.story
  30. ^ http://www.kctv5.com/news/23978190/detail.html
  31. ^ http://www.nba.com/wizards/news/bol_100619.html
  32. ^ http://www.nba.com/warriors/news/bol_passes_away_061810.html
  33. ^ http://www.nba.com/sixers/news/bol_100619.html
  34. ^ "Video: A Senate salute to Manute". The Washington Post. 2010-06-22. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2010/06/22/VI2010062202905.html. 
  35. ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5j4CZIgXsXmROD8dYFKNNhS3BpA2w
  36. ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5j4CZIgXsXmROD8dYFKNNhS3BpA2w
  37. ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5j4CZIgXsXmROD8dYFKNNhS3BpA2w
  38. ^ http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Dignitaries-Friends-say-Farewell-to-NBA-Manute-Bol-97432534.html
  39. ^ http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/22/2036636/nba-legend-spent-his-life-helping.html
  40. ^ http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/22/2036636/nba-legend-spent-his-life-helping.html#ixzz0sP8PlQvq
  41. ^ http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Dignitaries-Friends-say-Farewell-to-NBA-Manute-Bol-97432534.html
  42. ^ Memorial To Honor Manute Bol

External links

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1985 NBA Draft
First round
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NBA season blocks leaders
1974: Smith | 1975: Abdul-Jabbar | 1976: Abdul-Jabbar | 1977: Walton | 1978: Johnson | 1979: Abdul-Jabbar | 1980: Abdul-Jabbar | 1981: Johnson | 1982: Johnson | 1983: Rollins | 1984: Eaton | 1985: Eaton | 1986: Bol | 1987: Eaton | 1988: Eaton | 1989: Bol | 1990: Olajuwon | 1991: Olajuwon | 1992: Robinson | 1993: Olajuwon | 1994: Mutombo | 1995: Mutombo | 1996: Mutombo | 1997: Bradley | 1998: Camby | 1999: Mourning | 2000: Mourning | 2001: Ratliff | 2002: Wallace | 2003: Ratliff | 2004: Ratliff | 2005: Kirilenko | 2006: Camby | 2007: Camby | 2008: Camby | 2009: Howard | 2010: Howard
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