The Ifs and Buts Sports Barbershop

By Mjlover23

June 20, 2010

Many people are called “Giants” for the great things that they do. Manute Bol was not only one of those people at 7’7”, he was more like a super hero! His humanitarian efforts in his home of Sudan are not nearly as publized as they should have been. I’d say in some ways understated! In his ten year NBA career, he donated the MAJORITY of his $5.8 million salary to his home land ($3.8 million est. which is about 65%). Unheard of in this age of mega millionaires that for the most part help a lot of people, but not nearly to the extent of Manute’s magnitude.

Manute was born in 1962 in Sudan, son of a Dinka tribal chief. His height was attributed to his dad being 6’8”, and his mom being 6’10”! One of the famous stories of his youth was killing a lion with a spear while tending to cattle. He was discovered while playing in Sudan for a few teams, and was convinced to come to the U.S. in hopes of a professional basketball career. After running into trouble at his first attempt at playing collegiately, but landed at Division II University of Bridgeport. Once established at Bridgeport…the legend of Manute Bol began!

Drafted by the Washington Bullets in the second round of the 1985 NBA draft, he led the league in blocked shots with 397. Not only did he set the rookie record for blocks in a season, but set a career high 5 blocks per game. He still holds the record for second and seventh most most blocks in NBA history! He was traded to the Golden State Warriors in 1988, and that is when his 3 point barrage started! While leading the lead in blocks with 345, he shot a career high 91 3 pointers! The more miraculous achievement is that he made 20 of them! The feat is not memorable for a guy that height shooting 3s. It was the sight of his signature “catapult” delivery, and then the unbelievable feat of his attempts going in!

His more famous teammates in Charles Barkley and Chris Mullin had nothing but the utmost respect for the gentle giant. Bol and Barkley constantly played pranks on each other while Bol was in Philly. “It was an honor and a pleasure to play with Manute. He was a wonderful guy,” said Barkley. “Man, I remember every moment with him,” Mullin said. “Every moment was an event with Manute.” “He’d been through so much in the course of his lifetime. He had seen so much. He taught me a lot about life, just listening to him and his stories and what he’d been through.”

Life after the NBA found him signing a one day contract in the Central Hockey League, eventhough he couldn’t skate. He also signed on to fight William “The Refrigerator” Perry on the Celebrity Boxing show. All in the name of fundraising for his war-torn country of Sudan. Misfortune followed him in 2004 when his neck was broken in a car accident. Plagued by liver disease for several years, he finally lost is battle to the illness on June 19th of this year.

His contributions not only to the game of basketball and his teammates, but to his country is immeasurable. We should all strive to be as selfless as Manute Bol. The world would be a better place.

R.I.P. Manute Bol
October 16, 1962 – June 19, 2010

Twitter @Mjlover23