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Born on 16 October , 1962 was a Sudanese-born American basketball player and political activist. Listed at 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) tall. He was the tallest player in the history of the National Basketball Association, along with Gheorghe Mureșan. He was officially measured and listed at 7 feet 6 3⁄4 inches (2.305 m) tall in the Guinness Book of World Records. He was the son of a Dinka tribal elder who gave him the name “Manute” which means “Special Blessing”.
He came from a family of extraordinarily tall men and women: the mother was 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), his father 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), and the sister is 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)”, he said his great-grandfather was even taller – 7 ft 10 in (2.39 m). His ethnic group, the Dinka, and the Nilotic people of which they are a part, are among the taller populations of the world.
He tended his family’s cattle in boyhood. According to a tale he was often asked to repeat in interviews, he once killed a lion with a spear after it attacked his cows. The lion was asleep, though he was often encouraged to embellish the story. He started playing basketball only at about the age of 15.
Manute ventured football but abandoned it due to his great height and joined basketball, then he played for Sudan severally. Bol was drafted by the San Diego Clippers in the 5th round of the 1983 NBA draft (97th overall).
In 1985, Bol was drafted as the Seventh Pick in the second round by the Washington Bullets (31st overall). He played in the NBA for ten seasons, from 1985 to 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. 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
Washington Bullets (1st and 2nd Stints), Golden State Warriors (Ist and 2nd Stints), Philadephis 76ers (Ist and 2nd Stints), Maimi Heat.
During his basket ball career he was busy reading and studying and after his basket ball career, he became well-read, equipped himself with Western life, He spoke Dinka and Arabic before mastering English.
Manute died of acute Kidney failure on 19 June, 2010.
