Manute Bol ( /məˈnuːt ˈboʊl/; October 16, 1962 – June 19, 2010^[1]) was a Sudanese-born basketball player and activist. At 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) tall, Bol was one of the tallest players ever to appear in the National Basketball Association, along with Gheorghe Mureşan.^[2] Unlike Mureşan, however, Bol was naturally tall and did not have a Pituitary disease.^{[citation needed]} Bol was officially measured at 7 feet, 6 3/4 inches tall by the Guinness Book of World Records. Bol is believed to have been born on October 16, 1962 in either Turalei or Gogrial, Sudan (now South 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 ability was considered among the best in the history of the sport, but other aspects of his game were considered fairly weak. In his career, he had more blocked shots than points scored.

Family background[link]

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[link]

Amateur years[link]

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. However, he didn't speak or write English very well at the time. He was unable to improve his English-language skills after months of English language classes at ELS Language Centers on the Case Western Reserve University campus, and never played a game for Cleveland State. Five years later, Cleveland State was placed on two years' probation for providing improper financial assistance to Bol and two other African players.^[7] He enrolled at the University of Bridgeport, a Division II basketball school, and played college basketball there during the 1984-1985 season.

NBA[link]

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[link]

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[link]

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[link]

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 in a losing effort against the Suns.^[10] Fans were known to yell out "shoot" as soon as Bol touched the ball when he was far from the basket.^[11]

Miami Heat[link]

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)[link]

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 Mureşan.

Philadelphia 76ers (2nd stint)[link]

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)[link]

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[link]

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] On 01992-01-31January 31, 1992, 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 bulkier 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[link]

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:

• First in career blocks per 48 minutes (8.6), almost 50% beyond second-place Mark Eaton (5.8).^[16]
• Second in career blocks-per-game average (3.34).^[17]
• Fourteenth in total blocked shots (2,086).^[18]
• The only player in NBA history to block more shots than points scored, blocking 2,086 shots and scoring 1,599 points.^[18]

Post-NBA[link]

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[link]

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 the war-ravaged nation of his 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 a Christian,^[20] refused because one of the pre-conditions was converting to Islam.^[21] 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.^[21]

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 could not skate, the publicity generated by his single game appearance helped raise money to assist children in Sudan.^[22] 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.

Bol was also an advocate for reconciliation efforts and worked to improve education in South Sudan. A Nicholas Kristoff article^[23] in the New York Times highlighted this belief and Bol’s work for reconciliation and education with an organization called Sudan Sunrise. Bol first began working with Sudan Sunrise to raise awareness on issues of reconciliation in 2005. This included speaking at the United States Capitol in Washington, DC and subsequently partnering with Sudan Sunrise to build schools across South Sudan that, in the spirit of reconciliation, would enroll students regardless of tribe or religion.^[24]

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[link]

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.^[25] In July 2004, Bol was seriously injured in a car accident, breaking his neck, when he was ejected from a taxi that hit a guardrail and overturned. The driver had a suspended license and was driving under the influence.^[26] Because his fortunes were mostly donated to Sudan, he was in financial ruins because he had no life insurance or health insurance.^[27] When Bol recovered from these injuries he moved to Olathe, Kansas.^[25]

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

Death[link]

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.^{[25] [28]}

After his death, tributes to Bol's basketball career and charitable works came from around the United States and the world.^{[29][30][31][32][33][34]}

His former teams, and the NBA, issued statements in recognition of his impact on the sport of basketball and on his native Sudan.^[35][36][37]

A salute to Bol took place on the floor of the United States Senate just a few days after his death.^[38]

Funeral service and tribute[link]

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.^[39]

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, Bol's Uncle, Mr. Bol Bol Choi, and Vice President of the National Basketball Association Rory Sparrow.^[39]

Sparrow remembered Bol as "a giant off the court" who should be remembered for humanitarian work and his basketball career.^[39]

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, 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."^[40]

Prichard went on to say "There's no question Manute gave his life for his country."^[41][42]

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."^[40]

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

Manute Bol's remains were buried in Sudan.^[43]

See also[link]

Biography portal

• List of National Basketball Association career blocks leaders
• List of National Basketball Association players with most blocks in a game
• List of tallest players in National Basketball Association history

References/Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Manute Bol at NBA.com

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Manute Bol

• Career NBA stats
• Player Profile (InterBasket)
• June 2006 SI.com article
• AP Article: NBA Star Now Refugee
• "Manute Bol, N.B.A. Player and Activist, Dies at 47", New York Times, June 19, 2010
• Manute Bol at Find a Grave

Muggsy Bogues

Bogues in Delhi in 2011.
No. 1, 14
Point guard
Personal information
Born	(1965-01-09) January 9, 1965 (age 47) Baltimore, Maryland
Nationality	American
High school	Paul Laurence Dunbar (Maryland)
Listed height	5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Listed weight	141 lb (64 kg)
Career information
College	Wake Forest (1983–1987)
NBA Draft	1987 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12th overall
Selected by the Washington Bullets
Pro career	1987–2001
Career history
As player:
1987–1988	Washington Bullets
1988–1997	Charlotte Hornets
1997–1999	Golden State Warriors
1999–2001	Toronto Raptors
As coach:
2005–2006	Charlotte Sting (WNBA)
2011–present	United Faith Christian Academy
Career highlights and awards
Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (1987)
Career statistics
Points	6,858
Assists	6,726
Steals	1,369
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Men’s basketball Competitor for  United States FIBA World Championship Gold 1986 Spain National team

Tyrone Curtis "Muggsy" Bogues (born January 9, 1965) is a retired American professional basketball player and current head coach of the United Faith Christian Academy boys' basketball team. The shortest player ever to play in the NBA, the 5 ft 3 in Bogues played point guard for four teams during his 14-season career in the National Basketball Association. Best known for his involvement with the Charlotte Hornets, he also played for the Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors and served as head coach of the now-defunct WNBA team Charlotte Sting.

Biography[link]

High school and college[link]

Bogues was born in Baltimore, Maryland and played at Dunbar High School in his native Baltimore, where he was a teammate of future NBA players David Wingate (graduating class ahead of him), Reggie Williams and Reggie Lewis (both in his graduating class). The 1981–82 Dunbar Poets finished the season at 29–0 during Bogues' junior season and finished 31–0 during his senior season, and were ranked first in the nation by USA Today.^[1] He went on to play four years at Wake Forest University, averaging 11.3 points, 8.4 assists and 3.1 steals per game in his junior year. He followed with a senior campaign in which he averaged 14.8 points, 9.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 3.9 steals per game.

He played for the US national team in the 1986 FIBA World Championship, and won the gold medal.^[2]

NBA[link]

Bogues was drafted twelfth overall in the 1987 NBA Draft by the Washington Bullets, and was part of a talent-laden draft class that also included David Robinson, Reggie Miller, Scottie Pippen and Kevin Johnson. In his rookie year, Bogues was a teammate of Manute Bol who stood 7 feet 7 inches (231 cm) tall. Bol and Bogues appeared on three magazine covers together.

Despite his height, Bogues managed to block 39 shots throughout his NBA span including one on Patrick Ewing. This happened on April 14, 1993 in the first quarter when Ewing was pulling the ball back to go up for the shot and Bogues stripped him of the ball. He was credited with the block though; footage of his block was shown in 1996 on NBA Action.

Charlotte Hornets[link]

The Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets were set to enter the NBA for the 1988–89 NBA season. Despite their weakness at the point guard, Bogues was left unprotected by the Bullets. On June 22, 1988 the Hornets selected him in the expansion draft. As Bogues settled in Charlotte, he established himself as an exceptional passer, a great ball-stealer, and one of the fastest on court.

Bogues spent ten years in Charlotte as the Hornets, led by Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson, became one of the most popular teams in the NBA and a perennial playoff contender. Bogues was one of the most popular players in Hornets history, despite the fact that he never averaged more than 11.2 points per game in a season.^[3]

He is the Hornets' career leader in minutes played (19,768), assists (5,557), steals (1,067), turnovers (1,118), and assists per 48 minutes (13.5). Bogues held the Hornets' single-game record of 19 assists, broken by Chris Paul (another player from Wake Forest) on Nov. 7, 2007. He also held the Hornets' postseason-game record of 15 assists, but that record was also broken on April 22, 2008 by Paul, when he dished out 17 assists in the Hornets' win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Last years[link]

Two games into the 1997–98 NBA season, Bogues' career in Charlotte ended when he was traded, along with Tony Delk, to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for B. J. Armstrong. Bogues played two seasons with the Warriors, and then signed as a free agent with the Toronto Raptors, where he would eventually finish his career. Although he was later traded to both the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, he did not play a single game for either franchise.

Life after the NBA[link]

Since leaving the NBA, Bogues worked in the real estate business until August 3, 2005, when he was named head coach of the Charlotte Sting in the Women's National Basketball Association despite a lack of coaching experience. Notably, he was shorter than all of his players, the shortest member of the Sting being Helen Darlings who stands 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m). He lost his job as coach when the team folded in January 2007.

In 2011, he became the head coach of United Faith Christian Academy boys' high school basketball team in Charlotte, North Carolina after serving as an assistant to former head coach Shaun Wiseman.^[4][5] His autobiography, In the Land of Giants, recounts the struggles of growing up in inner-city Baltimore and achieving success in the NBA.

Television and movie appearances[link]

Bogues made a cameo appearance in TV series Curb Your Enthusiasm playing himself, sharing a restroom with Larry David and Richard Lewis and nearly having an altercation with David after catching them looking at his penis while urinating. In 1996, Bogues had a film cameo at the end of Eddie in which Whoopi Goldberg's character flirts with him. He then walks out onto the court to support her character preventing Wild Bill from moving the Knicks. Also that year Bogues appeared in the movie Space Jam as one of five NBA players whose playing ability is stolen by the evil Monstars. Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley, Larry Johnson and Patrick Ewing are the other four. He made a cameo appearance on an episode of Saturday Night Live while Charles Barkley was hosting. He also appeared in an episode of Hang Time where he spoke against steroids. Most recently he appeared in an episode of the television show Pros vs. Joes (season 1, episode 2) along with Bo Jackson, Dan O'Brien, Jennie Finch and Bill Romanowski.

See also[link]

• List of shortest players in National Basketball Association history
• List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders
• List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders

References[link]

External links[link]

• Muggsy Bogues at Basketball-Reference.com
• Muggsy Bogues at DatabaseBasketball.com
• WNBA Press Release of Bogues becoming Head Coach of the Charlotte Sting
• Muggsy Bogues at NBA.com
• Audio: Catching Up With Muggsy Bogues