Manute Bol: A Freak Show in the NBA, a Hero in Sudan
Before African-born players such as Dikembe Mutombo and Serge Ibaka became NBA stars, there was Manute Bol. Born in South Sudan to cattle farmers, his life was far different growing up than most NBA players, claiming that at 15 years old he killed a lion with a spear because it had attacked his family’s cows. He would often play soccer with other local children until he became too tall for the sport, which is when he first picked up basketball. This led to him eventually playing on the Sudanese national team and gaining the attention of college scouts. It was coach Don Feeley from Fairleigh Dickinson University who discovered Bol and convinced him to go to the U.S. In 1983 he was drafted by the San Diego Clippers in the 5th round with the 97th pick overall, but Bol was ruled ineligible. His next move was to Cleveland, where he has offered a place on Cleveland State University’s team. The problem was that Bol could hardly speak or write English at that point. Despite working on his English so he could pass the necessary exams to enroll, he never would play a game in Cleveland State, who was later found to be providing improper benefits to Bol and two other African players. It worked out in the end though, with Bol finding a place at the Division II school University of Bridgeport, where he was the star and would draw crowds nearly triple the size of games before he joined them.
Throughout his career Bol was as much a circus attraction as player in many people’s eyes. Outside of his blocking abilities — he averaged 3.3 BPG for his career, and 5 BPG in his best season — he wasn’t anything special, never averaging more than 3.9 PPG. Even before he entered the NBA, many scouts believed he wouldn’t be a success. Despite this, he was far more famous than his stats would suggest. The Guinness Book of World Records officially measured him as 7 feet and 63⁄4 inches making him was the tallest player ever until Gheorghe Mureșan was drafted, and his wingspan of 8 feet 6 inches is the longest in NBA history. It wasn’t just his height that made him such a site to see, but that coupled with his wiry frame. Bol only weighed 200 lbs. when he entered the NBA, and when the Washington Bullets sent him for intense weight training, he was initially only able lift 45 pounds on a 10-rep bench press.
So while Bol is more known for his physical appearance, he was largely forgotten after his playing days were over, but that’s when his greatest accomplishments happened. Sudan’s struggle for stability is long and well documented, and Bol tirelessly worked to help the situation in his home country. He spent millions of his own money earned in the NBA helping to build hospitals and aid the needy, and he wasn’t just sending checks from the States–he was over there himself. By 2001 though, partially due to bad investments and a car accident that left him seriously injured, Bol was basically out of money because he’d spent so much of it on humanitarian aid. Pro athletes going broke after retirement is far from a new sorry, but few–if any–have done it for such admirable reasons.
At one point he even went on the reality show Celebrity Boxing. Unlike most former celebrities who use reality television as a way to hold onto their fame, Bol needed the money to continue his work in Sudan. He went up against former NFL player William “Refrigerator” Perry, who was basically known for being a fat ass. The two of them boxing is quite comical, but it seems almost humiliating for Bol to be made in to a circus freak show–more so that he ever was in the NBA. Despite his incredible devotion to his country, his story ended in tragedy. After suffering from Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, an allergic reaction to the drugs he needed to take for kidney disease, he died of acute kidney failure and a potentially fatal skin disease that he contracted while in the Sudan. At Bol’s funeral, Senator Sam Brownback said, “He literally gave his life for his people… It makes me look at efforts that I do as not enough.” Doctors had warned Bol about staying in the Sudan for too long, worried that the conditions would be hard on him. He could’ve stayed in America, had a nice, easy life, maybe still sent cash over and felt good about that, but he believed that wasn’t enough. He fought for the good of his people and his life, even his NBA career, was all for them. For the end, I’ve included a report covering Bol’s funeral service as well as a video of his son, who is rising basketball prospect and perhaps can carry on his father’s legacy.
