Profile Text
Date of Birth: c. October 16, 1962
Place of Birth: Turalei, Sudan (now South Sudan)
Date of Death: June 19, 2010
Place of Death: Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.
Ethnicity: Sudanese
Manute Bol was a Sudanese-American professional basketball player, and political activist. A center, he played for the Rhode Island Gulls of the United States Basketball League (USBL), the Washington Bullets, the Golden State Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Florida Beach Dogs of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), and Fulgor Libertas Forlì. He was known for his shot blocking skills. He was 7′6″ or 7′7″, and was tied with Gheorghe Mureșan for the tallest NBA player.
Manute was the son of Madute and Okwok Bol, and was raised near Gogrial. His father was a Dinka tribal elder. The Dinka are part of the Nilotic people, known for their height; his father was 6′8″ and his mother was 6′10″. The name Manute means “special blessing.” Manute experienced prejudice from the northern Sudanese majority. He was recruited to play college basketball in the U.S. in 1982.
Manute had six children with his first wife Atong, and four children with his second wife Ajok. Among his children is Madut, who played college basketball, and professional basketball player Bol Bol.
He spoke Dinka and Arabic. Manute was Catholic.
Source: https://www.espn.com