Manute Bol, NBA Star and Humanitarian, Dies at 47

Manute Bol, an electrifying center from the Sudan who came to the United States without speaking any English, died at the University of Virginia Medical Center from complications stemming from a skin condition and kidney failure, the Washington Post reported.  Bol was 47.

Manute Bol, 7 foot 7 inches tall, was one of the two tallest players in NBA history.  Despite averaging under twenty minutes a game, Bol averaged 3.3 blocks an outing.  He is the only NBA player to have recorded more blocked shots than shots scored.

Bol grew up in Sudan, and did not touch a basketball until he was a teenager.  Before playing professional basketball, he was herding cattle in his home country.

After playing 10 seasons in the NBA, he engaged in a number of charity efforts to assist his home country, Sudan. The lanky star famously fought a charity boxing match with Chicago football lineman William "Refrigerator" Perry, and also worked with the aid group Sudan Sunrise.

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