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Manute Bol was, without question, one of the most interesting guys in NBA history. He came from Sudan and spent a year at Bridgeport, more or less, before entering the draft.
He was an immediate, if odd, sensation. At 7-7 he had minimal basketball skills but he was an outstanding shot blocker and, oddly, became a solid three point shooter.
When he was with the Philadelphia 76ers, he became good friends with Charles Barkley, who had the greatest respect for him.
And why not? Among his many life experiences, before he came to the US, Bol killed a lion with a spear.
It was no big deal, he said: the lion was asleep.
They became great friends and at some point, Barkley did this to his Sudanese pal.
Bol was a better man than the sideshow aspect of his career suggested. After he retired, he spent all of his money trying to help his fellow Dinka, who were caught in the Sudanese civil war.
Ultimately he gave almost all of his money to help and when he had a serious car accident, it ruined him financially.
He died in 2010 but there are many people who owe everything to that man.
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