![]() ![]() The longest wingspan in NBA history belongs to Manute Bol, who boasted an 8-foot-6 wingspan with a height of 7-foot-7. Malachi Flynn: 6-foot-3 Who has the longest wingspan in NBA history? ![]() These 10 players have the shortest arms in the league, with five being tied at 6-foot-2: On the flip side, guards tend to have the shortest wingspans in the NBA. The longest wingspan of all time is held by Manute Bol, at 8’6 long. DeMarcus Cousins: 7-foot-5.75 Who has the shortest wingspan in the NBA? IF YOU ENJOY OUR CONTENT, PLEASE CONSIDER A VOLUNTARY DONATION TO SUPPORT OUR WRITING & JOURNALISTIC EFFORTS.How MLB's Three Major Rule Changes Are Affecting Game Length, Runs and Moreġ5. Manute Bol is buried in South Sudan, an independent country since 2011. Prominent sports figures and politicians attended his funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral where his body lay in a customized 8-foot coffin. The NBA’s first African player and a tireless advocate for human rights died on Jfrom kidney failure. Bol’s former teammates raised $80,000 to cover his medical expenses. Life turned for the worst in 2004 after a taxi he was riding in got into an accident, sending him to the hospital for 3 months. Back in the U.S., he turned to kitschy antics to continue his fundraising efforts and even did a celebrity boxing match with William Perry ("The Fridge”), a former 350 lb. The long-limbed NBA veteran was left penniless after depleting his personal resources to help his country’s war victims. He was kept under house arrest for 3 years until 2002 and nearly died as his health deteriorated. The offer was reneged after Bol, a devoted Christian, refused to convert to Islam. Sudan’s government later invited him to take part in peace negotiations and offered him a ministerial post. But that chapter in America’s war on terror was still years away. ![]() It was in Sudan in the early 1990’s that bin-Laden and Al-Qaeda found sanctuary for their radical activities. was too preoccupied with the aftermath of the first Gulf War.īol also warned government officials of Osama bin-Laden and the rise of Islamic extremism. On a visit back home in 1991, Bol took video footages of refugee camps and presented his findings to the State Department. Reports began to surface of atrocities committed by the central government against his tribe and the people of southern Sudan. But Bol’s heart longed for his family and the welfare of his country, now embroiled in a civil war. Making money and enjoying the trappings of American culture, the “Dinka Dunker” had it made. The two ball handlers with a height differential greater than 2 feet made for a colorful show, but failed to win games. At one point, the Bullets paired him with 5’3” “Muggsy” Bogues, the shortest player in the NBA. He put in stints with the Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Miami Heat. at UB and was sent for additional strength training after being drafted by the Bullets. when he arrived to the U.S., Bol gained 20 lbs. When Bol announced his departure for the pros, UB’s coach was overcome by emotion and shed tears for the player who lit up campus for a single unforgettable season.īut there were questions whether Bol had the physical strength to do battle as a Center in the NBA. Game attendance tripled and the previously unheralded Purple Knights made the NCAA Northeast Finals. ![]() Popular on and off the court, the rail-thin exotic import turned heads everywhere he went and even drew fans from UB’s rivals. An American coach saw him play in Sudan and in 1984, Bol found himself at the University of Bridgeport (UB), a Division II basketball program. The family relied on herding cows for their livelihood, but young Manute left for Khartoum where luck and circumstance eventually landed him stateside. When he picked up a basketball for the first time as a teenager, he broke two front teeth on the rim coming down from a lay-up. Bol is the only NBA veteran to record more shots blocked than points scored.īorn into the Dinka tribe of southern Sudan, Bol’s genes carried the blueprints of some of the tallest people in the world. He snuffed an astounding 15 attempts in a single match against the Atlanta Hawks in January, 1986. In his first year, Bol averaged 6 rebounds per game (rpg) and set a rookie record of 397 blocks (5 bpg). With an 8’6” wingspan and a 10’5” vertical reach, the African marvel swatted balls like flies and denied shots from stars like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving (Dr. But the amiable giant was also a committed humanitarian who risked his life and depleted his personal fortune to help refugees in a war-torn country.īol spent 10 years in the NBA (1985-’95) as a blocking specialist. The 7-foot, 7-inch (2.31m) native of Sudan is considered one of the best shot-blockers in the history of the game. Looking like a gangly mythical creature, Manute Bol was the tallest player to join the NBA. ![]()
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