Zoneboy
06-19-2010, 04:54 PM
Link (http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2010/06/19/nba-player-manute-bol-dies/)
Manute Bol, the 7-foot-7 basketball sensation of the 1980s who played for the Washington Bullets, died Saturday at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, the Washington Post reported. He was 47.
The Post quoted his cousin, George Bol, as saying the Sudanese native suffered from internal bleeding from Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, a skin disease he contracted from a medicine he received in Africa.
TMZ Sports reported he was hospitalized in Virginia last month after suffering acute kidney failure.
Bol played in the NBA from 1985-94 and was known for his shot-blocking skill.
Bol was a cattle-herding member of the Dinka tribe in southern Sudan and never played basketball until he was a teen, the Post said. After an American coach spotted him in Sudan, he came to America, where he played basketball at the University of Bridgeport and in 1985 was drafted by the Washington Bullets.
He played for the Bullets -- now known as the Washington Wizards -- from 1985-1988, plus two games in the 1993-94 season.
Over the duration of his career, he also played with the Golden State Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat.
Bol also was extremely involved in charities in Sudan and TMZ reported he donated an estimated $3.5 million to aid Sudanese refugees.
Manute Bol, the 7-foot-7 basketball sensation of the 1980s who played for the Washington Bullets, died Saturday at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, the Washington Post reported. He was 47.
The Post quoted his cousin, George Bol, as saying the Sudanese native suffered from internal bleeding from Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, a skin disease he contracted from a medicine he received in Africa.
TMZ Sports reported he was hospitalized in Virginia last month after suffering acute kidney failure.
Bol played in the NBA from 1985-94 and was known for his shot-blocking skill.
Bol was a cattle-herding member of the Dinka tribe in southern Sudan and never played basketball until he was a teen, the Post said. After an American coach spotted him in Sudan, he came to America, where he played basketball at the University of Bridgeport and in 1985 was drafted by the Washington Bullets.
He played for the Bullets -- now known as the Washington Wizards -- from 1985-1988, plus two games in the 1993-94 season.
Over the duration of his career, he also played with the Golden State Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat.
Bol also was extremely involved in charities in Sudan and TMZ reported he donated an estimated $3.5 million to aid Sudanese refugees.