Manute Bol
Manute Bol (/məˈnuːt ˈboʊl/; October 16, 1962 – June 19, 2010 ) was a Sudanese-born basketball player and political activist. At 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) tall, he was the tallest player ever to play in the National Basketball Association, along with Gheorghe Mureșan. Mureșan was also 7 ft 7 in tall He was officially measured and listed at 7 feet, 6 ¾ inches tall in the Guinness Book of World Records. He is believed to have been born on October 16, 1962 in either Turalei or Gogrial, Sudan (now South Sudan). He was the son of a Dinka tribal elder who gave him the name "Manute", which means "special blessing." Bol played basketball for many teams over his career. He played for two colleges and four NBA teams. A center, he was known as a specialist player; he was considered among the best shot-blockers in the history of the sport, but other aspects of his game were considered fairly weak. Over the course of his career he blocked more shots than he scored points. He is second all-time in NBA history in terms of average blocked shots per game, and ranks 15th on the career blocks list. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest shot blockers in NBA history.