Professional Basketball Player. Born in Turalie or Gogrial, Sudan, he was invited to the US after Fairleigh Dickinson University's coach saw him play in Khartoum. Bol was drafted by the NBA's San Diego Clippers in 1983, but the league ruled him ineligible. He then played a season at the University of Bridgeport, and in 1985 was drafted by the Washington Bullets. He played 10 NBA seasons with the Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat. The National Basketball Association's tallest-ever player at 7 feet 7 inches, Bol's thin physique prevented him from establishing position against stronger players. Instead he used his height and reach to become a shot blocking specialist, and his career statistics include: 2nd in career blocks-per-game average with 3.34; 14th in career blocks with 2,086; and the only player in NBA history with more blocks than points scored (1,599). Bol holds the rookie record for blocks in a season (397), once blocked 4 consecutive shots on the same possession, and tied records for most blocks in a half (11) and a quarter (8). After leaving the NBA following the 1994-1995 season he played briefly in the Continental Basketball Association and in Italy and Qatar before retiring. Bol spent much of his basketball income on efforts to relieve suffering in civil war-torn Sudan, and established the Ring True Foundation to continue this work. In 2006 he was seriously injured in a car accident, and he died at the University of Virginia Medical Center from kidney failure and the effects of Stevens–Johnson Syndrome, a rare condition he contracted while visiting Sudan.
Professional Basketball Player. Born in Turalie or Gogrial, Sudan, he was invited to the US after Fairleigh Dickinson University's coach saw him play in Khartoum. Bol was drafted by the NBA's San Diego Clippers in 1983, but the league ruled him ineligible. He then played a season at the University of Bridgeport, and in 1985 was drafted by the Washington Bullets. He played 10 NBA seasons with the Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat. The National Basketball Association's tallest-ever player at 7 feet 7 inches, Bol's thin physique prevented him from establishing position against stronger players. Instead he used his height and reach to become a shot blocking specialist, and his career statistics include: 2nd in career blocks-per-game average with 3.34; 14th in career blocks with 2,086; and the only player in NBA history with more blocks than points scored (1,599). Bol holds the rookie record for blocks in a season (397), once blocked 4 consecutive shots on the same possession, and tied records for most blocks in a half (11) and a quarter (8). After leaving the NBA following the 1994-1995 season he played briefly in the Continental Basketball Association and in Italy and Qatar before retiring. Bol spent much of his basketball income on efforts to relieve suffering in civil war-torn Sudan, and established the Ring True Foundation to continue this work. In 2006 he was seriously injured in a car accident, and he died at the University of Virginia Medical Center from kidney failure and the effects of Stevens–Johnson Syndrome, a rare condition he contracted while visiting Sudan.
Bio by: Bill McKern
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