Former Washington Basketball Star Dies

Manute Bol loses battle with kidney failure

Former  D.C. basketball star Manute Bol died Saturday.  He was only 47.

Bol was a big player with an even bigger heart. The 7-foot-7 Sudan native spent much of the millions he made during his 10-year NBA career raising money for refugees from his homeland.

Bol was in Sudan as recently as May. On his way back to the U.S. he was hospitalized for a kidney condition. He spent his final days at UVA Medical Center in Charlottesville, Va.

Bol also suffered from Stevens-Johnson Syndrome.  The skin condition became so severe that Bol couldn’t eat for 11 days, according to Tom Prichard, Executive Director of Sudan Sunrise. 

His 10 seasons with the NBA included four with Washington, as well as time in Philadelphia, Miami and with Golden State Warriors.

At the start of his career, Bol was the tallest man in the NBA. Although he could reach the basket without jumping, he was more accomplished as a shot-blocker than scoring goals.

Bol took part in the 2006 Sudan Freedom Walk.  The march took him from U.N. building in New York to U.S. Capitol in D.C.

The name "Manute," means "special blessing” in Dinka. While Bol gained famed as a professional basketball player, his legacy will surely be in the lives he touched through his humanitarian work. 

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