Marehemu Manute alishawishiwa kuja Marekani kucheza basketball kutokana na urefu wake. Alikuwa kabilia la Dinka. Kuna vita kali huko Sudan kati ya waDinka na waarabu. Kutokana na urfeu wake, hakuwa na haja ya kuruka ili kufika kwenye kikapu! Hakusahau kwao na alianzisha miradi ya kusaidia Sudan, na pia alitumia karibu hela yake yote kwa ajili ya miradi huko Sudan.
Mungu ailaze roho yake mahala pema mbinguni. Amen.
Manute Bol aliwafungulia mlango wachezaji wengine kutoka Afrika kama Dikembe Mutombo na kijana wetu Hasheem Thabit.
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Manute Bol, the 7-foot-7 inch basketball star and Sudanese humanitarian, who once called the University of Bridgeport his home, died Saturday morning at age 47.
His death at University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville.was confirmed by friend and Sudan Sunrise director Tom Prichard via email to the Associated Press.
Prichard said Sudan "and the world have lost a hero."
Bol was hospitalized last month for an acute kidney failure and skin disease he had contracted while trying to help his native Sudan.
Bol, a 10-year NBA veteran, was returning to the United States last month from his native Sudan after helping fight corrupt practices in the country's recent elections. He was hospitalized during a stopover in Washington in May.
Hailing from Sudan, Bol was enticed to play college basketball in the United States and was drafted by the San Diego Clippers in the fifth round of the 1983 NBA Draft. The NBA, however, ruled Bol ineligible and an attempt to get him to play at Cleveland State failed. He enrolled at the University of Bridgeport, where he played during the 1984-85 season.
In 1985, Bol was drafted in the second round by the Washington Bullets. He played in the NBA for 10 years, from 1985-1995, with the Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat. Bol averaged 2.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 3.3 blocks per game.
He spent the rest of his life as a humanitarian working closely with Sudan Sunrise, a group based in Lenexa, Kan., that promotes reconciliation in war-torn Sudan. He survived a serious car accident in 2004.
Kwa habari zaidi someni:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/sports/basketball/20bol.html
