Manute Bol
A 7-foot-7 Sudanese giant who used his NBA fame and fortune to fund humanitarian efforts and speak out against genocide in his homeland.
1962–2010 (age 48)·Sudanese-American basketball player·Birthday: October 16·Baby Boomers
Biography
Manute Bol entered the NBA as a curiosity—a player from Sudan whose staggering height and shot-blocking prowess seemed otherworldly. But his legacy extends far beyond the basketball court. Born into the Dinka tribe, Bol used his professional career as a platform and a bankroll for activism. He tirelessly campaigned for Sudanese independence and donated an estimated majority of his earnings to humanitarian causes, at one point even playing professional hockey to raise more money. His outspoken criticism of the Omar al-Bashir regime and the genocide in Darfur made him a target but never silenced him. Bol lived with a profound sense of duty, transforming his identity from a sports novelty into a powerful, persistent voice for his people.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Manute was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Manute Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Manute's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2010Died at 48
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
Key Achievements
- Recorded over 2,000 blocked shots in his NBA career, ranking among the league's all-time leaders in blocks per game.
- Donated millions of dollars to support Sudanese refugees and advocate for human rights in his home country.
- One of only two players in NBA history, alongside Gheorghe Mureșan, to be listed at 7 feet 7 inches tall.
Did You Know?
He once signed a contract with a minor-league ice hockey team, the Indianapolis Ice, specifically to raise money for charity.
He claimed to have killed a lion with a spear while growing up in Sudan.
He and fellow tall center Gheorghe Mureșan starred in the 1996 comedy film 'My Giant'.
“God guided me to America and gave me a good job. But he also gave me a heart so I would look back.”
