Manute Bol

You know the 76ers have hit bottom when even the players don't show up for games. Show up literally, that is, not figuratively, a rap to which half the team could plead guilty this month. On Friday, Manute Bol skipped the low-water mark of the 76ers' season, a 100-90 home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The famed 7-foot, 7-inch Dinka center gave a speech at the United Nations on the subject of his embattled homeland, Sudan, but apparently could not return to Philadelphia in time for the game.

A giant among even NBA stars and a towering symbol of hope in his native Sudan, Manute Bol, a former 76er, died Saturday morning. He was 47. Bol passed away at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville where he was being treated for acute kidney failure and a skin disease, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. The 7-foot-7 center, who could be an intimidating defensive presence on the court, was also known for his humanitarian efforts in Sudan and founded Sudan Sunrise, a group based in Lenexa, Kan., that promotes reconciliation in Sudan.

"What a relief," I thought to myself as the white stretch limo pulled into the Spectrum parking lot. "Right on time. " I didn't want to wait outside. Being in public with an NBA player always attracts a crowd - especially when he measures 7 feet 7 inches. That morning Manute Bol and I were traveling to Washington, our goal to raise money and awareness for famine relief for his country, the Sudan. I thought about Manute recently when I read that he was seriously injured in a car crash, ironically the same day United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan was inspecting living conditions at a Sudanese refugee camp.

SOME PEOPLE said Manute Bol was 7-6. Most said he was 7-7. All I know is that he was and always will be bigger than life. The former 76ers center - a renowned freedom fighter for his native Sudan - died of kidney problems and a rare skin disease Saturday in Charlottesville, Va. He was reported to be 47. And that's part of the magic, the charisma, the lore of the Dinka tribesman. Some of what we know about him is fact, some is legend, stories told through the years. There are times when it's virtually impossible to separate fact from legend, and all you can do is laugh.

The 76ers, searching for the glory they once had when Moses Malone roamed the paint, yesterday traded their 1991 first-round draft choice to the Golden State Warriors for Manute Bol. The gangly 7-foot-7 center isn't expected to be the workhorse that Malone was, and he is by no means a franchise player, but Bol, whose mere presence on the court makes opposing shooters think before they pull the trigger, is the vital piece that the Sixers hope...

First, a guy named Bimbo chases a loose ball and knocks Gov.-elect Christie Todd Whitman from her courtside seat. Then, to protest a charging call, petulant New Jersey Nets star Derrick Coleman launches the ball the length of the court into the opposite stands. Feeling a bit ignored, perhaps, a group of fans at Meadowlands Arena send down a chant: "We want Manute! We want Manute! We want Manute!" The object of their affection, the tree-limbed Dinka tribesman at the end of the Miami Heat bench, can only flash a mischievous smile.

It was an evening of losing for the 76ers as they played the New York Knicks last night. They lost the game, 98-90, by playing some very ugly basketball. They lost Manute Bol in the first quarter when he threw a punch at New York's Anthony Mason and was ejected. And they lost Clarence Weatherspoon in the second quarter when Patrick Ewing did a takedown on Weatherspoon's left knee. The Sixers can atone for the defeat tonight when they play the Indiana Pacers at the Spectrum.

JOHN NASH can see the humor in tonight's "Celebrity Boxing 2" matchup of two former Philadelphia athletes: the 7-7, super-skinny ex-76er Manute Bol and XXXXX-width ex-Eagles defensive tackle William "The Refrigerator" Perry. "Everyone wanted 'Nute' to partake of a refrigerator when they had him," said Nash, who was the general manager of the Washington Bullets during Bol's second tour with the NBA team. "I just hope he gets out of this alive, although I'm sure he has the reach advantage.

He was a prankster. And he loved to laugh. Unless the joke was on him. Then Manute Bol could become downright irritated. But for the most part, "he was just fun to be around," former teammate Charles Barkley said. The humanitarian spirit and shot-blocking ability of the center from Sudan were evident, but his time with the 76ers was also characterized by lots of laughs. What happened to Bol at about 9 p.m. on June 30 in Colchester, Conn., was no laughing matter. He was riding in a Yellow cab driven by Neville H. Robinson, 48, of Hartford, Conn.

Well, it was a good night for Eddie Lee Wilkins. The fourth-string center, who would like very much to be on someone else's depth chart, played 14 minutes last night, his longest stint on the court since November. In that time, Wilkins scored 18 points, putting up shots at a frenetic rate while the clock ticked down. Unfortunately, the minutes, the points and the shots were very nearly meaningless. They came while the Sixers were being trounced, 149-111, by the Houston Rockets, a game in which coach Doug Moe and center Manute Bol were ejected and another half-dozen guys would probably have liked to have been.

PHILADELPHIA is not the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the name Manute Bol. Our city was one of several stops that the impossibly tall (7'7") basketball phenom made in his NBA career. After his retirement, Bol put his time and energy into helping his war-torn homeland, the Sudan. That's why this weekend's sad news that Bol died at age 47 serves as a reminder. When you have a star in your town who builds schools rather than mansions, who misses games to attend peace talks, who risks his million-dollar life and limbs by visiting refugees in war zones, and who subjects himself to humiliation (appearing on celebrity boxing)

SOME PEOPLE said Manute Bol was 7-6. Most said he was 7-7. All I know is that he was and always will be bigger than life. The former 76ers center - a renowned freedom fighter for his native Sudan - died of kidney problems and a rare skin disease Saturday in Charlottesville, Va. He was reported to be 47. And that's part of the magic, the charisma, the lore of the Dinka tribesman. Some of what we know about him is fact, some is legend, stories told through the years. There are times when it's virtually impossible to separate fact from legend, and all you can do is laugh.

Manute Bol, 47, a giant among even NBA stars and a towering symbol of hope in his native Sudan, died Saturday morning. The former 76ers center died at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, where he was being treated for acute kidney failure and a skin disease, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. Mr. Bol, who at 7-foot-7 could be an intimidating defensive presence on the court, was also known for his humanitarian efforts in Sudan. He founded Sudan Sunrise, a group based in Lenexa, Kan., working to end oppression in Sudan.

It has been 14 years, yet this memory has been etched in my mind ever since. I was a junior at Syracuse University, and I had come home for the summer. My bedroom was adjacent to an office, a place in which tens of thousands of phone calls had been made, making sure every fact, every figure, every detail, was accurate for an appropriate story. On this summer night - actually it was around 3 a.m. - I woke up and walked into the office. "I got it!" my father said. "Got what?"

He was a prankster. And he loved to laugh. Unless the joke was on him. Then Manute Bol could become downright irritated. But for the most part, "he was just fun to be around," former teammate Charles Barkley said. The humanitarian spirit and shot-blocking ability of the center from Sudan were evident, but his time with the 76ers was also characterized by lots of laughs. What happened to Bol at about 9 p.m. on June 30 in Colchester, Conn., was no laughing matter. He was riding in a Yellow cab driven by Neville H. Robinson, 48, of Hartford, Conn.

"What a relief," I thought to myself as the white stretch limo pulled into the Spectrum parking lot. "Right on time. " I didn't want to wait outside. Being in public with an NBA player always attracts a crowd - especially when he measures 7 feet 7 inches. That morning Manute Bol and I were traveling to Washington, our goal to raise money and awareness for famine relief for his country, the Sudan. I thought about Manute recently when I read that he was seriously injured in a car crash, ironically the same day United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan was inspecting living conditions at a Sudanese refugee camp.

Former 76ers center Manute Bol was critically injured in a one-car crash that killed the cabdriver who was taking him home, police said. Bol, 43, of West Hartford, was riding in a cab on Route 2 Wednesday night when it hit a guardrail and swerved across both lanes before hitting a rock ledge and rolling over. When police arrived on the scene around 9 p.m., they found that Bol and Robinson, 48, had been ejected from the car. Bol suffered a head injury and was unconscious and Robinson was in cardiac arrest, police said.

Luol Deng concedes that he might not be in his current position if not for former 76er Manute Bol. Deng, a 6-foot-7 small forward from Duke University, has entered Thursday's NBA draft and could be selected as high as No. 3 by Chicago. He isn't expected to drop below No. 5, where Washington picks, after having averaged 15.1 points and 6.9 rebounds in his only college season. Like the 7-7 Bol, who played for the Sixers from 1990 to 1994, Deng is a native of Sudan and a member of the Dinka tribe.

Manute Bol has already proved he can take on William "Refrigerator" Perry. This weekend, he's taking his chances on the ice. The 7-7 former NBA player from Sudan, who spent parts of four seasins with the Sixers, is expected to make his first appearance with the Indianapolis Ice tonight against the Amarillo Gorillas. Bol agreed to contract terms with the Central Hockey League team earlier this week. A large jersey emblazoned with "Bol" and the number "7'7" hangs inside the Ice locker room, along with a pair of size 16 1/2 skates.