The term ‘Freak of nature’ gets thrown around a lot, but in the truest sense, there have been very few freaks of nature in the NBA. Manute Bol was one of them. While there’s no scarcity of freakishly tall players in the league, there was much more than just the towering height of the Sudanese legend that made him special.
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Brad Parker was in conversation with Chris Mullin, who was Bol’s teammate at Golden State, when he asked the latter for one crazy Manute Bol story.
The Warriors legend spent several years playing alongside Bol, so he has stories that could last for days. Mullin recalled how they once went to a bar, and people started questioning their eyes after seeing Bol, thinking they’d drank too much.
Mullin first met Bol at the University of Bridgeport, where his brother used to go. After hearing tales about a 7’7 man, Mullin decided to see for himself. One day at practice, he saw Bol struggling to get inside the door.
To his surprise, the stories were right, Bol was a real person. Soon they hit it off, became friends, and started hanging out together.
Mullin said, “We used to go to the bars. We walked into this Irish bar one late night, me, few friends, and Manute. And the guys [at the bar] were like, they thought they may have drank way too much. Because they thought they were seeing things. They saw Manute Bol on Flatbush Avenue.”
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Mullin revealed that the Sudanese baller was a good partner to go to bars with. Bol loved drinking Heineken.
The giant was truly one of a kind and has left behind an incredible legacy, and so many stories that future generations will listen to in disbelief.
The Manute Bol stories
America wasn’t ready for Manute Bol back in the 80s. He was not only bringing his talent and physique that made him look like an alien, but Bol was also bringing stories from Sudan that very few could believe. He famously once detailed to reporters how he once killed a lion with his spear back home.
While it could have been a bit too much for people, it made them realize that Bol was truly different. According to several reports, Bol never played a game of basketball sober in his entire career. The 7’7 legend was always drunk, possibly on Heinekens, and could still somehow perform on the floor.
At 7’7, Bol still wasn’t the tallest in the family. His great-grandfather was reportedly 7’10. Other people in his family were very tall too. His mom and dad were 6’10 and 6’8 respectively while his sister was 6’8. With his unique personality, Bol had a generous heart and he did everything in his power to ensure that his people get to live a good life.
