Kevin Mackey, the coach who recruited Manute Bol (7ft 7in), has admitted to making up the player’s date of birth and admits that he never knew how old the Sudanese center really was.
The coach signed Manute Bol to play at Cleveland State in the NCAA directly from Sudan in 1985.
The mystery of Manute Bol’s age: he died between 48 and 64 years old
Officially Manute Bol, who died in 2010 at the age of 48 from kidney disease, was born on October 16, 1962. According to Mackey, neither Bol nor his family knew the exact age of the legendary player.
I wanted to make sure that Manute Bol was seen young enough to have all the doors open in the world of sports
“I just made up a date of birth because Manute Bol had no idea how old he was. Neither he nor his companion could offer accurate information,” the coach told ‘zagsblog.com’.
Manute Bol was probably between 40 and 50 years old when he played in the NBA
The coach managed to get a date of birth for Bol because several of the immigration office officials were big Cleveland State fans.
Manute Bol had to be younger in order to have a chance of playing in the NBA
Curiously, Manute Bol never actually played for Cleveland State because he did not speak English well enough. He enrolled at Bridgeport, a Division II university, and played there during the 1984-85 season.
“Manute didn’t play a single game for Cleveland State. We knew we couldn’t get him into college, but what were we supposed to do? Send him back? He refused to go. His people were starving there. In short, we didn’t get any competitive advantage, none,” said the coach, who was fired from Cleveland State in 1990 after problems with alcoholism and substance abuse that led to his arrest.
Mackey, whom Larry Bird brought back to basketball by hiring him as a scout for the Indiana Pacers, admitted that “I wanted to make sure Manute Bol was seen young enough to have all the doors open in the world of sport. At 19, the future is bright; at 35, the doors close.”
Manute Bol: 2.59m wingspan to make NBA history with blocks
Mission accomplished. Manute Bol was selected in the second round of the 1985 NBA Draft and managed to play a decade in the NBA, becoming an iconic player and one of the best shot-blockers ever seen on a basketball court thanks to his 2.59m wingspan.
“Manute Bol was probably between 40 and 50 years old when he played in the NBA,” said Kevin Mackey of the Sudanese center from the Dinka tribe, who may have been born between 1946 and 1962, so he died between the ages of 48 and 64.
Manute Bol, who played in the NBA from 1985 to 1995, averaged 2.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 3.3 blocks in 644 games with Washington, Golden State, Philadelphia and Miami.
The mysterious Sudanese center, who retired at the age of 35, is the only player in NBA history with more blocks than points scored.
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