- Title: USA: BASKETBALL: Funeral services are held for former NBA star Manute Bol
- Date: 1st July 2010
- Summary: WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES (JUNE 29, 2010) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) DENG DENG NHIAL, DEPUTY HEAD OF MISSION, GOVERNMENT OF SOUTHERN SUDAN MISSION-USA: "Starting from the village to the NBA. It's a big story that not everybody can do and for Manute who is gifted at 7-7 so he mans a lot to Sudanese society in particular for the southern Sudanese he was a person o
- Embargoed: 16th July 2010 13:00
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- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Obituaries,Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA4F3RU1JJI9QADRKX480MP4Q0T
- Story Text: Sudan's Manute Bol was remembered in an emotional funeral service at Washington's National Cathedral on Tuesday (June 29) The 7-7 fearless NBA shot blocker who started life as a Dinka herdsman was praised by former players and government officials for his work on and off the basketball court.
Bol, who wore size 16 1/2 shoes, died on June 19th at age 47 with severe kidney disease and a rare skin disorder. His tireless efforts to bring peace and reconciliation to war torn Sudan were recounted in Tuesday's service by U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, who accompanied Bol on a number of humanitarian missions to the region.
"I can't think of a person that I know of in the world that used their celebrity status for a greater good than for what Manute Bol did. He used it for his people. He gave his life for his people," Brownback told mourners.
Friend and former NBA star Chris Mullen spoke about Bol on the Cathedral steps after the service.
"He was a true warrior. He really was and that's the way he lived his life. If he believed in something he was going to fight for it."
Bol started playing in the NBA in 1985 for the Washington Bullets and set a rookie record for blocked shots. His imposing defensive presense is a trait that will be remembered by opposing players.
"The guys who played against him realized what a fierce competitor he was and for the teammates that he had they will remember what a great human being he was. How he loved to laugh. He enjoyed life and for the rest of the world he will be remembered for the great humanitarian he was. I think he'll be well remembered in all circles," Rory Sparrow, a Vice President for NBA player development and former player told Reuters.
After retirement from the NBA, Bol focused his attention on conditions in his native Sudan where civil war had ravaged his homeland forcing many into refugee camps. Some of his efforts to raise money for Sudan brought ridicule. He fought giant NFL lineman William "Refrigerator" Perry in a celebrity boxing match and strapped on a pair of ice skates in a one day contract for a minor league hockey game-even though he had never skated before.
The Reverend Tom Prichard, who also worked with Bol on Sudan relief efforts, saw these forays in a different light.
"It was interesting. Some people were embarrassed by that saying 'look this guy, his career is shot. Look at the stupid things he's doing' but when you think about it wait, that's heroic, you know, he was willing, in one sense humble himself because it was a way for him to get a little more help for his people. So I think it was heroic and it was a sign of his determination to help others."
Prichard was working with Bol on the construction of a school near Bol's village of Turalei at the time of his death. Bol, who had been hospitalized since late May, will be buried near his father's grave there. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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