Manute Bol was born on 16 October 1962, in Gogrial, Sudan, and was a professional basketball player and activist, best known to be the tallest player in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), a title he holds alongside Gheorghe Muresan at 2.31 m. All of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it was prior to his passing in 2010.
How rich was Manute Bol? As of early-2017, sources inform us of a net worth that was at $7 million, mostly earned through a successful career in professional basketball. He played as a center for two colleges and four NBA teams; he is the only NBA player to have blocked more shots than scored points, but all of his achievements ensured the position of his wealth.
Manute Bol Net Worth $7 million
Manute was born into a very tall family with most members reaching an average of 7 feet tall. He started playing basketball at the age of 15, and his long limbs helped him a lot. He was recorded to have the widest arm span in NBA history, however, he was very slender which limited his offense.
In 1972, he tried his hand at soccer but later abandoned the sport due to his height. He switched to playing basketball regularly and would then become part of the Sudanese national team. He was convinced to try and pursue a career in the United States, and nominated for the 1983 NBA draft, being selected by the San Diego Clippers however he was considered ineligible, so he was then invited to play with Cleveland State University. Recruiting Bol caused the school to go on probation for two years, due to providing improper financial assistance. He would then go on to enroll at the University of Bridgeport, playing with the Purple Knights, and the school’s team started to earn popularity, with Manute performing well in his games.
He joined the 1985 NBA Draft and was selected as a second round pick by the Washington Bullets. He would go on to play for 10 seasons in the NBA, the first four with the Bullets. He scored a career high five blocks per game and would set the NBA rookie record of 397 blocks. His net worth started to increase quickly, and he joined the Golden State Warriors for two seasons, then trying his hand at three point shots. Afterwards, Manute joined the Philadelphia 76ers for three seasons, playing 82 games during his first year with them. After this run, he played a few games with the Miami Heat, Washington Bullets, 76ers, and Warriors. During his second stint with the Warriors, his game started to rejuvenate, but his season ended due to injury. Despite this, his time with the teams helped in building his net worth. In 1995, he was released after being signed by the Milwaukee Bucks, but continued to play for several more teams outside the NBA, including in Italy and Qatar before deciding to retire from the sport, partly because of increasing rheumatism.
For his personal life, it is known that Manute was married to Atong and they had six children. Their marriage eventually ended, and he would then marry Ajok whom he would have four children with.
He has two sons who also play basketball. He also donated a lot of his riches to Sudan, and became a brand ambassador for Ethiopian Airlines. In 2010, Bol passed away due to acute kidney failure as well as complications from Stevens-Johnson syndrome. His remains are buried in South Sudan.
