Like many of the greats, he was born in New Jersey in 1961. (http://www.famousnewjerseyans.com/sports.htm)
He grew up in Dallas.
He stands 6 feet 6 inches tall.
He was a virgin until age 20.
He’s won championships alongside the best players of all time, he’s excelled on teams led by the top coaches of all time.
His accolades include:
- 5-time NBA Champion
- 2-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year
- 7-time All Defensive First-Team
- 2-time NBA All Star
- Carmen Electra
Originally Published: May 15, 2008
Big in Japan in New York City. Sell out crowds and T-Shirt sales. Today I think it’s safe to say that Ichiro is familiar with Inoki, and Matsuzaka and Matsui surely pay their respects to Nomo. From Soriano to Shinjo, the influence and marketability of Japanese players has only grown. In fact, even the flops are good business.
Fans salute the Ks
Remember Me?
I’m 6 foot 4 inches. I weigh 240lb strong.
My nickname is Japan was Kurage – Japanese for ‘Jellyfish’
In 1997 I signed for 4 years, $12.8 Million to play in MLB
I have something up my sleeve…literally. I request 30 tiny magnets be attached to my right arm while I pitch – for blood circulation of course.
I carry around Nike bags in spring training, despite the $95 Million deal I signed with Adidas before throwing 1 major league pitch.
I sold out every seat in Yankee Stadium in my MLB debut; that’s 51,901 fans. In retrospect, the hype was only comparable to Mickey Mantle’s debut in 1951.
On the night of my first start I generated a $1M increase in on-site Stadium revenue.
Irabu tips his cap to the crowd in the Bronx
My 1st game was broadcast to 35 million homes and 38 large public outdoor screens in urban areas of Japan.
My name used to be ‘ERA-boo’ in Japan – but it quickly became ‘ir-RAH-boo’ in the states. Typhoon Irabu – as the T-Shirts said.
He is now fondly known in baseball circles as simply ‘The Toad’
She only has 1.2 billion people on her back!
Indian women’s captain, former Australian league MVP, Geethu Anna Jose, 25, is trying out for WNBA teams. Get to know her!
She clearly transcends sports. 29-year old superstar Serena Williams, 13-time Grand Slam Singles Champ. 12 Grand Slam women’s doubles championships. 2 in mixed doubles.
She makes major moves, and is a fashion icon on and off the court. More on the goddess Serena coming soon!
Tennis Superstar Serena Williams, left, sat next to Vogue magazine editor-in-chief Anna Wintour at the Rodarte Spring 2011 fashion show
Tennis superstar Serena Williams (right) next to fashion queen Anna Wintour at the Michael Kors Spring 2011 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week being held in NYC this week
The wonderfully named Zoltan Mesko speaks five languages and grew up dreaming of being an aerospace engineer before graduating from Michigan with a business degree and a master’s in sports management. He got lured into football only after he smashed a ceiling light with a kick ball in his Twinsburg, Ohio, junior-high-school gym. Yet this spring, the New England Patriots selected Mr. Mesko in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, with the 150th selection. He now finds himself training with the team in Foxboro, Mass., where he rubs elbows and trades barbs with stars like Tom Brady and Randy Moss.
I had a good time with the American people. I hope they remember me as a good guy who played hard. I wasn’t Michael Jordan, but I was somebody called Manute Bol
NAME: Manute Bol (TRANSLATION: “A Special Blessing”)
HEIGHT: 7 feet 7 inches
WEIGHT: 220 lbs (“Manute Bol is so skinny, his team saves money on road trips. They just fax him from city to city.” – Woody Allen)
SHOE SIZE: 16
Manute Bol is a pioneer and a portrait of a person who has used sports as an outlet and ultimately a platform to bring awareness to global issues, particularly the violence and civil unrest in Sudan.
After being discovered as a teenager in Africa by a US coach from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Manute Bol was brought to the USA, and eventually made his way onto the roster of the 1985 Washington Bullets. He was a starting center in most of his games, enjoying a 10-year career and earning approximately $7 Million in salary (1.65M in ’92). As the tallest player in the league’s history at the time, he also received endorsement deals from Nike, Kodak Films, KFC, and Toyota.
NBA Career Highlights
1986 NBA All Defensive 2nd Team
All time leader in blocks per minute – .176
2,086 career blocks – Manute has blocked more shots than he’s made (665)
Career Average of 3.3 blocks per game. He once blocked 11 shots in one half. He also recorded 8 blocks in one quarter twice during his career!
Manute’s Roots
Manute Bol was born in a remote village in south Sudan and growing up he saw his nation’s civil war take the lives of more than 2 million people over 15 years.
Southern Sudan is the home of the Dinkas, the tallest people in the world and Bol’s tribe. It is also home to the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) , a rebel group to which Bol previously backed and contributed millions of dollars.
Both during his NBA career and after, Bol has worked towards achieving peace in his divided nation where in the south Christian rebels battle a northern Islamic government, based in Khartoum. He has often lobbied for US Support and UN Peacekeeping to step in and stop the violence.
Note: A few years ago, after a movement toward peace was proposed by the northern Muslims, and then rejected by SPLA, Bol renounced his direct involvement with both parties, and now works independent of both to rebuild communities for children.
Bol established many foundations including the Ring True Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to raising money for Sudanese refugees and for Sudan’s schools and clinics, and Sudan Sunrise.
To assist these causes, Bol has participated in several rather comical sports-related events, including becoming a member of Indiana’s professional hockey team, the Indianapolis Ice, appearing in Fox’s Celebrity Boxing against William Refrigerator Perry, even become a horse jockey.
“We are trying to raise some money to get a school and a clinic for my country. It’s been very hard since I got hurt. It’s hard to raise money. It is my dream to get some schools, good education and clinics for our people.”
Pictures, Video Interview, and Prank with Charles Barkley after the jump…
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He was drafted by MLB’s San Diego Padres and the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers
Earned a Mathematics and History degree
Has a set shot like he was setting up a spike in beach volleyball
Sasha Pavolvic supposedly stole his girlfriend
Named after a Roman Emperor who is known for, amongst other things like rebuilding the ancient city of Rome, his fondness for booze and boys…<pause>
In case you’re are asking yourself: Where is Trajan ‘The Alaskan Assassin’ Langdon… Here he is folks:
He’s balling with the European League’s biggest budget team, CSKA Moscow.
After playing in Italy and Turkey, he’s settled comfortably in the Russian climate.
His team won the Euroleague championship on 07/08 and he was named MVP for the Euroleague Final Four, proving that he is still a standout on a winning team
More, importantly.. here is the big budget cheerleading squad. I’ll put in my vote for Valeria
The Man: Brandon Jennings. 6’2″ point guard from Los Angeles, CA. Left handed. Cousin of NBA point guard Marcus Williams.
Averaged 35.5 points, 7.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game in his senior year of high school. Earned high school basketball’s most prestigious award including the 2008 Naismith High School Basketball Player of the Year.
Jennings is the first player to play for a European team rather than play for a college team since the NBA’s age restriction was implemented.
The Contract: Jennings has a three-year contract for a guaranteed $1 million from Virtus Roma, but he has an option to enter the NBA draft after Year 1 and 2 of the deal. Jennings’ also signed a four-year contract with Under Armour that will pay him comparably to the top three picks in the 2008 NBA draft.
Their dedication to Jennings’ marketing is exemplified here
But, as Jennings says, ‘The focus in Italy is on winning. If you don’t win, you might not get paid’
Click the jump for more info and a jaw-dropping highlight video of Jennings.
Bill Lee Baseball Card
Bill “Spaceman” Lee, graduate from the University of Southern California, was a popular MLB pitcher. As a charismatic pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos, Lee had 3 consecutive 17-win seasons, made the 1973 All-Star team, and pitched in the 1975 World Series. Spaceman was a finesse lefty who threw a variety of off-speed pitches, including the ‘Space Ball.’ He is being inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame on November 7, 2008.
Spaceman Lee is a true global advocate of the game. He was the first ballplayer ever to play in the Soviet Union, Red China and Cuba. He is a baseball purist and strong supporter of the traditions of the game. Lee is opposed to the designated hitter rule, polyester uniforms, and AstroTurf.
A reporter once asked Bill Lee if he preferred AstroTurf to grass. Lee replied, “I don’t know, I’ve never smoked AstroTurf
Lee earned his nickname “Spaceman” because of his openness on his drug use. He regularly sprinkled pot on his pre-game organic pancakes for good luck. He ate health food and practiced yoga. He claimed his marijuana use made him immune to bus fumes while jogging to work at Fenway Park.
After retiring in 1982, Spaceman ran for President of the United States. He campaigned on the slogan
“No guns. No butter. Both can kill”.
