Image via Complex Original
Before there was Yao Ming or Shawn Bradley to rule the skies of the NBA, there was Manute Bol. The 7'7" Sudanese baller played for multiple teams from 1985-1996 and with his combo of being foreign and freakishly tall, he delighted the fans with glorious awkwardness. Sadly he passed away from acute kidney failure in 2010. Today would have been his 50th birthday and we're keeping his memory alive with some photos that will hopefully brighten your work day. Here are 20 Awkwardly Awesome Photos of Manute Bol.
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Intense Game of Keep Away
Their relationship was never the same.
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Celebrity Boxing
Rapid fire on awesome things about this pic: This fight actually happened, yes that's Olga Korbut in between them, Manute donated his winnings to the relief effort post the Second Sudanese Civil War, and finally, the show Celebrity Boxing had two seasons.
Thunder Dan Meeting
The money shot. Ayo!
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MJ Sighting
It's weird saying this, but it kind of looks like MJ is making Bol look small here. #GOAT
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Moses Has His Back
Moses looks super tough. Manute looks super confused.
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Ballin' Out of Control
Were the short shorts really necessary for 7-footers? #cmonson
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Back Home
Where'd that chair come from?
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Embracing Sir Charles
Even Chuck showed Manute some love back when they played for the Sixers. We'd say that hand holding is a bit much but we've seen Barkley take things further than that before. Way further.
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The Odd Couple
Who do you think played wingman when they went out?
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"Don't Worry Dudes, I Got This!"
Bol probably didn't really know how to play basketball at this point, but who's scoring when they can't even see the hoop?
