http://www.answers.com/topic/manute-bolLife's Work
Manute Bol is the tallest player in the history of the National Basketball Association. He is also the only player in the NBA to have killed a lion with a spear and to have paid 80 cows for his wife. Bol, a native of the Sudan and member of the Dinka tribe, left his troubled homeland to play basketball in the United States. At just under 7' 7", he towers over almost everyone, drawing stares wherever he goes. The stately Bol has learned to handle the attention, though--just as he learned to speak English and block his opponents' shots on the basketball court.
Young Manute enjoyed a number of privileges as the descendent of a chief, but he also rebelled against some of the Dinka customs, especially the manhood rites that all teenage boys must undergo. Several times he ran away rather than face the ritual scarring of his face and--worse--the removal of six of his teeth. His education was entirely practical, concerning only the care and sale of cows; Bol never learned to read or write his native tongue. But he did learn every aspect of animal husbandry necessary to insure the health of his cows, including how to kill a sleeping lion with a spear before it could harm his herd.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7019044195Former NBA Shot-Blocking Star Bol Dead At 47; Had Rare Skin Disease
June 19, 2010 5:27 p.m. EST
Matt Aug - AHN Sports Editor
University Of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville, VA, United States (AHN) - Former NBA shot-blocking standout Manute Bol, who stood nearly 7-feet-7 inches, died Saturday at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville.
He was 47, and reportedly passed due to a rare skin disease from Africa, where he spent much of his time after basketball doing charitable works. snip
The Tularei, Sudan native is probably the only NBA player to ever kill a lion, which he says he did in his youth.