Originally, I planned to start my new summer series The Pickup Diaries today. However, I couldn't in good conscience ignore the passing of Manute Bol.

Read about him...especially his activism. Seriously.

If you weren't following the NBA in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it's hard to describe Manute Bol. Manute wasn't a great player -- although, as Neil Paine of Basketball-Reference pointed out, he was one of the most prolific shot blockers in league history -- but he was unlike anything anybody had seen before. It was part cultural phenomenon, part freakshow. And I don't mean that in a negative way. It's just that you couldn't not stare at Bol. I watched him play the Pacers twice in person, and I was transfixed (although Manute didn't log many minutes).

I mean, the dude was nearly eight feet tall. He once blocked four shots on a single possession. He even drilled six three-pointers in a single half (against the Phoenix Suns...of course).

Like I said, he was unlike anything anybody had seen before. And we'll never see anything like him again.

Labels: Manute Bol

Here's a funny prank Charles Barkley pulled on teammate Manute Bol back when they played together on the Philadelphia 76ers. I don't want to ruin the shocking ending, so just watch it. And laugh. Update! I missed this the first time around, but Ben Q. Rock (of Third Quarter Collapse) pointed out something that should have been obvious: "Charles grabs his man region with disturbing frequency." Wow. He really does.


This isn't Barkley related, but I'm including it anyway: Last year, Jason Richardson filled former teammate Patrick O'Bryant's car with popcorn. You can tell Patrick was, you know, less than happy about it...but what's a rookie going to do? Other than go home and cry, that is.

Labels: Charles Barkley, Jason Richardson, Manute Bol, Patrick O'Bryant, practical jokes, rookie hazing