Former NBA player Manute Bol has been hospitalized after suffering kidney failure.
According to published reports, the 7-foot-6 former center had recently returned from visiting his native country of Sudan to aide in the fight against election corruption, when he fell ill.
“I believe he is going to survive this, but he’s had a total kidney failure,” Tom Prichard, director of Sudan Sunrise, a group that promotes reconciliation in Sudan, said Tuesday. “If he’d stayed two more days in Sudan, I don’t think he’d be alive right now.”
According to Prichard, the skin around Bol’s mouth was so sore that he went 11 days without eating and could barely talk. Prichard also states that Bol may have contracted the disease as a reaction to taking kidney medication in Africa.
Upon his return, Bol has undergone three dialysis treatments and has developed Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, a condition that has caused him to lose patches of skin.
Bol was in Sudan to help build a school in conjunction with Sudan Sunrise but stayed longer than anticipated after the president of southern Sudan asked him to make election appearances and use his influence to counter corruption in Bol’s home county.
Bol’s wife and newborn daughter have traveled from their home in Kansas to be at the hospital. Bol still hasn’t met his daughter because visitors are restricted, having to wear mask, gown, and gloves to prevent infection.
Manute Bol had a career which spanned over 10 years in the NBA, playing for various teams including the 76ers and the Miami Heat.
Bol ended his career with totals of 1,599 points, 2,647 rebounds, and 2,086 blocks, having appeared in 624 games over 10 seasons. Until 2007, Bol had remained among the elite, named as the second player in NBA History to have a career blocks-per-game average of 3.34, trailing only Mark Eaton. Bol was also the only player in NBA history to block more shots than points scored, blocking 2,086 shots and scoring 1,599 points.
