At seven feet seven inches tall, he was once a force to be reckoned with on the court. No matter what your skill level — from Mugsy Bouges to Michael Jordan — basketball players had to look up when they took a shot anywhere near Sudanese phenom Manute Bol, who holds the record for most blocked shots in a quarter.

But on Wednesday of last week, it was like watching a car wreck as the Bol fought William “the Refrigerator” Perry in the newest foot hold down in the depths of dignity–the spectacle known as “Celebrity Boxing.”

While most basketball fans know that Bol left basketball in 1995 after bouncing around the NBA for 11 years, what you may not know about is his commitment to his people and how that may have brought him to the sad site of nationwide humiliation.

All during his time playing basketball, Bol spent a lot of his earnings on his tribe back home in the Sudan. The Dinkas, as they are known, are predominately Christian and have been hounded for more than a decade by Muslim extremists that took over his homelands government and have violently been waging war against his people. One estimate says his contributions topped four million dollars, but even Manute himself has said he can’t be sure to within a few hundred dollars.

He left his adopted home to return to his country under the guise of a phony peace deal offered by Sudan dictator who proposed that Bol work with the government to negotiate peace.  But after several months of stalling, he realized not only that he was misled but that he was also a virtual prisoner unable to leave. He was watched constantly by government troops that could have chosen simply to kill him.

He managed to escape with his family to Egypt, where he was again watched, threatened and even beaten because of his religion and his world-renowned dedication to the Christians of the Sudan. 

He eventually made it back here, but it is almost like he never had star status. 

He lives in a small house in Connecticut with his wife and son. He is destitute since much of his money went back home to educate, clothe, feed and medicate his countrymen. He is really in many ways no different than the hordes of orphaned children turned men called “the Lost Boys” of the Sudan, many of whom who are also seeking a start in America.

Fast forward to the circus atmosphere, cheering and jeering crowds and a pair of red shorts suspended over two knees bulging with arthritis, which supports his 240- pound, 7’7” frame. On the other side of the ring is another ex-athlete who obviously needs the money and/or the attention, William Perry, who was part of the 1985 Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears.

I was not surprised to see Perry. I was shocked to see Bol, a real hero among athletes who talk the talk but never walk the walk. Many athletes walk to and from their bank accounts and past many of the real commitments in life, even some to their own children, to simply live for the day. In the end, they really only make a difference in the record books and their own accounting books.

He saved hundreds of lives through his efforts and has made new lives possible for many, many families who were caught in the fury of war, drought and international indifference. The testaments to his legacy are living people who hopefully will help others in anyway they can to repay the debt they owe to people like Manute Bol.

I’m sure, for some, the lesson here is that Bol should have looked out more for himself and, to some degree, you might be right. 

But heroism is usually a self-less act or pattern of behavior that others can benefit and learn from. So when you think about him, don’t let that circus be the image that comes to your mind.

— Gary Anthony Ramsay is a weekend anchor
and journalist on the all-news
cable station NY1 and along-time resident of Queens.