Manute Bol, 1962–2010

Manute Bol might have lived longer if he had cut his last trip to Sudan a bit shorter. Suffering from kidney disease and an agonizingly painful skin condition, the former basketball star nonetheless extended his visit so that he could continue to speak out against corruption in his native land, which in April held its first elections in 24 years. He took ill during a stopover in Washington, D.C., on the return flight to his home in Kansas.

Bol, who died at 47 last week in a Charlottesville, Va., hospital, was one of the “most exotic and endearing” players in National Basketball Association history, said The Washington Post—“and surely the only one to have killed a lion with a spear.” Born in Southern Sudan, he was a member of the cattle-herding Dinka tribe, which inspired his NBA nickname, the Dinka Dunker. When herding cattle one day, he spotted a lion sleeping near his herd and killed it with a single thrust of his spear. Although he didn’t touch a basketball until his late teens, his height—usually listed at 7 feet, 7 inches—caught the eye of a traveling American coach who persuaded him to come to the U.S. He played college ball at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut and was drafted by the Washington Bullets (later renamed the Wizards) in 1985. The cornerstone of his game was shot blocking, but fans always cheered when he stepped back to try a long-distance three-pointer. The shot succeeded only about 21 percent of the time. He remains the only NBA player to retire with more shots blocked, 2,086, than points scored, 1,599.

During his playing career, Bol donated most of his salary—which topped out at $1.5 million annually—to Sudanese rebel groups and humanitarian organizations. “His ties to Sudan remained strong,” said NPR.org, despite “personal setbacks like divorce, a car accident which broke his neck, and troubles with the Sudanese government,” and he regularly returned there to visit family and support democracy efforts. Over the years, he raised money by boxing other celebrities, racing horses, and playing minor league hockey.

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Some critics found such stunts degrading, but Bol said he’d do anything to help Sudan. He leaves behind his ex-wife, Atong, and 10 children.