Three days ago, Manute Bol, arguably the tallest basketball player to have ever played in the NBA, passed away at the age of 47 after a bout with acute kidney disease.
The Sudanese-born Bol, standing 7’7”, towered above all others in his time in the NBA. In ten seasons, he had modest per game statistics of 18.7 minutes, 2.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks. Bol is the only player in NBA history to block more shots than he has made, and is ranked second in career blocks per game. But perhaps best of all, he was universally known as one of the nicest and popular among fans and teammates.
However, Bol never let basketball stardom under the bright lights pull him away from his roots. Off the court, Bol was a selfless philanthropist and activist. He is well-known for his efforts to improve conditions for those in his homeland of Sudan. In fact, Bol spent nearly his entire fortune from the NBA, and went bankrupt, donating money to organizations that were working in Darfur.
He drew international attention to the plight of the Sudanese refugees. Bol lost over 250 family members from religious violence, but was quick to forgive and hold responsible only those who were behind the policies of oppression.
With the non-profit Sudan Sunrise, Bol was working on building reconciliation schools in his homeland. His goal was to build 41 schools throughout Sudan.
“We always hear that you can’t help everyone. Manute tried to do that.”
All day yesterday, I attended Do Something’s Boot Camp in San Francisco, and it was a blast!
Do Something likes to call the age 25 and under crowd “young people,” while all others are “old people.”
Among the attendees were about 100 young people who are actively engaged in improving their communities, both locally and/or globally. It was inspiring to be around so many young people with so much passion, energy for action, and commitment to doing good.
It was literally a room full of changemakers. I have no doubt that the dreamers and do-ers in that room will have a powerful, lasting impact on society.
Throughout the day, we moved around to different breakout sessions with various leadership and organizational building skills, including topics such as marketing and branding, starting a not-for-profit, measuring impact, and running effective meetings. Led by volunteers from companies like JetBlue and Intel, the sessions were great for learning practical techniques and tips that we could apply to our organizations and projects after leaving the boot camp.
The rapid fire speed pitching session at the end of the day was a great experience. Young people like me were paired with old people and off we went in short and intense spurts. It allowed me to experiment with how to best pitch my project, and I left with lots of advice and feedback to build off of.
It was an unexpectedly very fun and useful way to spend a precious summer Saturday. I met a whole bunch of amazing people doing amazing things, with great personalities to boot! (haha get it? “boot”!) Some special shout-outs to Mindy, Jason, Jimmy, Kelsey, Natalie, Paul, Lien, Keana, and Mike :)
Young people are not the future. Young people are the now. And the future is now.
I played a pick-up game of soccer last night and realized how great a game it is.
It’s arguably the simplest sport. All you need is a ball, and that part’s not even strict. It can be anything from a regulation soccer ball to a crumpled piece of paper. It’s just gotta be relatively round, and you’re good to go.
The simplicity is probably what makes it the most popular sport in the world. And with the game taking center stage during the World Cup, I think I’ve caught soccer fever. I’ll definitely be seeking out more pick-up games this summer.
Best of all, it doesn’t matter where you’re from, who you are, or if you call it football or soccer. Just kick the ball and run. Game on.
And how can you not get behind a U.S. team that can do this:
Inspiration: You Don’t Need Wings to Fly
Jessica Cox was born without wings, or even arms for that matter.
She was born with a rare congenital disease, but that hasn’t stopped her from flying. A college graduate, Jessica does many things with just her feet, include writing, typing, and driving a car. She’s a double black belt in Tai Kwon-Do.
Jessica always had a fear of flying. So of course, she decided to face her fear and set out to learn to fly. Instead of the usual six months, she persevered through three years of training to finally get her lightweight aircraft license and become the first and only pilot with no arms.
Jessica proves that you don’t need wings to fly.
With her powerful spirit, she soars.
At least for me, it’s tough to get excited about a sports game if I don’t have a team to root for. If a Bay Area team is playing, I’ll probably root for them, but if not, I usually go for the underdog.
I think many people tend to do the same. Movie-makers have certainly figured this out and subsequently produced many underdog films. I guess there’s just something about the underdog. It’s a position that all of us have faced sometime in our lives. It’s easy to empathize and support a team with little to lose.
You know that they have to scrap and fight their way to victory. If successful, they’ve done the unexpected and sometimes, seemingly impossible.
A win by the little guy inspires hope for all. It makes us think that we too, can win when the odds are stacked against us. They make us believe.
Plus, it’s fun to see the mighty fall from time to time. Well, unless it’s a Bay Area team.