Sun Ming Ming

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Sun Ming Ming (孫明明) is a Chinese basketball player. He wears size 19 shoes, weighs at least 335 pounds (152 kg) (some sources say as much as 370 pounds (168 kg) [1]), and stands at 7 foot 8 and 3/4 inches (236 cm) - making him one of the tallest living persons on the planet. He is from Harbin, China, in the Heilongjiang province, now 22, has played for the Junior Olympic team (U-18) and Daqing club, and came to the United States in early 2005 to train for a possible NBA career. Sun was declared eligible in the 2005 NBA Draft, but was not selected, probably due to the common complaint of his lack of speed and stamina.

It was later determined through medical exams that the cause of his lack of endurance is a benign brain tumor attached to his pituitary gland that is stifling testosterone production. It is also stimulating over-production of growth hormone, a condition known as acromegaly, and will lead to premature death if not removed. Surgery was scheduled for August 31, 2005, but since Sun did not have health insurance, nor enough money to pay for the surgery, it was re-scheduled and Sun's agent, Charles Bonsignore of Passing Lane Sports, started a fundraiser to raise the necessary funds. After the surgery, Sun returned to the court and appeared in a match between Ventura College and Southeastern Community College of Iowa, and was signed by USBL team Dodge City Legend in Dodge City, Kansas on March 30, 2006.

He appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show on ABC on October 11th, 2006. On the show, Sun Ming Ming and his translator played 2 on 2 vs. Jimmy Kimmel and Wanda Sykes. On one play, Sun Ming Ming got the ball while posting up on Kimmel. Kimmel Stepped aside and Sun Ming Ming tried to dunk the ball but got hung by the rim. He got his own rebound and dunked again, this time completing the dunk and almost breaking the goal. With his height he should have easily dunked it but with limited physical ability, it is very hard for him to jump. During the game he also made a nice jump shot.

Sun Ming Ming is the subject of a documentary television show, "Anatomy of a Giant," which was broadcast on the Discovery Health Channel October 15th, 2006.