Sun Ming Ming
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Center |
|---|---|
| Height | 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) |
| Weight | 320 lb (150 kg) |
| League | LNBP |
| Team | Fuerza Regia |
| Born | August 23, 1983 Harbin, China |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Draft | Undrafted |
| Pro career | ?–present |
| Former teams | Maryland Nighthawks Dodge City Legend Grand Rapids Flight |
- This is a Chinese name; the family name is 孙 (Sun).
Sun Ming Ming (traditional Chinese: 孫明明; simplified Chinese: 孙明明; pinyin: Sūn Míngmíng, born August 23, 1983) is a Chinese basketball player. He is one of the tallest players to ever play professional basketball.[1] He is 7 ft 9 in (236 cm), weighing 370 pounds (168 kg).[2]
Contents |
[edit] Basketball career
[edit] Early life
He was born in a small town called Bayan near Harbin, China, in the Heilongjiang province. Sun did not start playing basketball until he was 15, when he was 6 ft 7 in.[3]
[edit] Career in the United States
Sun came to the United States in early 2005 to train for a possible career in the NBA. He was declared eligible in the 2005 NBA Draft, and had a brief tryout with the Los Angeles Lakers,[4] but was not selected in the draft.
In the summer of 2005, Sun discovered that he had a benign brain tumor attached to his pituitary gland that was stimulating the over-production of growth hormone, a potentially fatal condition known as acromegaly[5]. Because he had neither health insurance nor enough money to pay for the more than $100,000 in medical bills, his agent, Charles Bonsignore, started a fund raiser to raise the necessary funds.[6] The tumor was successfully removed on September 26, 2005.[7]
After surgery, Sun played with several minor league basketball teams, including the USBL team Dodge City Legend, [2] the Maryland Nighthawks of the ABA[8] and the Grand Rapids Flight of the IBL.
On June 20, 2007, Sun signed with Mexican professional team Fuerza Regia from Monterrey.[9]
[edit] In the media
Sun has made several television appearances, including on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show on October 11, 2006.[10] He was also the subject of a documentary television show, Anatomy of a Giant, which was originally broadcast on the Discovery Health Channel on October 15, 2006.[11] He also appeared in a fight scene with actors Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in the film Rush Hour 3.[12]
On March 11, 2007, Sun was a part of the tallest lineup in the world, a Guinness World Record, with four players over 7-foot, including former NBA player Gheorghe Mureşan.[13] Ming wears a size 20 sneaker.
[edit] References
- ^ Becker, Bob. "7-Foot-9-Inch Player Manages To Handle Height, Foreign Culture", 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ a b Kinder, Joshua. "Legend Signs World's Seventh Tallest Man". Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ Sierra, Jorge. "Sun Ming Ming: "The NBA is a realistic goal"", Times Online, January 15, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ Yan, Wang. "Towering Sun joins ABA's Maryland Nighthawks", Xinhau, February 2, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ "Surgery May Help Giant Achieve NBA Dreams", ABC, November 28, 2006. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ Fundraiser Launched To Get Life-Saving Surgery For Basketball Player Sun Ming Ming. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ 7'8 Basketball Player Sun Ming Ming has Successful Surgery to Remove a Tumor on His Pituitary Gland PRweb.
- ^ "Maryland Nighthawks officially sign 7'8" Sun Ming Ming", January 31, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ "Chinese giant Sun Ming Ming set to play in Mexico", AFP, June 19, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ Sun Ming Ming. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ Yan, Wang. "Super-tall Sun Ming Ming dreams of NBA career", Reuters, October 9, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ Vineyard, Jennifer. "Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan In For Giant Surprise In 'Rush Hour 3'", MTV, January 18, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ "World Record Game End with Wild Finish, Nighthawks Win 132-128", March 11, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
