| Mureşan in 2010 | |
| No. 77 | |
|---|---|
| Center | |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth | February 14, 1971 |
| Place of birth | Tritenii de Jos, Romania |
| Nationality | Romanian |
| Listed height | 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) |
| Listed weight | 315 lb (143 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA Draft | 1993 / Round: 2 / Pick: 30th overall |
| Selected by the Washington Bullets | |
| Pro career | 1991–2006 |
| Career history | |
| 1991–1992 | CS Universitatea Mobitelco (Romania) |
| 1992–1993 | Pau-Orthez (France) |
| 1993–1995 | Washington Bullets |
| 1995 | Pau-Orthez (France) |
| 1995–1997 | Washington Bullets |
| 1999–2000 | New Jersey Nets |
| 2000–2001 | Pau-Orthez (France) |
| 2005–2006 | Maryland Nighthawks (ABA) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 3,020 (9.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,957 (6.4 rpg) |
| Blocks | 455 (1.5 bpg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Gheorghe Dumitru Mureşan, (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈɡe̯orɡe mureʃan]; born February 14, 1971), also known as Ghiţă (Romanian: [ˈɡit͡sə]) or George, is a retired Romanian professional basketball player. At 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m), he is one of the tallest players in NBA history, along with Sudanese player Manute Bol, who was also 7 ft 7 in. Both Mureşan's parents are of average size, and, unlike Bol, Mureşan's height is the result of a pituitary disorder.
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Mureşan was born in Triteni, in the Romanian district of Cluj to a poor family, and played competitive basketball at Cluj University. He played professionally in the French league with Pau-Orthez during the 1992–93 season and was an instant hit with fans. The NBA took interest in him and he was selected by the Washington Bullets in the 1993 NBA Draft.[1] He played in the NBA from 1993 to 1994 showing signs of a promising career that was derailed by injuries.
After returning to France and playing for the start of the 1995–96 season with Pau-Orthez, he was named the NBA's Most Improved Player for the 1995–96 season after averaging 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.26 blocks per game while making a league-leading 58.4 percent of his field goals. He led in field goal percentage again the following season, with a 60.4% average. Overall, he holds career averages of 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.48 blocks per game and a .573 field goal percentage. He joined the New Jersey Nets for the final 31 games of his career. After ending his NBA career, Mureşan had another stint in the French league before returning to the United States with his family. He normally wore number 77, in reference to his height.
On March 11, 2007, Mureşan played a game for the Maryland Nighthawks as part of the tallest lineup in the history of basketball.[2] This is the only basketball game Mureşan has ever played where he was not the tallest person on the court, as Sun Mingming is 7' 9" (2.36 m).
Outside basketball, Mureşan has dabbled in acting, playing the title character in 1998 feature film My Giant starring comedian Billy Crystal. Mureşan plays a ventriloquist in rap artist Eminem's breakout video "My Name Is". He has appeared in commercials for Snickers candy bars, and sports television network ESPN.
Together with his family, Mureşan has been a resident of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.[3]
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