I was all pumped up because I was supposed to meet my childhood hero, Manute Bol, at Zed’s Ethiopian Cuisine in Georgetown, Washington D.C. Unfortunately, Manute couldn’t make it, but I was equally thrilled to meet someone just as tall who I liked just as much, 7’7″ former Bullet/Wizard/Net, Gheorghe Muresan.
I’m always interested in what athletes do when they retire. While some, like Charles Barkley, get DUIs, I’m happy to report that Gheorghe, who is from Romania, is living in Maryland, enjoying fatherhood, works with the Wizards, and runs a basketball program for kids called the Giant Basketball Academy.
I palled around with Gheorghe for several minutes, asked him Gunaxin’s six questions, and impressed him when I mentioned that I knew that he had led the NBA in field goal percentage in 1996-97. I was such a fan of his, I remember anxiously watching My Giant, with Billy Crystal, when it came out in 1998.
Other nuggets of info about Gheorghe: He won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award in 1995-96, won the French championship with Pau Ortez in 2001, and won the French Cup with Pau Ortez in 2003. He is also active in charities that work with underprivileged children.
As for Manute, I’ll meet him another time. I know for certain that he’s up to some cool stuff that I’m looking forward to reporting.
Today we interview Gheorghe Muresan, a retired Romanian professional basketball player. At 7 ft 7 in, he is tied with Sudanese player Manute Bol as the tallest man to ever play in the NBA. Yep, taller than Yao Ming. Like Bol, both his parents are of average size, but unlike Bol his great height is the result of a pituitary disorder. Gheorghe’s short NBA career lasted parts of six seasons, and he saw action with the Washington Bullets and the New Jersey Nets.
Six Questions:
Who is your favorite Athlete?
Utah Jazz (Gheorghe, who was wearing a Wizards jacket, says he doesn’t follow individual athletes, but teams)
Who is your favorite Hottie?
His Wife, Lillianna
Who is your favorite Comedian?
My Giant co-star Billy Crystal, and I think he also said Robbie Williams
What is your favorite Movie?
Gheorghe said he doesn’t have one, but what’s interesting is that he said he didn’t see My Giant
What is your favorite Gadget?
The iPhone, but he had the Google phone.
What is your favorite Beer?
“All beer tastes the same”