Paul Wight

From Hoopedia

Paul Randall Wight, Jr. is a former male high school basketball player and current professional wrestler using the ring name "The Big Show," due to his rather enormous size: 7-foot-4, 500 lbs.

Wight suffers from gigantism but successful surgery in the early 1990s on his pituitary gland halted the progress of this condition. By the age of twelve, Wight was 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) tall, weighed 220 lb (100 kg), and had chest hair. Wight played basketball and football in high school at Wyman King Academy in Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina. He was a standout center for the basketball team and a tight end for the football team.

In 1991, as a member of the Wichita State University basketball team at age nineteen, Wight was listed at 6 ft 11 in (211 cm). While at Wichita State, Wight played basketball, and was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

Wight also attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville from 1992-93 and was a member of NCAA Division II Cougars basketball team. During his one year at SIUE, he scored a total of thirty-nine points for the Cougars in limited action.

At a charity basketball event in he was introduced to Hulk Hogan by Danny Bonaduce a good friend which started Wight's wrestling career. Wight began training for wrestling and it wasn't too long before he signed with the WWE and went underneath the name "The Giant" as he was viewed as the second coming of Andre the Giant coming in as part of a WCW event. While in the WWE, he changed his ring name to The Big Show and has also competed on the RAW Brand, Smackdown Brand, and ECW Brand. He has held titles in wrestling as a tag team member and as an individual.