Sun Ming Ming
From Hoopedia
Sun Ming Ming (Template:Zh-tsp, born August 23, 1983) is a Chinese basketball player. He is one of the tallest players to ever play professional basketball.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
He was born in a small town called Dayan near Harbin, China, in the Heilongjiang province, and is 7'9" (236 cm), 370 pounds (168 kg).<ref name="article1">Template:Cite news</ref> Sun did not start playing basketball until he was 15, when he was 6'7",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but came to the United States in early 2005 to train for a possible NBA career. Sun was declared eligible in the 2005 NBA Draft, and had a brief tryout with the Lakers,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but was not selected.
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 gonadotrophin releasing hormone production. It is also stimulating over-production of growth hormone, a condition known as acromegaly, and can lead to premature death if not removed. Surgery was scheduled for August 31 2005, but since Sun had neither health insurance nor enough money to pay for the more than $100,000 in medical bills, it was re-scheduled and Sun's agent, Charles Bonsignore, started a fund raiser to raise the necessary funds. On September 26, 2005, the tumor was removed<ref>7’8 Basketball Player Sun Ming Ming has Successful Surgery to Remove a Tumor on His Pituitary Gland PRweb.</ref>.
After the surgery, Sun was signed by USBL team Dodge City Legend in Dodge City, Kansas on March 30, 2006.<ref name="article1"/> On January 31, 2007, he signed with the Maryland Nighthawks of the American Basketball Association.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>. Owner Tom Doyle said "having Ming here sells tickets". On March 11, 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 Muresan. He played sparingly for the Nighthawks. <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On March 5, 2007, Sun signed with the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Flight of the International Basketball League, where he played in 20 of the team's 23 games. Playing between 20 and 30 minutes per game, Sun averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds, tallying career highs in scoring (19 points), rebounds (15) and blocks (6).
On June 20, 2007, Sun signed with Mexican Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional professional team Fuerza Regia from Monterrey.
In the media
Sun has made various television appearances, including on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show on ABC on October 11th, 2006. On that occasion he said he is 7'9". Despite his size, Sun missed a dunk during a basketball game on Kimmel's show. Sun Ming Ming is 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. He also appeared in a fight scene with actors Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in the film Rush Hour 3. <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>. Sun has also appeared on the Australian television show Amazing Medical Stories.
