Brownback to speak at Manute Bol’s funeral

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) on Tuesday will speak at the funeral of former professional basketball player Manute Bol at the Washington National Cathedral.

Bol, who stood 7 feet, 7 inches, died of complications from kidney failure June 19, at age 47. At the time of his death he lived in Olathe, Kan.

According to organizers, Bol’s eight-foot-long coffin will be present at the funeral, which begins at 10 a.m. and is open to the public.

Brownback will offer a tribute during the service, his second such statement in a week.

Brownback last Tuesday took to the Senate floor to laud the Sudanese native for his work to promote peace in his home country.

He was “a giant in the heart of the Sudanese people,” Brownback said. The lawmaker, who is running for governor, also repeated the oft-told story that credits Bol with coining the term “My bad.”

Bol played for the Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat before retiring in 1994.

---