USA: BASKETBALL - Chinese basketball player becomes the tallest person ever to play professional basketball in the USA

Twenty-three year-old Sun Ming Ming of China became the tallest ever professional basketball player on Wednesday (January 31) as the Maryland Nighthawks of the American Basketball Association (ABA) announced the signing of the 7'9"(2.40 metres) centre. Standing 2 inches taller than the NBA's tallest man Yao Ming, also from China, Ming is hoping to someday play in the NBA as his skills and endurance improve. A native of Bayan, China and dubbed "Big Homie" by teammate Randy "White Chocolate" Gill, Sun is recovering from a 2005 lifesaving surgery to remove a tumour from his pituitary gland. The condition, known as acromegaly, caused his body to produce excess growth hormones resulting in his enormous stature. His health situation was discovered during routine physical examinations in the United States where he had come to try-out for NBA teams. "My health is good. The first operation went well and the operation last summer helped me a lot as well. I feel much better," Sun told Reuters at his news conference. The goal of his team is to work on his strength and conditioning to enable him to be able to play as many minutes as possible each game without getting winded and gradually build up his stamina. "If they were to get him in shape for the league (NBA) he could play in the league because of his enormous size and his ability to move. He's not slow so he would be a factor at any level. Any upper division league FIBA league, NBA League, this league, whatever league, he's going to be a player," Nighthawks coach William Rankin said. Rankin's prediction rests on a good deal of optimism as many large players have caused a flurry of excitement in the past only to fail to live up their potential in keeping pace with swifter, smaller opponents. For the time being the team is enjoying the attention that rarely comes the way of a sub-NBA team like the Nighthawks. Randy "White Chocolate" Gill is a 6'2" guard for the Nighthawks who has been charged with making sure the 370-pound Sun gets properly acclimated with his new team. We call him "big homey" because he's the biggest fella on the block and he's a great guy. He's got a great heart and he's a great person," Gill told Reuters. Nighthawks' owner Tom Doyle is convinced his newest player will soon be leaving for the NBA. He has already had a brief try-out with the Los Angeles Lakers. If Sun succeeds in playing in the NBA, he would become the tallest player in league history, overtaking Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muresan, both 7ft 7ins. If Sun's NBA ambitions falter there is always Hollywood. He recently finished filming Rush Hour III with Jackie Chan.

ITN Source | February 2, 2007

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