Manute Bol has been dead for over seven years now but people are still talking about him for a few reasons. One is that because he’s the father of Oregon Duck commit, Bol Bol, a rising amateur star poised to follow in his dad’s footsteps in the NBA. Another reason is that basketball fans can’t still get over the fact that a reed-thin 7-foot-7 Sudanese was able to carve out a decent career in the NBA. And lastly, it’s because of Manute’s age.

Bol’s age has long been rumored to be older than what was actually listed during his playing days. And according to one of his former coaches, ex-Cleveland State mentor Kevin Mackey, who was responsible for bringing Bol to the States from Sudan in the 1980s, he’s estimating that Bol probably was around five decades old when his African discovery competed in the NBA, per basketball reporter Adam Zagoria.

Mackey also said that he invented Manute Bol’s birthday since Bol had no idea how old he was. By doing so, Mackey was able to attract attention for Bol.

“I gave him his birthday because they didn’t know how old he was,” Mackey, now a scout with the Indiana Pacers, told ZAGSBLOG.

Mackey says Bol was probably much older and could have been in his 40s or even 50s when he played in the NBA. According to Wikipedia, Manute played in the NBA from his early 20s until his early 30s for various teams, including the Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers.

According to Basketball Reference, Bol was born in 1962 and played his first season in the NBA in 1985 for the Washington Bullets at the age of 23. Bol left the NBA in 1995 when he was 35 and died 15 years later in 2010 due to kidney failure.

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In 12 NBA seasons, Ball mustered career averages of 2.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game.

If Mackey was right — we’re not sure how he’s going to categorically prove it — then Bol would be the oldest player to have played in the NBA. Officially, it’s Nate Hickey, who appeared in two games for the Providence Steamrollers way back in 1948 just days before turning 46.