Reader Max sent along this video because he'd never seen it before, never even heard of one of the weirdest NBA happenings of all time, and he thought more people should see it. I support that sentiment entirely: everyone should watch highlights of the night 22 years ago when 7-foot-7 Manute Bol decided he only wanted to shoot threes.
It's a wonderful, wonderful video, and a really great memory of the universally beloved Bol, who passed away in 2010. Everything is perfect: the way Bol barely leaves the ground for his jumpers, and takes them from well beyond the arc; the way the announcers go from impressed to incredulous to delirious; the increasing buzz from the crowd each time Bol pulls up; the reactions from players on both teams, especially Bol's close friend and old teammate Charles Barkley.
It took a perfect confluence of events to make this piece of NBA history happen. On Wednesday, March 3, 1993, a truly terrible 76ers team traveled to Phoenix to take on the Suns, led by Barkley, who had been traded the previous offseason. Things got out of hand quickly, with Phoenix taking a 43-24 lead by the end of the first quarter. At the half, Sixers coach Doug Moe (who would be fired four days later) threw up his hands and decided to start his second unit. That included the gangly, defensive-minded Bol, who hadn't made a three until his fourth year in the NBA, and, coming into this game, had made just one in the previous two-and-a-half seasons.
So Bol shot, and made his first two, and kept shooting, and didn't let a few misses in a row throw him. He was 4-of-7 in the third quarter, and would finish 6-of-12 from beyond the arc. Put this game in a time capsule.