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Nighthawks to set world record, start tallest team in history

March 7, 2007 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Maryland NightHawks News Release


Rockville, MD. When 7'7" Gheorge Muresan is not the tallest player on the court, you know there is something special going on. The ABA Maryland Nighthawks will unveil "The Tallest Professional Basketball Starting Lineup Ever" against the Cape Cod Frenzy on Sunday, March 11 at 4:00 p.m. at Montgomery College, Rockville Campus.

This once-in-a-lifetime lineup will feature Muresan and 7'9" Sun Ming Ming in addition to three surprise seven-foot-plus giants.

"No team has ever started five seven-foot players in the history of basketball, said Nighthawks owner Tom Doyle. "This is a world record you will only see from the Maryland Nighthawks." Doyle expects the world record to be certified shortly.

Ming Ming, 23, is the tallest player in professional basketball history. The Chinese native, recovering from a life-saving surgery to remove a tumor from his pituitary gland, joined the Nighthawks in January and has quickly established his on-court dominance.

With an eye toward the NBA, Ming Ming recently filmed scenes for the upcoming feature film "Rush Hour 3" alongside Jackie Chan and was featured in the Discovery Channel documentary, "Anatomy of A Giant." He has been highlighted on virtually every major television network, including shows such as NBC's "The Today Show," ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," and ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption."

Muresan made history as the tallest player in NBA history during six seasons with the Washington Bullets and New Jersey Nets from 1993-2000. Appearing in 307 NBA games, Muresan averaged 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and an astounding 1.48 blocks per game.

Outside of basketball, Muresan has become an international celebrity. He was the title star in the 1998 film "My Giant." He also appeared in Eminem's breakout vido, "My Name is," in addition to commercials for Snickers and ESPN.

Tickets are available for this historic event at www.marylandnighthawks.com and at the gate starting at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit www.marylandnighthawks.com or www.abalive.com.

Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.

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