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Sound to Host 7'9" Sun Ming Ming Tonight

February 24, 2007 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Strong Island Sound News Release


Patchogue, NY- February 24th will not be any ordinary night at Suffolk Community College in Selden. The Maryland Nighthawks have visited the Strong Island Sound on many occasions over the past two seasons. But this will be the first time that they will have a big edge, more specifically, the 7'9" center Sun Ming Ming. Ming made his ABA debut with the Nighthawks on February 3rd at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland in a 115-111 victory over the Sound. A sell-out crowd was on hand to welcome the Asian giant, and he didn't disappoint with 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Ming's second game resulted in a 126-111 defeat at the hands of the Wilmington Sea Dawgs, in which he scored 4 points with 1 rebound and 1 block.

Ming has made the rounds since he arrived, and appeared on NBC's 'Today' show recently. He was also the subject of an article that appeared in Sports Illustrated this past week, and was featured in the Sunday, February 11 edition of Newsday.

Ming is the tallest man to play professional basketball. Two former Washington Bullets centers, Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muresan, checked in at 7'7". Nighthawks' owner Tom Doyle has visions of signing both retired NBA players to team up with Ming in an exhibition game to help raise money to pay for Ming's medical bills. His incredible size is due to the fact that he suffers from gigantism, a rare childhood form of the disease acromelagy. Ming, 23, recently had hormone therapy and two brain surgeries to remove a tumor.

In 2005, Ming came to the United States and worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers. He declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft, but went unselected. His condition was diagnosed shortly thereafter.

His first pro stint was with the Dodge City Legend of the USBL last season. He did not fair as well as expected, mainly due to the fact that he was still recovering from surgery.

Ming is believed to be the second-tallest person in the world. Weighing in at 370 pounds with a 50-inch waist, he wears a 6XL jersey and size 20 sneakers.

He obviously will attract attention anywhere he goes. And the game on Long Island will be no exception. Get your tickets now and make sure that are a part of basketball history. The game can also be heard live on 98.5 FM WBZB with David Greenwald and Rob Hahn on the call.

For more information, visit www.strongislandsound.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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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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