Gheorghe Mureșan
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| Mureșan in 2010 | |
| No. 77 | |
|---|---|
| Center | |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth | February 14, 1971 |
| Place of birth | Tritenii de Jos, Romania |
| Nationality | Romanian |
| Listed height | 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) |
| Listed weight | 315 lb (143 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA Draft | 1993 / Round: 2 / Pick: 30th overall |
| Selected by the Washington Bullets | |
| Pro career | 1991–2006 |
| Career history | |
| 1991–1992 | CS Universitatea Mobitelco (Romania) |
| 1992–1993 | Pau-Orthez (France) |
| 1993–1995 | Washington Bullets |
| 1995 | Pau-Orthez (France) |
| 1995–1997 | Washington Bullets |
| 1999–2000 | New Jersey Nets |
| 2000–2001 | Pau-Orthez (France) |
| 2005–2006 | Maryland Nighthawks (ABA) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 3,020 (9.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,957 (6.4 rpg) |
| Blocks | 455 (1.5 bpg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Gheorghe Dumitru Mureșan, (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈɡe̯orɡe mureʃan]; born February 14, 1971), also known as Ghiţă (Romanian: [ˈɡit͡sə]) or George, is a retired Romanian professional basketball player. At 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m), he is one of the tallest players in NBA history, along with Sudanese player Manute Bol, who was also 7 ft 7 in. Both Mureșan's parents are of average size, and, unlike Bol, Mureșan's height is the result of a pituitary disorder.
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[edit] Basketball career
Mureșan was born in the countryside of Romania, in Tritenii de Jos, Cluj County, and played competitive basketball at Cluj University. He played professionally in the French league with Pau-Orthez during the 1992–93 season and was an instant hit with fans. The NBA took interest in him and he was selected by the Washington Bullets in the 1993 NBA Draft.[1] He played in the NBA from 1993 to 1994 showing signs of a promising career that was derailed by injuries.
After returning to France and playing for the start of the 1995–96 season with Pau-Orthez, he was named the NBA's Most Improved Player for the 1995–96 season after averaging 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.26 blocks per game while making a league-leading 58.4 percent of his field goals. He led in field goal percentage again the following season, with a 60.4% average. Overall, he holds career averages of 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.48 blocks per game and a .573 field goal percentage. He joined the New Jersey Nets for the final 31 games of his career. After ending his NBA career, Mureșan had another stint in the French league before returning to the United States with his family. He normally wore number 77, in reference to his height.
On March 11, 2007, Mureșan played a game for the Maryland Nighthawks as part of the tallest lineup in the history of basketball.[2] This is the only basketball game Mureșan has ever played where he was not the tallest person on the court, as Sun Mingming is 7' 9" (2.36 m).
[edit] Other work
In 2004, Gheorghe Muresan founded Giant Basketball Academy (GBA), a program dedicated to teaching the proper fundamentals of basketball to boys and girls of all ages. Mr. Muresan is also part of the Washington Wizards marketing and public relations team.[3]
Outside basketball, Mureșan has dabbled in acting, playing the title character in 1998 feature film My Giant starring comedian Billy Crystal. Mureșan plays a ventriloquist in rap artist Eminem's breakout video "My Name Is". He has appeared in commercials for Snickers candy bars, and sports television network ESPN.
Together with his family, Mureșan has been a resident of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "1993 NBA Draft - Basketball-Reference.com". http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1993.html. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
- ^ Maryland Nighthawks Pull it Out in a Wild One with Cape Cod Frenzy Winning 132-128, MLN Sports, 2007-03-13, http://www.mlntherawfeed.com/independent-basketball/2007/3/13/maryland-nighthawks-pull-it-out-in-a-wild-one-with-cape-cod-frenzy-winning-132-128-aba.html, retrieved 2010-04-29
- ^ Giant Basketball Academy, "http://www.giantbasketball.com/about_gm.php"
- ^ Staff. Giant undertaking, The Washington Times, February 6, 2004. Accessed May 26, 2011. "That was how the former Washington Bullets center and one-time movie actor — he appeared with Billy Crystal in My Giant — spent most of the past few years: being with his wife, tending his two sons and taking care of their home in Franklin Lakes, N.J. "
[edit] External links
- Gheorghe Mureșan at NBA.com (archived from 2002)
- Gheorghe Muresan profile at InterBasket
- Gheorghe Muresan at the Internet Movie Database
- Georghe Muresan Trading Cards/Autographs Page
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- 1971 births
- Living people
- Centers (basketball)
- Expatriate basketball people in the United States
- Romanian basketball players
- Romanian expatriates in France
- Romanian expatriates in the United States
- New Jersey Nets players
- People from Franklin Lakes, New Jersey
- People from Cluj County
- People with gigantism
- American people of Romanian descent
- Washington Bullets draft picks
- Washington Bullets players
- Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez players
