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Gheorghe Mureșan
Romanian basketball player (born 1971) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Gheorghe Dumitru Mureșan (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈɡe̯orɡe mureˈʃan] ⓘ; born 14 February 1971), known as the Giant (Romanian: [ˈɡit͡sə]) is a Romanian-American former professional basketball player. At 7 feet 7 inches (2.31 m), he is one of the two tallest players to have played in the NBA.[2][3]
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Early life
Mureșan was born in Tritenii de Jos,[4][5] Cluj County, Romania. Although his parents' heights were relatively typical, he grew to his remarkable height due to a pituitary gland disorder called gigantism.[6]
Professional career
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CS Universitatea Cluj-Napoca (1991–1992)
Mureșan played competitive basketball at Universitatea Cluj, becoming national champion in 1992.[7][8]
Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez (1992–1993)
Mureșan played professionally in the French league with Pau-Orthez during the 1992–93 season and was an instant hit with fans, also managing to win the French League Cup.[7]
Washington Bullets / Wizards (1993–1998)
Mureșan was selected by the NBA's Washington Bullets in the 1993 NBA draft.[9] He played in the NBA from 1993 to 2000 showing signs of a promising career that was derailed by injuries. His best season came in the 1995–1996 campaign, when he averaged 14.5 points per game.
Mureșan 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.[citation needed]
New Jersey Nets (1999–2000)
Mureșan joined the New Jersey Nets for the final 31 games of his NBA career.
Return to Pau-Orthez (2000–2001)
After ending his NBA career, Mureșan had another stint at Pau-Orthez where he won the French league before returning to the United States with his family.[7] He normally wore number 77, in reference to his height.
On 11 March 2007, Mureșan played a game for the Maryland Nighthawks as part of the tallest lineup in the history of basketball.[10] This was the only basketball game Mureșan played where he was not the tallest person on the court, as Sun Mingming is 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m).
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Other work
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In 2004, Mureșan founded the Giant Basketball Academy (GBA), a program dedicated to teaching the proper fundamentals of basketball to boys and girls of all ages.[11][6] The Academy is located in Ashburn, Virginia.[12]
Mureșan is also part of the Washington Wizards marketing and public relations team,[6] serving as an "ambassador" for the team.[13]
Mureșan co-authored two young adult fitness and health books: The Boy's Fitness Guide and The Girl's Fitness Guide.[14]
In 2013, Mureșan participated in the first annual 3v3 UMTTR (You Matter) Basketball Tournament to increase awareness, prevention and research of teen suicide, the leading cause of death among adults and children between the ages of 15 and 24.[citation needed]
Acting
Outside basketball, Mureșan has dabbled in acting, playing the title character in 1998 feature film My Giant starring comedian Billy Crystal.[15] Mureșan also acted in the films Adventures of Serial Buddies (2011) and Manodrome (2023).[16]
He appeared as a ventriloquist in the music video for Eminem's breakthrough single "My Name Is". He has appeared in commercials for Snickers candy bars, and sports television network ESPN.
Personal life
Mureșan and his wife Liliana and sons George and Victor have resided in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey,[17] but they relocated to the suburbs of Washington, D.C.[18] Since the 2016–2017 season, his oldest son, George, has played for the Georgetown University Hoyas as a walk-on forward. His younger son Victor joined the Hoyas as a walk-on in the 2020–2021 season. Victor is 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) and 190 pounds (86 kg).
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Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| * | Led the league |
NBA
Regular season
Playoffs
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See also
References
External links
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