Sydney Kings star Kouat Noi was close to death as a baby, before NBA great Manute Bol saved him
Kouat Noi spent three months in hospital as a baby with a rare, deadly disease. It’s a miracle he became a professional basketball player - and he says he owes it all to NBA cult hero Manute Bol.
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Sydney Kings star Kouat Noi was so sick as a six-month old baby he almost died.
A rare blood pressure condition forced him to spend three months in a South Sudan hospital with genuine fears he wouldn’t survive.
He battled to breathe, while the lack of blood flow turned his tiny body pale white.
“Dad later told me I was very close to dying - I had no oxygen,” Noi recalls.
Making the terrifying moment even more stressful, Noi’s father Ater Dhiu couldn’t afford the treatment for his newborn son.
Fortunately he contacted his close friend – South Sudan’s first NBA player Manute Bol – and asked if he could foot the bill.
Bol didn’t hesitate, he flew back to Sudan from America and paid thousands for the medical assistance to save Kouat’s life.
Fastest players to reach 300 blocks in a career
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Hakeem Olajuwon - 112 games
Victor Wembanyama - 83 games
Manute Bol - 80 games
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The legendary big man – one of the tallest players in NBA history standing at 231cm - died in 2010 but his legacy will forever live on in Noi’s heart.
“God rest Manute’s soul - if I could thank him for saving my life I would,” he said about South Sudan’s original NBA star who played 624 NBA games for four teams.
“Dad used to play basketball with him in South Sudan and they’d built a relationship.
“He told Manute my son has been in hospital for three months and he is going to die soon if there is no support.
“He put his hand up and gave the doctors all the medical payments to help me.
“Then before you knew it I started getting better.”
Not a day goes by when Noi isn’t grateful for Bol’s lifesaving kindness.
He hopes to pass on his thanks to Manute’s son – Bol Bol – a promising centre currently playing in the NBA for the Phoenix Suns.
“If I can cross paths with his son Bol and we could play in the same team that would be so special,” he said.
“Bol got invited to play for South Sudan at the Paris Olympics, but the Suns didn’t release him in time.
“Hopefully I can play with him in the near future, so I can tell him the story of what his dad did for me.”
INSPIRING NEXT GENERATION
Noi says it’s his life mission to repay Bol senior for saving his life by following in his pioneering footsteps and becoming an inspiration for the South Sudanese people.
He regularly works with Sudanese kids from the western Sydney community group Savannah Pride, which was established in 2006 to help newcomers find their feet in a new country.
Noi is passionate about passing on his experiences from rising above setback to achieve success.
KOUAT NOI PUT 'EM ON A POSTER 😱😱
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He endured hard times growing up in war-torn South Sudan. His father was a single parent who did his best with three kids.
When Noi senior fled to Australia he couldn’t speak English and had to teach himself. He worked endless hours as a taxi driver to provide for his family.
Now Noi is benefiting from his father’s toil as a professional basketball player.
He wants his story of resilience to motivate the next generation of South Sudanese.
Noi fittingly put on a scintillating show for a collection of kids from Savanah Pride during Sydney’s big round seven win over Tasmania.
He exploded with a team-high 26 points, including a hellacious one-handed dunk during the third quarter.
The starry-eyed Sudanese kids watching on from the sideline were so inspired by the star performance that they stopped at the gym on their way home from the game “because they wanted to be like Kouat Noi”.
Moments like this just reinforce to Noi the importance of being a role model for his South Sudanese community.
“It just melted my heart - I almost started crying,” he said.
“To help those kids is something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
“Even before the game started a whole bunch of those Sudanese kids came and said hello. They were cheering my name and asking to sign their shoes.
“So it felt incredible to have a performance like that in front of those kids.
“I was once a kid like them who used to go to the South Sudanese tournaments in Sydney and Melbourne.
“At the age of 12 I started taking basketball seriously and that’s why I wear number 12 and my dad always said you can do whatever you want if you put your mind to it.”
PUTTING SOUTH SUDAN ON THE MAP
Noi knows if Bol senior was alive today he would be so proud of South Sudan’s rise on the world stage.
The South Sudanese have become a competitive force, as shown when they pushed their rivals at this year’s Paris Olympics.
The men from Africa recorded their first Olympic win over Puerto Rico, while bravely battled hard against global super powers Serbia and Team USA.
Wenyen Gabriel with the proudest of words after South Sudan’s first-ever game against USA Basketball 🇸🇸 pic.twitter.com/NJYze9et4h
— Cesare Milanti (@cesaremilanti) July 20, 2024
Noi, who will play for South Sudan during next week’s FIBA window, believes the Africans are on the cusp of a golden era.
“I’ve been saying it for years – South Sudanese players are among the most gifted athletes in the world,” he said.
“For us to even make the Olympics so people even know who South Sudan is, it’s a blessing that everyone recognises us now.
“The future is bright.”
TOIL PAYS OFF
Noi is living proof that mentality and hard work can lead to greatness.
He says he rediscovered his “love” for basketball during an NBL1 stint with the Darwin Salties.
Noi returned to the Kings feeling refreshed, refocused and strong after adding five kilos of lean muscle to his frame.
His toil behind the scenes during the pre-season has resulted in a strong start to NBL25, scoring in double figures in three of his past six games.
Noi is the conversation for the NBL’s Sixth Man of the Year award after becoming a consistent threat off the bench for Sydney.
“I approached this off-season with full force,” he said.
“I came in early, left late and having Goorjian as my coach speaks for itself.
“I’ve learnt so much from him so far. The way he sees the game, he knows I can bring so much to this team at both ends of the floor.
“I’m just having fun out there. The most fun I’ve ever had.
“I don’t have any knee issues anymore and you’ve seen me dunking on people, getting rebounds and blocks.
“I still have so much more to show, so I’m excited to see what I can do as the season goes on.”
KINGS PRIMED FOR REVENGE
Brace yourself for a barrage Illawarra Hawks fans – the Sydney Kings are vowing to “tear the roof off” the Wollongong Entertainment Centre in a bid to beat the Hawks and prove they’ve the NBL’s premier team.
Kings bench weapon Kouat Noi says he is taking Saturday’s blockbuster clash against the Hawks “personally”.
Noi isn’t happy with Illawarra guard Davo Hickey for sledging Sydney after the Hawks’ upset 96-89 win over the Kings at Qudos Bank Arena in round two.
The Kings now have their eyes locked in on revenge.
“We’re all going to this game and we’re taking it personal,” Noi said.
“The stuff that Hickey said about coming to this place in Sydney and getting a win.
“We’re going to go over there and make a statement and prove to the league that we are the best team and they (the Hawks) aren’t.
“Hopefully these Illawarra people are ready, man, because we’re going to come over there and tear the roof off that place.”
NBL SATURDAY BLOCKBUSTER:
Illawarra Hawks vs Sydney Kings at Wollongong Entertainment Centre from 8pm (AEDT)
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Originally published as Sydney Kings star Kouat Noi was close to death as a baby, before NBA great Manute Bol saved him
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