Earl "The Goat" Manigault (not in NBA)
By the time he was in high school, Earl was known as "The Goat" because of his quiet demeanor. When asked what his name was, the person thought he said Earl Nanny Goat, so he called him "The Goat". He was mentored by Holcombe Rucker (after whom Rucker Park is named).
Manigault was famous for his street basketball abilities. He could double dunk (he would dunk it and catch it with the other hand while still in the air and dunk it again). He was alleged to be able to touch the top of the backboard to retrieve quarters and dollar bills. He was only 6'2" but the ankle weights he wore as a child helped him to build up tremendous jumping ability. He once reverse dunked 36 times in a row to win a $60 bet. It was rumored that Earl had a 52-inch vertical leap. But as to prove dunking wasn't the only thing he had going for him, he would practice hundreds of shots day after day, making him a deadly long-range shooter as well. Earl played with some of the best players of his day, such as Earl Monroe, Connie Hawkins and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. When Kareem finished his career with the Los Angeles Lakers and had his number retired at the Los Angeles Forum, he was asked who was the greatest player he had played with or against. After a long silence, Kareem answered 'It would have to be Earl "The Goat" Manigault,' much to the amazement of everyone.
http://hoopedia.nba.com/index.php?title=Earl_Manigault
