Who is Sun MingMing?

Sun MingMing is a former basketball player and actor, perhaps best recognized as the tallest basketball player, measured by Guinness World Records. During his career he played for a number of teams, including the Dodge City Legend of the US Basketball League. He was born under the Zodiac sign Virgo on 23 August 1983, in Bayan County, Harbin, China. As of 2021, he is 38 years old and holds Chinese nationality.

Early Life, Family, and Education

Nothing is known about his parents and any siblings. Sun was born into a lower-class family who struggled financially; growing up, he didn’t have proper health care, but his unusual height didn’t alienate him from his friends and family.

According to reports, he didn’t have much interest in basketball, and was 15 when he first gave it a shot, at the time already 7 ft (2.13m) tall.

After his formative years, he continued to grow to everyone’s surprise, which prompted him to visit a doctor and get to the bottom of his strange height. Following the examination, the doctor established that he had a benign tumor attached to his pituitary gland in the center of his brain, which caused the gland to release high levels of growth hormone during its development. He had a condition called acromegaly, a hormonal disorder, which causes the body to produce too much growth hormone, leading to abnormally large hands and feet. Following the diagnosis, he traveled to Los Angeles to meet the surgeon, Hrayr Shahinian, of the Skull-Based Institute, to discuss his treatment.

Given that he had no insurance or financial means to pay  the $100,000 in medical bills for the surgery, his sports agent Avery Low launched a fundraising campaign to raise the money. Luckily for Ming, the operation went well, and Sun was able to begin his career as a basketball player. Interestingly, if the tumor had not been removed, it would have posed serious problems health-wise for Sun in the future. After the operation, he stayed in the US and enrolled at the Ventura College in California, where he played for the college basketball team in the season 2005-2006.

Career

Adamant in pursuing his dream, he stepped up his career by joining the National Basketball Association (NBA), however, he was never drafted.

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Following this disappointing turn of events, he tried his luck playing with several American minor league teams. He kicked off his career playing for the United States Basketball League (USBL) team Dodge City Legend, switching teams for a while, joining the Maryland Nighthawks of the American Basketball Association, which is a semi-professional minor league. Later, he played for the Grand Rapids Flight of the International Basketball League (IBL). In 2007 he became the tallest player ever to be drafted by Harlem Globetrotters. However, he never officially played on the team.

He started to explore other possibilities, and switched to the Mexican team Fuerza Regia, the Monterrey-based professional basketball club.

Despite high hopes and expectations, he returned to Grand Rapids Flight. Reportedly, he sustained several injuries while playing for the teams, which steered his career path. He then moved on to the Japanese team, Hamamatsu, and played with them for a yea, but following his low per-game averages of 7.7 points and 5.7 rebounds, in 2009, he returned to his home country, China.

Bejing Ducks

Having his dreams crushed of ever playing in the NBA, he joined the Beijing Ducks in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

It turned out that was the right move for Sun, who finally landed his 15 minutes of fame as he won two CBA championships playing with the team, in 2012 and 2014. During his five-year career with the Ducks, he posted some career-high stats in a CBA game, which included scoring eight points in a road loss 93-66 against the Tianjin Pioneers in 2011, and grabbing nine rebounds against Zhejiang Lions in 2012, which they lost 114-94.

Acting Career

Sun also dipped his toes into the entertainment business, landing several roles. In 2006 he appeared as a guest on the well-known show “Jimmy Kimmel Live”, and made an appearance in the documentary movie “Anatomy of a Giant”. The following year, he portrayed a Kung-Fu giant in the action/comedy  “Rush Hour 3” opposite Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.

In the following period, he focused on his basketball career, but in 2016 he returned to the screen as Hong Hou, the recurring character, in the Chinese streaming series entitled “Candle in the Tomb”. During the same year, he landed a minor role in the Chinese series “Singing All Along”. In 2017, Sun starred in the fantasy film “The Thousand Faces of Dunjia, while his latest acting role was in 2018, when he appeared in the romantic movie “Miss Puff”.

Personal life

While his previous dating history remains a mystery, since 2013 he’s been married to Xu Yan, the professional handball player in the National Games of China.

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The couple met in 2009, and shortly afterwards began a romantic relationship. The couple married in Beijing, China, on 4 August 2013, and immediately made history as the tallest living married couple. Considering his wife is 6ft 2ins tall (185cm), their height combined amounts to 13ft 10.72ins (423cm)

What is his net worth?

According to the latest reports, his estimated net worth is around $2million, acquired largely through his career as a professional basketball player, and from appearing in a number of movies over the years, which definitely contributed to his wealth.

Physical stats and Trivia

Sun is now 7ft 9ins tall (236cm) and weighs around 370lbs (168kgs). His hair is black and his eyes brown. He wears a shoe size 20.

In 2014, Sun had the opportunity to meet the famous actor and former World Wrestling Entertainment star, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and took a photo together, which invited a hail of comments. It was both hilarious and interesting how the former wrestler, known as one of the bulkier Hollywood stars, seemed so small compared to the towering Sun. The two also formed a friendship, and Dwayne congratulated Sun on his marriage to Xu Yan via a heartwarming Instagram post that reads: “This makes me happy, my 7’9’’ Chinese brother just got married. How awesome is that?”

Is he active on social media?

It appears that Sun doesn’t like to share his private information on social media and hence doesn’t use Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Who is Averi Woodley?

Averi Woodley was born on 1 January 1983 under the zodiac sign of Capricorn in St Louis, Missouri USA. She is a 38-year-old fitness instructor and YouTuber, who gained popularity for being the now ex-wife of the professional mixed martial arts fighter Tyron Woodley.

How rich is she, as of now? Averi Woodley Net Worth

As of late 2021, Averi Woodley’s net worth is estimated at close to $500,000, acquired largely through her successful involvement in the fitness industry; she’s also increased her wealth through her internet-based career. Previously, she enjoyed the wealth of her famous husband, Tyron Woodley, whose fortune is estimated at over $4 million.

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Early Life, Parents, Siblings, Nationality, Ethnicity, Religion, Educational Background

Averi Woodley spent her early years in her hometown of St. Louis, where she was raised by her parents; however, their names and professions aren’t revealed to the public, and it’s also unknown whether she has siblings or is an only child. She holds American nationality, belongs to African American ethnic group, and is a Christian. Regarding her education, Averi attended McCluer High School in Florissant, Missouri, and upon matriculation, she studied at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, Illinois.

Professional Career

Averi Woodley is passionate about fitness; she’s a personal fitness trainer and wellness coach, and also organizes boot camp workouts as well as self-defense classes to fight off predators. She is the co-owner of ATT Evolution. Additionally, Averi is a great motivational speaker; she runs her official self-titled YouTube channel, through which she empowers women and promotes their sense of self-worth and their rights. Moreover, she launched her own show, entitled “Same Team Sunday”, in which she talks with David, a 27-year-old bachelor, about various topics related to dating and relationships.

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Her channel was launched on 9 December 2020, and so far has amassed over 7,000 subscribers and 360,000 views. Some of her most popular videos are “Ladies, Kevin Samuels is NOT WRONG!”, “Kevin Samuels “Is this better than dying alone?” Review”, and “The Truth Hurts, But It Will Also Set Us Free!”, among others.

Appearance and Vital Statistics

Averi Woodley has long dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. She stands at a height of 5ft 6ins (1.68m), while her weight is 141lbs (64kgs). Information about her vital statistics, bra size, dress size, and shoe size isn’t available.

Personal Life

Averi Woodley and Tyron Woodley have known each other for a long time, since they attended the same high school and later the same college.

They aren’t very open when it comes to their relationship and marriage, so there is no information when the two of them actually tied the knot. After being married for a while, it was revealed that Tyron cheated on her with another woman, and they reportedly split, although neither of them confirmed it. However, she wrote in her YouTube channel bio that she is ‘The Best Ex-Wife’, so many believe that she’s single now. The former couple has four children, three sons named Darron, Dylan and Tyron Woodley Jr., and a daughter named Gabby.

Who is her husband? Tyron Woodley Short Wiki/Bio

Tyron Lakent Woodley was born on 17 April 1982 under the zodiac sign of Aries, in Ferguson, Missouri USA – he holds American nationality and belongs to African-American ethnicity.

He was raised alongside 12 siblings by a single mother, after his father left the family. While attending McCluer High School, he competed in both amateur wrestling and American Football; he even won the 2000 Missouri 4A Men’s State Championship in the weight class of 160lbs. Upon matriculation, he enrolled into the University of Missouri and joined their wrestling team – the Missouri Tigers, and was a two-time All-American as well as a Big 12 Conference champion. He graduated with a major in Agricultural Economics in 2005.

Professional Career

Tyron Woodley’s professional MMA career began on 7 February 2009, when he fought against Steve Schnider at the Holiday Inn Select Executive Center in Columbia, Missouri, defeating Steve via submission in the first round.

In the summer of the same year, he started competing at Strikeforce, making his debut for them in the match against Sal Woods at the event Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields, and after winning the match, he was signed to a six-fight deal. He continued to line up victories, and was named the 2010 Strikeforce Rising Star of the Year. His first defeat came in July 2012, when he lost to Nate Marquardt for the vacant Strikeforce Welterweight Championship.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In February 2013, Tyron Woodley made his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut when he faced Jay Hieron at UFC 156, winning the match by knocking him out at just 36 seconds of the opening round.

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He lost his next fight to Jake Shields via split decision, but won the next one against Josh Koscheck at UFC 167 that earned him his first Knockout of the Night bonus award. Thereafter, he won the match against the former Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit, after which he signed an eight-fight contract with the UFC. In August 2014, he won his first Performance of the Night bonus award, winning the fight via TKO against Dong Hyun Kim at UFC Fight Night 48.

Two years later, he became a UFC Welterweight Champion, after knocking out Robbie Lawler in the main event at UFC 201. He made his first title defense against Stephen Thompson at UFC 205, for which both of them won Fight of the Night bonus awards. Their rematch was held the following year at UFC 209. He defended his title two more times in fights against Demian Maia at UFC 214 and Darren Till at UFC 228.

He eventually lost the title by unanimous decision to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235 in March 2019, since when he hasn’t achieved much success in the ring, losing his last four UFC fights.

Other Ventures

Apart from being an MMA fighter, Tyron Woodley has been involved in other ventures. In 2013, he made an appearance in the documentary film “Fight Life”, alongside other professional wrestlers such as Jake Shields, Lyle Beerbohm, and Nick Diaz. He then tried himself as an actor, making his feature film debut as T-Bone in the Academy Award-nominated biographical drama film “Straight Outta Compton” (2015), which was a huge box office success, grossing over $200 million worldwide.

The following year, he appeared as Tyron in the Indian Hindi-language sports drama film “Sultan”, and as a fighter in the martial arts film “Kickboxer: Vengeance”.

It was followed by his portrayals of Akala in the action thriller film “Escape Plan 2: Hades”, next to Sylvester Stallone and 50 Cent, and Mario in the action comedy film “Office Uprising”, both released in 2018. Most recently, he played Nick Grady in the 2019 drama film “The Favorite”, next to John Schneider, and featured as a loser in the 2020 action crime film “Cut Throat City”. At the time, he also guest-starred in such TV series as “The Night Shift” and “Hawaii Five-0”, among others. Besides that, Tyron served as a host of the podcast “Morning Wood With Deez Nutz” as well as the TMZ weekly web show “The Hollywood Beatdown”.