This morning, I was absolutely devastated to learn the news that former UCLA Bruins basketball player Mike Lanier, who at 7’7” tall is in the Guinness Book of World Records as part of the world’s tallest twins, passed away at the end of April at the far too young age of 48.
According to WOOD TV, he died from pancreatic cancer complicated by acromegaly, the pituitary gland disorder that resulted in his extraordinary height.
The reason I was so shocked is because Mike and I became friends after he transferred to UCLA because Hardin-Simmons in Abilene, Texas had decided to drop from Division I basketball to Division III.