The Ten Tallest Basketball Players Of All-Time
One of the biggest advantages that players can have in basketball is height. That means that there have been some massive athletes that have played in the NBA throughout their careers. However, which stars have been the biggest and how have they performed on the court?
- Gheorge Muresan
That tallest player to have ever played in the NBA was Gheorge Muresan. He stood at a huge 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) and played in the NBA throughout the 90s. During his career, he played for the Washington Bullets and New Jersey Nets. The five years that he spent with the Bullets were the most successful of his career. Muresan played 307 games in the NBA, and scored 3,020 points.
- Manute Bol
Standing just an inch smaller than Muresan is Manute Bol, who made his NBA debut for the Washington Bullets in 1985. He stood at 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m). He enjoyed spells with the Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat throughout his career. He twice led the league in terms of blocks, with those feats coming in 1986 and 1989.
- Slavko Vranes
Slavko Vranes stands at the same height as Manute Bol, but didn’t enjoy the esteemed career as the former Bullets man. Vranes played just one game in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers, before moving back to Europe to play for clubs such as Crvena Zvezda, Partizan and UNICS Kazan. His one appearance in the NBA came against the Minnesota Timberwolves in January 2004.
- Shawn Bradley
Shawn Bradley is also the same height as Bol and Vranes, and enjoyed an excellent career in the NBA, which span across 12 years and three different franchises. He made his name during a two-year stay with the 76ers, before he moved to the Nets to two seasons. The majority of his career was spent with the Dallas Mavericks, as he joined in 1997 and didn’t leave until 2005. Bradley played 832 games in the NBA and scored 6,752 points.
- Yao Ming
Yao Ming is the tallest player to have ever played in an NBA All-Star Game, as he stands at 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m). The entirety of his NBA career was spent with the Houston Rockets. He joined the Rockets in 2002 and left the franchise in 2011. During his career with the franchise, he played 481 times and scored 9,196 points. Ming was a round one pick in the NBA Draft, and is remembered as a Rockets legend.
- Chuck Nevitt
The honour of being the tallest NBA champion falls to Chuck Nevitt, who won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1985. Nevitt played in 155 NBA games throughout his career and scored 251 points. His career span across eleven years and he played for the Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs as well as the Lakers.
- Pavel Podkolzin
Pavel Podkolzin also stands at 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m) but didn’t achieve the same heights as Nevitt. Podkolzin played in just six NBA games across a two-year stay with the Dallas Mavericks. He joined the Mavericks in 2004, and scored just four points in his two-year stay.
- Sim Bhullar
The tallest Canadian player to play in the NBA was Sim Bhullar, who played for the Sacramento Kings in 2015. He stood at 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m), but only managed to play three games for the Kings during the 2015-16 season. Bhullar scored two points in his three appearances for the Kings.
- Tacko Fall
Tacko Fall is the current tallest player in the NBA, as he stands at 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m). He made his debut for the Boston Celtics in 2019 and has scored four points in six games to this point. The future is bright for the 24-year-old Senegalese player as he was named in the NBA G League All-Defensive Team for the most recent season. Fall could be set to feature more often for the Celtics next season.
- Mark Eaton
Mark Eaton enjoyed an excellent eleven-year career in the NBA, as he smashed records for the most blocked shots per game in a season. Eaton averaged 5.56 blocks per game during the 1984-85 season for the Utah Jazz. He spent the entirety of his career with the Jazz, as his 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) exterior was a vital part of their defensive game. His performances were noticed as he was an NBA All-Star in 1989.
The Tallest Female Athletes in The World
To end this list I couldn’t help but mention the tallest female athletes. Still clocking in at well over 2 meters tall, these lethally-skilled athletes just happen to also be—you guessed it—basketball players.
Here are the tallest female athletes in the world:
| Athlete | Sport | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Margo Dydek | Basketball | 7 ft 1 in (2.18 m) |
| Uljana Semjonova | Basketball | 6 ft 9 in (2.13 m) |
| Yekaterina Lisina | Basketball | 6 ft 7 in (2.06 m) |
| Maria Stepanova | Basketball | 6 ft 6 in (2.03 m) |
| Lindsey Taylor | Basketball | 6 ft 6 in (2.03 m) |
