Height isn’t everything when it comes to being a true pro, but there’s no question that being tall increases the chances of getting your team great NBA odds – and of course, winning them the game. But man, does it help.
In basketball, height gives you an obvious advantage. That advantage becomes more of a difference maker the higher the competition. Now if you’re a particularly mobile player that happens to be over seven feet tall, your professional basketball outlook improves dramatically. Not that 7-1 Rudy Gobert doesn’t have talent; he just doesn’t have to have as much skill considering his height and 7’9 wingspan. That said, in the NBA, the Utah Jazz center can barely dribble twice in the post without falling over himself and often blows shots that he can’t dunk.
Yet, Gobert’s height (and timing) has made him an NBA All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year all for basically standing around the basket at the defensive end and sitting in the dunkers spot on offense. You can’t teach height, my friends.
In fact, there are 23 players that are 7-0 or taller on NBA rosters this season. From Victor to Bol Bol to Embiid to Boban to Kristaps, you don’t have to be a diehard NBA fan to know these players full names. To contrast how common these seven-footers are, there’s only been twenty-five players in the history of the NBA that were measured under six feet tall.
The Tallest NBA Players Of all-time
Whoever has been lucky enough to sit near the action of a live game knows truly how huge NBA players really are. These are big human beings. Players that are referred to as “little guards” only look small on TV because we’re comparing them to 6-8 small forwards, 6-11 power forwards and seven-foot unicorns running up and down the court.
In the span of the 75 years of the NBA, the league has seen dozens and dozens of seven-footers plod onto the court. Though you might have never seen a seven-foot person in your life, it’s not unusual to have a players that are 7-foot or taller dotting NBA rosters every season. Whether they end up being memorable is another question. Then there are players that are memorable for being tall. Here’s the list of the NBA’s tallest players ever.
1. Gheorghe Mureșan 7-7
1. Manute Bol 7-7
Muresan was commonly known by his nickname Ghiță, and was a colossal half American – half Romanian player who made all the other tall basketball players look small. Along with Manute Bol, Muresan is the tallest player to ever put on an NBA jersey at 2.31m (7ft 7”). His near decade-long career kicked off with the Washington Bullets in ‘93, until his ‘98 move to New Jersey to join the Nets for a couple years till his retirement.
Bol was a Sudanese-American giant who matched Ghiță and tied his record with an incredible height of 2.31m (7ft 7”). His career in basketball lasted from 1985 till 1994 and he played with the Bullets, the Warriors, the 76ers and Miami Heat. He also played alongside the shortest player in the history of the NBA, which was an oddly interesting sight to see. Bol passed away at the age of 47 in 2010. His son Bol Bol now plays for the Denver Nuggets.
3. Shawn Bradley 7-6
3. Yao Ming 7-6
3. Slavko Vraneš 7-6
3. Tacko Fall 7-6
The German born American blooded legend of the sport had a great basketball career from 1993 to 2005 playing alongside the 76ers, the Nets and the Mavericks. He stood at a whopping 2.29m (7ft 6”) which ties him with Vranes in second place.
Chinese giant Yao Ming who played for the Houston Rockets from 2002 to 2011, is the tallest player to hold a spot inside the NBA hall of fame. He also was the tallest player to ever take part in the All-star series. He was also 2.29m tall (7ft 6”), and had an average of 19.1 points per match.
Vranes was player from Montenegro who had the shortest NBA career in history, as he only played in one match with the Portland Trail Blazers against the Minnesota Timberwolves, for a total of 3 minutes, and managed to achieve one missed shot attempt and a foul. Not much to be proud of, but at least he got his fame thanks to his inhuman 2.29m (7ft 6”) height.
Tacko Fall is the current tallest player in the NBA who still plays to this day. He stands at 2.26m (7ft 5”) and has played with the Celtics from 2019 till this year and recently moved to Cleveland to join the Cavaliers, whom he is playing alongside at the moment.
