List of tallest players in National Basketball Association history
This is a list of the tallest players in National Basketball Association history. It is currently topped by the 7-foot-7-inch (2.31 m) Romanian Gheorghe Mureșan, taken by the Washington Bullets as the number 30 overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft.[1]
As of 2023, twenty-eight players have been listed at 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m) or taller. However, only four are active as of the 2023–24 season: Kristaps Porziņģis of the Boston Celtics (currently listed at 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 m) but was measured to be closer to 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m) barefoot in 2019[2]); Bol Bol of the Phoenix Suns; Boban Marjanović of the Houston Rockets: and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs. The tallest player inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is 7-foot-6-inch (2.29 m) Yao Ming. In addition to Yao, Ralph Sampson and Arvydas Sabonis were the only other players 7 feet 3 inches or taller selected to the Hall of Fame.
Yasutaka Okayama, a 7-foot-8-inch (2.34 m) Japanese basketball player picked 171st overall in the seventh round of the 1981 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors, is the tallest player to ever be drafted for the NBA.[3] However, he never played in the NBA.[4]
List
| ^ | Active NBA player | ||||||
| * | Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame | ||||||
| GP | Games played | Pts | Points | PPG | Points per game | ||
| FG% | Field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage | Reb | Rebounds | ||
| RPG | Rebounds per game | Blk | Blocks | BPG | Blocks per game | ||
| Height | Weight | Player | Nationality | Teams | GP | Pts | PPG | FG% | FT% | Reb | RPG | Blk | BPG | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) | 315 lb (143 kg) | Gheorghe Mureșan |  Romania  United States
|
Washington Bullets (1993–1998) New Jersey Nets (1998–2000) |
307 | 3,020 | 9.8 | .573 | .644 | 1,957 | 6.4 | 455 | 1.5 | Won 1996 NBA Most Improved Player Award.[5] |
| 7 ft 7 in
(2.31 m)[note 1] |
200 lb (91 kg) | Manute Bol |  Sudan
|
Washington Bullets (1985–1988, 1994) Golden State Warriors (1988–1990, 1994) Philadelphia 76ers (1990–1993, 1994) Miami Heat (1993–1994) |
625 | 1,599 | 2.6 | .407 | .561 | 2,647 | 4.2 | 2,086 | 3.3 | Played alongside the shortest player in NBA history, Muggsy Bogues, during the 1987–88 season for the Washington Bullets; their difference in height was 28 inches (71 cm). |
| 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) | 311 lb (141 kg) | Tacko Fall |  Senegal
|
Boston Celtics (2019–2021) Cleveland Cavaliers (2021–2022) |
37 | 82 | 2.2 | .673 | .320 | 90 | 2.4 | 30 | 0.8 | |
| 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)[8][9][10] | 302 lb (137 kg) | Slavko Vraneš |  Montenegro
|
Portland Trail Blazers (2004) | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | .000 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | Played in one game, on January 8, 2004 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Played 3 minutes, with one shot attempt from the field (missed) and one personal foul. Vraneš was officially listed as 7'5" while playing in the NBA, and has since grown taller (7'6" or 2.30 m), according to most sources. |
| 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) | 275 lb (125 kg) | Shawn Bradley | United States  Germany
|
Philadelphia 76ers (1993–1995) New Jersey Nets (1995–1997) Dallas Mavericks (1997–2005) |
832 | 6,752 | 8.1 | .457 | .716 | 5,268 | 6.3 | 2,119 | 2.5 | Born to American parents in the former West Germany. |
| 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) | 310 lb (141 kg) | Yao Ming* |  China
|
Houston Rockets (2002–2011) | 481 | 9,196 | 19.1 | .525 | .832 | 4,467 | 9.3 | 912 | 1.9 | Tallest player to play in at least one All-Star Game. Also tallest player inducted into the Hall of Fame. |
| 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m) | 217 lb (98 kg) | Chuck Nevitt | United States
|
Houston Rockets (1982–1983, 1988–1990) Los Angeles Lakers (1984–1985) Detroit Pistons (1985–1988) Chicago Bulls (1991) San Antonio Spurs (1993) |
155 | 251 | 1.6 | .438 | .589 | 239 | 1.5 | 111 | 0.7 | Tallest player to win an NBA Championship. |
| 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m) | 305 lb (138 kg) | Pavel Podkolzin |  Russia
|
Dallas Mavericks (2004–2006) | 6 | 4 | 0.7 | .000 | .500 | 9 | 1.5 | 1 | 0.1 | |
| 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m) | 359 lb (163 kg) | Sim Bhullar |  Canada
|
Sacramento Kings (2015) | 3 | 2 | 0.7 | .500 | — | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.3 | First NBA player of Indian descent. Played 16 seconds in his debut on April 7, 2015. |
| 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Victor Wembanyama^ |  France
|
San Antonio Spurs (2023–present) | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Drafted first overall in the 2023 NBA draft. |
| 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) | 290 lb (132 kg) | Mark Eaton | United States
|
Utah Jazz (1982–1993) | 875 | 5,216 | 6.0 | .458 | .649 | 6,939 | 10.8 | 3,064 | 3.5 | He set records for most blocked shots per game in a single season (5.56 bpg in 1984–85) and for an entire career (3.50 bpg)—both marks still stand today. One-time NBA All-Star. |
| 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) | 250 lb (113 kg) | Rik Smits |  Netherlands
|
Indiana Pacers (1988–2000) | 867 | 12,871 | 14.8 | .507 | .773 | 5,277 | 6.1 | 1,111 | 1.3 | One-time NBA All-Star. |
| 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | Ralph Sampson* | United States
|
Houston Rockets (1983–1987) Golden State Warriors (1987–1989) Sacramento Kings (1989–1991) Washington Bullets (1991–1992) |
456 | 7,039 | 15.4 | .486 | .661 | 4,011 | 8.8 | 752 | 1.6 | Three-time College national player of the year, #1 pick in the 1983 NBA draft, four-time All-Star, member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. |
| 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) | 290 lb (132 kg) | Boban Marjanović^ |  Serbia
|
San Antonio Spurs (2015–2016) Detroit Pistons (2016–2018) Los Angeles Clippers (2018–2019) Philadelphia 76ers (2019) Dallas Mavericks (2019–2022) Houston Rockets (2022–present) |
296 | 1,709 | 5.8 | .574 | .766 | 1107 | 3.7 | 93 | 0.3 | |
| 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) | 325 lb (147 kg) | Priest Lauderdale | United States
|
Atlanta Hawks (1996–1997) Denver Nuggets (1997–1998) |
74 | 255 | 3.4 | .472 | .554 | 143 | 1.9 | 26 | 0.4 | |
| 7 ft 3.5 in (2.22 m) | 290 lb (132 kg) | Peter John Ramos |  Puerto Rico
|
Washington Wizards (2004–2005) | 6 | 11 | 1.8 | .500 | .500 | 4 | 0.7 | 1 | 0.2 | |
| 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) | 263 lb (119 kg) | Randy Breuer | United States
|
Milwaukee Bucks (1983–1990) Minnesota Timberwolves (1990–1992) Atlanta Hawks (1992–1993) Sacramento Kings (1993) |
681 | 4,599 | 6.8 | .467 | .628 | 2,986 | 4.4 | 750 | 1.1 | |
| 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) | 260 lb (118 kg) | Žydrūnas Ilgauskas |  Lithuania
|
Cleveland Cavaliers (1996–2010) Miami Heat (2010–2011) |
771 | 10,616 | 13.8 | .475 | .780 | 5,904 | 7.7 | 1,269 | 1.6 | Two-time NBA All-Star. |
| 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) | 292 lb (132 kg) | Arvydas Sabonis* | Lithuania
|
Portland Trail Blazers (1995–2001, 2002–2003) | 470 | 5,629 | 12.0 | .500 | .786 | 3,436 | 7.3 | 494 | 1.1 | Sabonis was originally drafted into the NBA in 1986 (Rd. 1, #24 overall), but was not allowed to play in the NBA for most of his career due to restrictions set by the former Soviet Union. |
| 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) | 290 lb (132 kg) | Hasheem Thabeet |  Tanzania
|
Memphis Grizzlies (2009–2011) Houston Rockets (2011–2012) Portland Trail Blazers (2012) Oklahoma City Thunder (2012–2014) |
224 | 483 | 2.2 | .567 | .578 | 595 | 2.7 | 184 | 0.8 | Only Tanzanian player to play in the NBA. |
| 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | Swede Halbrook | United States
|
Syracuse Nationals (1960–1962) | 143 | 786 | 5.5 | .347 | .591 | 949 | 6.6 | — | — | |
| 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) | 212 lb (96 kg) | Keith Closs | United States
|
Los Angeles Clippers (1997–2000) | 130 | 502 | 3.9 | .471 | .606 | 372 | 2.9 | 163 | 1.3 | During his collegiate career, Closs averaged 5.9 blocks per game, which is the NCAA Division I record. |
| 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) | 305 lb (138 kg) | Ha Seung-jin |  South Korea
|
Portland Trail Blazers (2005–2006) | 46 | 70 | 1.5 | .519 | .500 | 67 | 1.5 | 13 | 0.3 | Only Korean player to play in the NBA. |
| 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) | 250 lb (113 kg) | Aleksandar Radojević |  Bosnia & Herzegovina Montenegro
|
Toronto Raptors (1999–2000) Utah Jazz (2004–2005) |
15 | 26 | 1.7 | .308 | .625 | 36 | 2.4 | 3 | 0.2 | |
| 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | Walter Tavares |  Cape Verde
|
Atlanta Hawks (2015–2016) Cleveland Cavaliers (2017) |
13 | 33 | 2.5 | .625 | .273 | 32 | 2.5 | 12 | 0.9 | Only Cape Verdean player to play in the NBA. |
| 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) | 256 lb (116 kg) | Tibor Pleiß | Germany
|
Utah Jazz (2015–2016) | 12 | 24 | 2.0 | .440 | 1.000 | 15 | 1.3 | 2 | 0.2 | |
| 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Bol Bol^ | Sudan
|
Denver Nuggets (2019–2022) Orlando Magic (2022–2023) Phoenix Suns (2023–present) |
123 | 776 | 6.3 | .508 | .657 | 468 | 3.8 | 103 | 0.8 | Son of joint tallest player in NBA history, Manute Bol |
| 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) | 240 lb (109 kg) | Kristaps Porziņģis^ |  Latvia
|
New York Knicks (2015–2019) Dallas Mavericks (2019–2022) Washington Wizards (2022–2023) Boston Celtics (2023–present) |
402 | 7,876 | 19.6 | .453 | .827 | 3195 | 7.9 | 735 | 1.8 | Tallest winner of the Taco Bell Skills Challenge |
See also
- List of tallest people
- List of shortest players in National Basketball Association history
- NBA records
Notes
References
- ^ "1993 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
- ^ https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/mavericks/2019/09/30/mavericks-tales-of-the-tape-j-j-barea-no-longer-a-6-footer-porzingis-comes-in-just-shorter-than-boban/
- ^ "Former NBA player, humanitarian Manute Bol dies at age 47". NY Daily News. Daily News, L.P. June 19, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
- ^ Kim, Randy (June 19, 2003). "Draft Oddities". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
- ^ "1995-96 NBA Awards Voting".
- ^ "Manute Bol". National Basketball Association. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ^ The Official NBA Encyclopedia. New York: Doubleday. 2000. p. 405. ISBN 9780385501309.
- ^ Realgm.com profile
- ^ ABA League profile
- ^ Euroleague.net profile
- "Player Season Finder: For combined seasons; played in the NBA/BAA; in the regular season; from 1946-47 to 2010-11; 7-3 or taller; sorted by descending height". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 28, 2011.