Being tall is clearly an asset when playing basketball, especially in the NBA. However, being of a great height doesn’t mean you are bound to be a good player.
Will the height of the players determine who will win the 2020/21 NBA season? The odds are already available, and the bookies think the LA Lakers at 3/1 will retain their title – and there are no especially tall players in their roster. You might decide to take a punt at those odds, but it’s important to do some research first to discover which is the best sportsbook for you to join.
Here is a list of the Top 5 Tallest NBA Players Ever. Let’s take a look at the all-time giants of the NBA.
Manute Bol – 7 ft 7 in
Born in the Sudan, he amassed 1599 points in 624 games. After moving to the USA, he played college basketball before joining the Bullets in the 1985 NBA draft. The success of his career wasn’t just because of his height. Bol is regarded as one of the best shot-blockers in NBA history.
After leaving Washington, he also played for the Golden State Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Miami Heat. Bol retired in 1998 due to rheumatism and sadly died in 2010.
Gheorghe Muresan – 7 ft 7 in
Gheorghe grew to such an incredible height due to a pituitary gland disorder. He began playing basketball in his native Romania. After further success in France, he joined the Washington Bullets in the 1993 NBA Draft and received some help from Manute Bol during his second spell with them. The 1995-96 season saw Muresan averaging 14 points a game, which won him the NBA’s most improved player award.
1999 saw him join the New Jersey Nets before retiring the following year, having scored 3020 points in his NBA career. In 2007, he played a match for the Maryland Nighthawks as a permitted ‘celebrity player.’ Amazingly, that team included Sun Mingming (who never made it to the NBA), who was two inches taller than Muresan. Eminem fans may recognize him from the My Name Is video in which Muresan played the ventriloquist.
A brief mention must be given to the Argentinian Jorge Gonzalez. He was also 7 ft 7 in and was signed up by Atlanta Hawks in 1988 after being seen playing for Argentina. A knee injury stopped him from playing in the NBA, and he went on to become famous in the wrestling business as ‘El Gigante’ and ‘Giant Gonzalez.’ Sadly, he died in 2010.
Shawn Bradley – 7 ft 6 in
Born in West Germany in 1972, Bradley’s parents were both over 6ft, and he grew to 7 ft 6 in. Moving to the States, he played for the Philadelphia 76ers between 1993 and 1995. He then went to join the New Jersey Nets and Dallas Mavericks, spending eight years at the latter until retiring in 2003.
832 games saw Bradley score 6753 points in 832 games. He was an efficient shot-blocker with a league-best 228 blocks in the 2000/01 season. That wasn’t just good news for the Mavericks as he donated $25 for each block to a home that looked after children affected by HIV/AIDS.
Yao Ming – 7 ft 6 in
Ming played for the Houston Rockets from 2002 to 2011 before retiring due to injury. He played 481 games for them, amassing a total of 916 points. Yao Ming made history by becoming the tallest player to participate in an All-Star Game and be inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame. Ming also took part in the Olympics and was one of those chosen to carry the Olympic flag at the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony,
Chuck Nevitt – 7 ft 5 in
Nevitt played between 1982 and 1993, beginning his career with the Houston Rockets. He played for several other teams and ended his career with the San Antonio Spurs. He found it difficult to get court time, though, playing just 155 games in his NBA career and scoring 251 points.
Nevitt’s most successful season was in 1985 when part of the LA Lakers squad that won the NBA title. He remains the tallest player ever to win an NBA Championship.
Current Players
What about current NBA players? Will height influence your fantasy NBA picks? Tacka Fall of the Boston Celtics is the tallest at 7 ft 5 in. He only played seven games in the 2019/20 season but also plays for Maine Red Claws.
Boban Marjanović is 7 ft 4 in and currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks, his fifth NBA team since 2012. ‘The Boninator’ is loved by the fans and a popular fantasy basketball pick. However, it’s not often he plays more than ten minutes a game and hasn’t got the greatest stamina out there. It just goes to show that you need more than just height to be a good basketball player.