Height plays a significant role in the NBA and it also determines whether a player makes it or not. Although that might be true to an extent, many shorter players have been extremely successful in the league, compared to the tallest ones. When we hear the phrase “tallest player in NBA history”, our minds go to Shaquille O Neal. The former Lakers center towered over everyone he played with and against on the court.
The NBA legend stood at 7’1 tall and height was one of the best attributes of his game. Although he faced players who were as tall as him and even taller, Shaq was a lethal combination of size and power. No one could get past him and stop when he tried to get past.
Despite all the hype about Shaq’s height, the surprising fact is that he isn’t even one of the top 5 tallest players in the history of the NBA. Let’s have a look at the list of the top 10 tallest players.
Player Name | Height | Team |
---|---|---|
1.Georghe Muresan | 7ft 7in | Washington Bullets |
2.Manute Bol | 7ft 7in | Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Miami Heat |
3.Tacko Fall | 7ft 6in | Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers |
4.Slavko Vranes | 7ft 6in | New York Knicks |
5. Yao Ming | 7ft 6in | Houston Rockets |
6. Shawn Bradley | 7ft 6in | Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, and Dallas Mavericks |
7. Chuck Nevitt | 7ft 5in | San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, and LA Lakers |
8. Pavel Podkolzin | 7ft 5in | Dallas Mavericks |
9. Sim Bhullar | 7ft 5in | Sacramento Kings |
10. Boban Marjanovic | 7ft 4in | Dallas Mavericks, LA Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, and San Antonio Spurs |
Who is the tallest player in NBA history?
Georghe Muresan, the Washington Bullets player, is the tallest player in NBA history with a height of 7’7. Many may think that the reason for his remarkable height is his genes. However, the interesting part is that his parents were of normal height. Reports claim that his height is the result of a pituitary gland disorder.
The tallest NBA player currently is Tacko Fall. The 26-year-old star misses the top spot to be the tallest player ever by just an inch. The Boston Celtics drafted the Senegalese in 2019, before letting him sign with the Cavs as a free agent. However, they waived his contract and signed Brandon Goodwin on a two-way contract.
When we think of the tallest, we can also wonder who is the tallest NBA champion. It would be none other than the Lakers giant Chuck Nevitt. The American won the title with the LA-based franchise in 1985. That was the only time he won a ring before retiring in 1994.
Another interesting question we can ask is who the tallest MVP was. The tallest player to win the prestigious award would be Bob Petitt. He won the award in 1956 and once again in 1959 when he was playing for the St. Louis Hawks. The same team is known as the Atlanta Hawks in the current day.
Last but not least, let’s have a look at the tallest All-Star player. It is the one and only Yao Ming, who has made the All-Star team on five occasions. He played for the Houston Rockets his entire NBA career as he endured a 9-year long career without a single championship won.