Top 10 Tallest NBA Players Ever

Taller players have a basketball advantage because their shots have less distance to dunk, get closer to rebound, and have a better chance to block shots.
What Is the Average Height in the NBA?
In a 2007-08 survey of the players, the average player in a shoe is 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The average height for the shooting guards is 6’5″, small forwards 6’7″, power forwards at 6’9″, and centers at 6’11”.
Although it can not be an NBA player and not be up to six feet high, it is usually helpful to be taller, and some players are 7 feet or higher.
To find out, here are the top 10 tallest NBA players ever:

4. Mark Eaton

• Height: 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)
• Weight: 290 lb (132 kg)

Mark Eaton is a former basketball player who has received many awards during his career.
Mark was 7 feet 4 inches tall, which helped him play basketball at a significant early age. Many team owners were eager for Mark to finish his graduation to include him in their teams.
In 1982, he debuted in the NBA after the Utah Jazz remarked on his skills.
Season after Season, Mark improved his skills and made a remarkable impact on the game as he grabbed a total of 595 rebounds and blocked shots 351 times.
During the third season, he broke many records and was honored with the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year.
During the last season, Eaton suffered from injuries and played only 64 games, and got retired.
Mark Eaton is famous for his impressive world record in blocks and is affectionately known among fans as the ‘Blocked Shot master.’
His 456 blocked shots in one season(1984-85) with the highest career average of 3.50 block per game makes Eaton one of the best defensive centers in NBA history.
Others tied at 7 ft 4 in include Boban Marjanovic, Ralph Sampson, Zach Edey, Rik Smits, and Priest Lauderdale.

3. Tacko Fall

• Height: 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m)
• Weight: 311 lb (141 kg)

Tacko Fall is a Senegalese basketball player who played for the Boston Celtics in the NBA and was recognized as the tallest active NBA player.
Standing at 7 feet 6 inches, Tacko Fall’s extraordinary height made him the tallest basketball player during his school years before beginning his professional basketball career.
After graduation, he was selected for the NBA G League Elite Camp in 2014. In 2019, Fall joined the Boston Celtics, participated in the NBA Summer League, and scored six points in one of his games.
He made his debut against the New York Knicks.
During his time in the NBA G League, Fall became one of the team’s standout players and contributed to multiple victories.
Through his performances and unique physical presence, Tacko Fall established himself as one of the most recognized tall basketball players in the sport.

3. Sim Bhullar

• Height: 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m)
• Weight: 359 lb (163 kg)

Sim Bhullar is one of the heaviest basketball players who currently play for Yulon Luxgen Dinos.
He is a Canadian professional basketball player and is recognized as the first player of Indian descent to play at that level.
During his college basketball career, Sim initially signed to play for New Mexico before later being drafted by the Sacramento Kings.
After spending two seasons with the Kings, he was waived by the team. In 2014, Sim Bhullar joined the NBA Development League as an affiliate player with the Reno Bighorns, which was associated with the Sacramento Kings.
He made his D-League debut and recorded four points and six blocks. Bhullar later delivered a standout performance by recording 26 points and 17 rebounds against the D-Fenders.
In 2015, Sim rejoined the Sacramento Kings to participate in the NBA Summer League. He had the potential to become the tallest active player in the NBA, but after playing one game, he left the league and joined the Canadian national team.

3. Pavel Podkolzin

• Height: 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m)
• Weight: 305 lb (138 kg)

Pavel Podkolzin is a Russian professional basketball player who competed in the NBA and the NBA Development League.
Standing at 7 feet 5 inches, he attracted significant attention from basketball fans because of his exceptional height.
He made his professional debut with Lokomotiv Novosibirsk during the 2001–2002 season. Pavel later signed with Metis Varese and played with the team for two years.
In 2004, he entered the NBA Draft process and was initially associated with the Utah Jazz before later moving to the Dallas Mavericks during the 2005 NBA Draft period. Although he had the talent to be selected in the main draft, he withdrew from the 2004 draft because of a pituitary gland disorder.
Pavel Podkolzin was recognized for his size, shot-blocking ability, and overall basketball skills. He also represented the Russian National Team and won a silver medal at the European Cadets Championship.

3. Chuck Nevitt

• Height: 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m)
• Weight: 217 lb (98 kg)

Chuck Nevitt is a professional player known for his exceptional height.
During his school years, Nevitt displayed strong athletic abilities, and his friends encouraged him to pursue a professional basketball career.
Nevitt was selected in the 1982 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. During his NBA career, he played a total of 15 games with the Los Angeles Lakers before later joining the Detroit Pistons.
He later returned to the Houston Rockets and also signed a 10-day contract to join Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, appearing in games during the 1994 season, including matchups against the San Antonio Spurs.
Chuck Nevitt played for multiple NBA teams throughout his career and later stated that he would not return to the league. Across nine NBA seasons during the 1980s and early 1990s, he played for the Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls.

2. Yao Ming

• Height: 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
• Weight: 310 lb (141 kg)

Yao Ming was the first non-US Chinese tallest basketball player in history to play for the National Basketball Association.
The NBA commissioner, David, described Yao Ming as a talented and dedicated basketball player. Although his family had a strong background in basketball and played for national teams, Ming initially showed little interest in the sport and was more focused on reading history.
At the age of nine, he had already reached a height of five feet, which led local sports officials to encourage him to pursue basketball and represent his country.
In 2002, Yao Ming entered the NBA and became the first international player selected without playing collegiate basketball in the United States. He also represented China in the FIBA World Championships.
During his NBA career, Ming achieved several milestones and surpassed records previously held by Michael Jordan. He was also selected for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
In 2011, Yao Ming retired from professional basketball because of severe injuries. Over his career, he averaged 19 points, nine rebounds, and nearly two blocks per game.

2. Slavko Vraneš

• Height: 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
• Weight: 302 lb (137 kg)

Slavko Vraneš, born in 1983, is a former professional basketball player who played for Ayandez Sazan Tehran and was recognized as one of the tallest players in NBA history.
From an early age, Slavko demonstrated strong basketball abilities and began playing for a Serbian basketball club. Due to his impressive skills, he was invited by a Turkish club to compete during the 2000–01 basketball season.
After attracting attention from NBA teams, Vraneš made his NBA debut on January 8, 2004, for the New York Knicks in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He had previously been selected in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft.
Later, he left the Knicks and signed a 10-day contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. During the 2004 NBA season, he appeared in only one game under that contract.
Following his NBA experience, Slavko signed with FK Crvena Zvezda and later joined Budućnost Podgorica, where he played for three years.
As one of the tallest basketball players associated with the NBA, he continued his professional career by signing with various teams and contributing to multiple team achievements.

2. Shawn Bradley

• Height: 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
• Weight: 275 lb (125 kg)

Shawn Bradley is a retired German-American basketball player who played in the NBA for the New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Dallas Mavericks.
Bradley was recognized as one of the tallest NBA players of all time and gained attention from an early age because of his exceptional height. During his childhood, friends reportedly referred to him as “the enormous Mormon.”
During his school years, Shawn Bradley became widely known for his basketball abilities and was recognized among notable tall basketball players. Throughout his early career, he won multiple basketball games and received MVP honors.
During his college basketball career at Brigham Young University in Utah, Bradley competed in several tournaments, helped his team win trophies, and was named Freshman of the Year.
Shawn Bradley began his professional basketball career in the NBA, where he played for multiple teams, including the Philadelphia 76ers, while wearing the jersey number 76.

Ok, so who was the tallest player in the NBA?
Two athletes, named Manute Bol and Gheorghe Mureșan, can be termed for the title:

1. Manute Bol

• Height: 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m)
• Weight: 200 lb (91 kg)

Manute Bol was a Sudanese-born American basketball player known for his exceptional height and unique journey in professional basketball.
His name, Manute, meaning “special blessing,” was given by his father. Since both of his parents were tall, Manute also inherited remarkable physical height from an early age.
Initially, he played football, but due to his height, he later shifted his focus to basketball in Sudan. Coach Feeley traveled from New Jersey to Sudan to provide medical support for the Sudanese team and later encouraged Manute Bol to move to the United States to pursue basketball.
After arriving in Cleveland, Bol faced challenges because of issues with his birth certificate and limited English proficiency, which led to him being placed on probation.
He continued developing his basketball abilities through training and educational opportunities, and with Feeley’s support, he eventually began his NBA career and contributed to team success.
In 1987, the Washington Bullets paired Manute Bol with Muggsy Bogues, who stood at 5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m), creating a unique combination of the tallest and shortest players in the league on the court during the same season.
Throughout his NBA career, Bol played for the Golden State Warriors on two occasions, the Rhode Island Gulls, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, and Washington Bullets, and he was also traded once to the Denver Nuggets.
On January 27, 2015, the Golden State Warriors honored Manute Bol with a Manute Bol bobblehead presentation. Today, his son, Bol Bol, has also emerged as a professional basketball player.
During one game at the Jayhawk Invitational, Manute Bol also played for his Under-15 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team, KC Run GMC.

1. Gheorghe Mureșan

• Height: 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m)
• Weight: 315 lb (143 kg)

Gheorghe Mureșan is a retired Romanian basketball player who, at a height of 7 feet 7 inches, is recognized as one of the tallest basketball players ever to play the game.
Although his parents were of average height, Mureșan developed exceptional height because of a pituitary gland disorder.
From an early stage, he showed a strong interest in basketball and competed in several tournaments, where he won national championships.
In 1993, he won the French League Cup and was also selected to enter the NBA in the same year. His NBA career spanned from 1993 to 2000, during which he played multiple games and established himself as a promising player.
His best NBA season came in 1995–96 when he averaged 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.26 blocks per game. During that season, he was also named the NBA Most Improved Player.
Across his professional basketball career, Mureșan recorded averages of 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.48 blocks, 0.5 assists, and a .573 field goal percentage.
After his NBA career ended, he returned to France and won the French League again with Pau-Orthez before returning to his family in the United States.
Because of his exceptional height and physical reach, shot-blocking became one of his major strengths on the basketball court.
Gheorghe Mureșan is particularly remembered for his outstanding 1995–96 season performance.

The over-representation of huge basketball athletes establishes the theory that the sport offers a very significant advantage of being tall. This representation applies to WNBA players as well.