Our basketball historians at The Sports Daily have compiled a list of the top-10 tallest NBA players. While some of the tallest basketball players only played in the NCAA or European professional leagues, this article will focus solely on NBA players. Who is the tallest NBA player to ever step onto the court? Find out below.
Top-10 Tallest NBA Players
The top-10 tallest NBA players of all time include Mark Eaton, Chuck Nevitt, Sim Bhullar, Paval Podkolzin and Yao Ming. Continue scrolling to read our full list. The top-3 tallest players might shock even quite a few of the older NBA fans. Due to their height, most of these players had brief basketball careers.
10.) Mark Eaton — 7’4″
Mark Eaton was 7’4″ and weighed about 275 lbs. The center was selected 72nd overall by the Jazz in the 1982 NBA Draft. He was a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1985, 1989) and four-time blocks leader (1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988).
Eaton averaged 6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. The center spent his entire 12-year career with the Jazz. He passed away on May 28, 2021 at the age of 64.
9.) Chuck Nevitt — 7’5″
Next, Chuck Nevitt is 7’5″ and weighs roughly 220 lbs. He was selected 63rd overall by the Rockets in the 1982 NBA Draft. The center won a championship with the Lakers in 1985. In addition to playing for the Rockets and Lakers, Nevitt also played for the Pistons, Bulls and Spurs.
The Colorado native averaged 1.6 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He played in the NBA from 1983 to 1994. The retired player celebrated his 63rd birthday last month.
8.) Sim Bhullar — 7’5″
Sim Bhullar is 7’5″ and weighs 360 lbs. After playing for New Mexico State from 2012 to 2014, he went undrafted. Bhullar played with the Reno Bighorns, the Kings’ NBA G League affiliate, in the 2014-15 season. The Toronto native played only three NBA games his entire career. Though, he’s 29 years old. Bhullar currently plays for the Hsinchu JKO Lioneers of the P. League+. He has played for them since 2021.
7.) Pavel Podkolzin — 7’5″
Pavel Podkolzin last played in a professional basketball league with the Universitet Yugra Surgut in the 2018-19 season. The center is 7’5″ and weighs 305 lbs. He was born in Novosibirsk, Soviet Union on Jan. 15, 1985.
The Russian was selected 21st overall by the Jazz in the 2004 NBA Draft. Podkolzin played in the NBA with the Mavericks from 2004 to 2006.
6.) Yao Ming — 7’6″
Of course, Yao Ming is 7’6″ and weighs 310 lbs. He was arguably the most successful basketball player at his height in NBA history. Ming was selected first overall by the Rockets in the 2002 NBA Draft. He went on to earn two All-NBA Second-Team selections (2007, 2009) and three All-NBA Third-Team selections (2004, 2006 and 2008).
Plus, the center was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team during his first NBA season. By the time he finished his NBA playing career in 2011, Ming had received eight All-Star selections. Also, the Shanghai, China native played in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) as well. He won CBA Finals MVP in 2001 and a CBA championship in 2002. He is the sixth president of the CBA.
5.) Tacko Fall — 7’6″
Tacko Fall is a free agent right now. The center is 7’6″ and weighs 315 lbs. He was born in Dakar, Senegal on Dec. 10, 1995. After playing four seasons at the University of Central Florida, Fall went undrafted in 2019. He played for the Celtics from 2019 to 2021.
Then, Fall played with the Cavaliers for the 2021-22 season. Nonetheless, his biggest accomplishments were earned in the NBA G League and NCAA. He was selected to the NBA G League All-Defensive Team twice (2020, 2022). And he won AAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2017. He turns 27 this December.
4.) Shawn Bradley — 7’6″
Shawn Bradley played for three different NBA teams: 76ers (1993–95), Nets (1995–97) and Mavericks (1997–2005). He is 7’6″ and weighs 275 lbs. Bradley was selected second overall by the Sixers in the 1993 NBA Draft. In his first year in the league, the German was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
He led the league in blocks in 1997, averaging 3.4 blocks per game. For a career whole, the center averaged 8.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. Although he was born in Landstuhl, West Germany, Bradley grew up in Castle Dale, Utah.
3.) Slavko Vranes — 7’6″
Slavko Vranes is 7’6″ and weighs almost 300 lbs. Although Vranes was selected 39th overall by the Knicks in the 2003 NBA Draft, the only season he appeared in the league was for the 2003-04 season. Even then, he played just one game for the Trail Blazers after signing a 10-day contract.
For that reason, his stats are not available. While playing with UNICS Kazan of the EuroLeague, he helped his team win the Eurocup in 2011. He also won three ABA League championships from 2008 to 2010. During the same time span, he won the Serbian Cup three times with his team as well.
2.) Gheorghe Muresan — 7’7″
Gheorghe Muresan last played for Pau-Ortez, a professional French basketball club, in 2001. Muresan was born in Tritenii de Jos, Romania on Feb. 14, 1971. He is 51 years old. Muresan was selected 30th overall by the Washington Bullets in the 1993 NBA Draft.
After playing with Washington for five seasons, the center played his last 31 games of his NBA career with the Nets. Through 307 career NBA games, Muresan averaged 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. He also averaged 57.3% shooting from the field.
1.) Manute Bol — 7’7″
Manute Bol was 7’7″ and weighed 200 lbs. He was selected 31st overall by the Washington Bullets in the 1985 NBA Draft. Bol was born in Turalei, Sudan (now South Sudan) on Oct. 16, 1962. He played 12 years from 1985 to 1997. The center played for the Bullets (1985–88), Warriors (1988–90), 76ers (1990–93) and Heat (1993–94). Bol also returned to the Bullets, Sixers and Heat in other NBA seasons.
Bol averaged 2.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game through 624 career games. In 1986, the Sudanese rookie led the NBA in blocks, averaging a grand total of five per game. During the same season, he was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
Listed at 7’9″ and towering over his competition, Sun Mingming is the tallest basketball player of all time. But Mingming never played one game in the NBA. He won two CBA championships in 2012 and 2014. This is why Sun had to be removed from this list. Other articles related to the top-10 tallest NBA players are on the main page.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
