Top 10 Tallest Basketball Players
Basketball is one of America’s most popular sports. It has seen some popularity in other nations, but not to the same extent as in America. It is a fast-paced game that requires considerable skill, as well as certain physical attributes. One of the most important attributes that basketball players can possess is physical size.
Not all basketball players are tall, and being shorter than other players does have its advantages. The nature of the game, however, means that being tall will help certain players to be more successful at the sport. Thus, the sport tends to have more tall players than any other sport, and here’s the top 10 of the tallest of them all.
1. Ralph Sampson 7’4”
Sampson was born in Harrisonburg, Virginia, in 1959. He played college football with the Virginia Cavaliers, with whom he was college player of the year no less than 4 times. In 1983, he was drafted by the Houston Rockets and he was the first pick overall.
In his first pro season, Sampson went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award and continued to play well until he began to suffer from injuries. He was eventually forced to retire through injury after claiming the NBA Rookie of the Year, NBA All-Star Game MVP in 1985, and was a four-time all-Star. At 7’4’, he was the joint 9th tallest basketball player.
2. Rik Smits 7’4”
Rik Smits (the Dunking Dutchman) was born in Eindhoven in the Netherlands. He played college football for the Marist Red Foxes in New York and was the 2nd pick overall for the NBA draft in 1988 when he was selected by the Indiana Pacers.
Smits played his whole career with the Pacers where he was successful. He was in the NBA All-Rookie first team in 1989, NBA All-Star in 1998, and won FIBA European selection. His career would likely have been even more successful if it were not for nerve damage in his feet that plagued his career. At 7’4”, he was the joint 9th tallest basketball player alongside Ralph Sampson.
3. Pavel Podkolzin - 7’5”
Podkolzin was born in Novosibirsk, Soviet Union, in 1985. His professional basketball career came with Lokomotiv Novosibirsk before signing for Metis Varese in Italy in December 2001. In 2004, he got his first chance in the NBA when Utah Jazz picked him up.
His spell at Utah Jazz was short-lived, and he was soon traded to the Dallas Mavericks. In total, he only played a total of 6 games in the NBA, with 9 rebounds and 4 points scored. He then joined minor league team the Fort Worth Flyers, before eventually heading East again. At 7’5”, Podkolzin was the joint 6th tallest basketball player.
4. Chuck Nevitt - 7’5”
Nevitt was born in Cortez, Colorado, in 1959. He played college football for the NC State Wolfpack, and was drafted into the NBA in 1982 by the Houston Rockets. He was the 63rd pick overall that season. Nevitt had a 9-year career in the NBA where he played in the center position.
He played in over 155 regular NBA games, plus 16 playoff games. Nevitt won the NBA championship in 1985 and, to this day, he maintains the honor of having been the tallest ever player to do so. At 7’5”, Nevitt comes in at joint 6th on the list of tallest basketball players.
5. Sim Bhullar - 7’5”
Gursimran “Sim” Bhullar was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1982. Bhullar played college football for New Mexico State University. His first chance in the NBA came in 2014 when he joined the Sacramento Kings, making him the first player of Indian descent to join a team in the NBA.
Bhullar didn’t get to play in the MBA, asides from 2 pre-season games after which he was waivered. He did spend some time in the MBA G-league, however, and also went on to spend some time playing in the Far East. Bhullar is at joint 6th on the list of tallest basketball players at 7’5”.
6. Yao Ming - 7’6”
Yao Ming was born in Shanghai, China, in 1980. He first played for the Shanghai Sharks from 1997 to 2002. In 2002 he joined the Houston Rockets, a team that he played for until 2011. Ming had a very successful career with the Rockets before he was eventually forced to retire.
Being a Chinese national, Ming’s presence in the NBA drew a lot of attention to the league from China. This would have been helped by his collection of awards and accolades, including being an 8x NBA All-Star and 2x All-NBA second team. At 7’6”, Ming comes in at joint 4th in the list of tallest people to have played professional basketball.
7. Shawn Bradley - 7’6”
Bradley was born in Landstuhl, West Germany, in 1972. As his name suggests, Bradley was actually born to an American family who were based on a US military base at the time of his birth and he holds German and American citizenship.
Bradley played for Brigham Young University and was drafted by the Philadelphia 69ers in 1993. He was the 2nd pick overall. Bradley went on to have a long and successful career in the NBA, also playing for the New Jersey Nets and the Dallas Mavericks. Bradley is the joint 4th tallest person to play professional basketball, coming in at 7’6”.
8. Slavko Vranes - 7’7”
Slavko Vranes was born in Pljevlja, SR Montenegro, in Yugoslavia. Vranes first started playing as a junior in Serbia before eventually being picked up by Efes Pilsen, a Turkish club, before then moving onto Buducnost Podgorica of Montenegro. He was noticed by scouts from the NBA and was selected by the New York Knicks in 2003.
Things did not work out for Vranes at the Knicks and he was then given a 10-day contract at the Portland Trailblazers. He played one game with the Trailblazers, which turned out to be the only game he would play in the NBA. At 7’7”, Vranes was the joint 2nd tallest player to play for the NBA.
9. Manute Bol - 7’7”
Manute Bol was born in Turalei in South Sudan in 2006. He played college football with the University of Bridgeport and became an NBA player in 1985 when he was drafted by the Washington Bullets. He was the 31st pick overall.
He played as a center and is considered to be one of the best blockers ever to play the game. Away from basketball, Bol was known for his activity in charitable causes and spent a lot of the money he earned on good causes in Sudan. Sadly, he died from acute kidney failure and other complications in 2010. Bol is the joint 2nd tallest person to have played basketball as he stood 7’7” tall.
10. Gheorghe Muresan - 7’7.5”
Gheorghe Dumitru Muresan, also known as Ghi, was born in Tritenii de Jos, Romania in 1971. His professional debut came with Romanian club Universitatea Cluj, where he won a national championship.
He then moved on to Pau-Orthez in the French league, where he picked up another championship. Muresan’s chance in the NBA came when the Washington Bullets picked him up in 1993. He was the 30th pick overall. In 1998 he joined the New Jersey Nets where he played the final 2 seasons of his career. Muresan is the tallest ever player to play professional basketball, measuring an incredible 7’7.5” tall.
