It is no secret – being tall is arguably the most helpful asset for any basketball player, on courts all over the globe and those extra few inches are often the difference when making three pointers or lay ups.
At the elite end of the game, the modern day trend for taller players knows no bounds and with the average NBA player height currently sitting at 6 feet 6 inches in 2022, the shortest NBA players have their work cut out.
Putting the ball in the basket is the ultimate currency for any basketball player and in the NBA, being a tall athlete can be the difference between getting a pro contract and not.
Originally seen as novelty types by NBA commissioners, teams have begun to see the value in acquiring the skills of taller players and over the years, there have been some colossal athletes plying their trade in the NBA.
Here is a countdown of the top 10 tallest NBA players of all time:
10. Boban Marjanovic
Height – 7ft 4 inches
Teams – San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks
As this list will go on to ascertain, there is no direct correlation between being a tall NBA player and being a successful NBA player.
One player that has gone a long way to dispel this theory is Boban Marjanovic, with the colossal Serbian having enjoyed a superb career since his debut in 2015.
Whilst the NBA Championship remains elusive, Marjanovic has continued to enjoy a great deal of success and he remains integral to Dallas Mavericks’ hopes, along with the likes of Luka Doncic and he shows no signs of slowing.
9. Sim Bhullar
Height – 7ft 5 inches
Team – Sacramento Kings
Many would have been forgiven for completely forgetting about Sim Bhullar, the ‘Indian Giant’ that certainly didn’t have his desired impact at the Sacramento Kings in 2015.
He wasn’t able to impress those in charge at the Kings and he only mustered up three minutes of NBA action, with his impact relatively minimal.
In fairness to Bhullar, he has gone on to forge a decent basketball career for himself in China and is still a functioning professional but his stint in the NBA was largely forgettable.
8. Tacko Fall
Height – 7ft 5 inches
Teams – Boston Celtics & Cleveland Cavaliers
The emergence of African talent in the NBA has been one of the real success stories for the league in recent years and Senegalese superstar Tacko Fall was the latest player off the conveyor belt in 2019.
A couple of relatively quiet seasons at Boston Celtics were followed up by a campaign at the Cleveland Cavaliers, where Fall continued to have a limited impact.
Dropping down to Cleveland Charge in the minor leagues, Fall continues to ply his trade in the American system, and few would bet against him making a return to the NBA in the future.
7. Pavel Podkolzin
Height – 7ft 5 inches
Team – Dallas Mavericks
Few players in the history of the NBA have been as intimidating as Pavel Podkolzin and the Russian enjoyed a superb career in the game.
Sadly, for Pavel Podkolzin it never really worked out for him in the NBA, with only 6 games played however, his career in his native Russia lasted the best part of two decades.
His tenure at the Dallas Mavericks however was a notable one and he blazed a trail for many Russian and Eastern European players subsequently.
6. Chuck Nevitt
Height – 7ft 5 inches
Teams – Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs
One of the archetypal giants of NBA basketball in the 1980’s and 1990’s, Chuck Nevitt was a 3rd round draft pick that perhaps struggled at the elite level of the game.
Franchise hopping from the likes of the Rockets, Lakers, Pistons, and Spurs is perhaps an indication that Nevitt never quite found his feet at the elite of the game.
However, his 12 year NBA career is not to be scorned at and he was one of the first 7 foot plus players to forge a relatively successful career in the game.
5. Yao Ming
Height – 7ft 6 inches
Team – Houston Rockets
A man who broke new ground for both Chinese basketball and tall players was Yao Ming, who enjoyed a decade of success at the Houston Rockets.
Finishing his career in 2011 as a Bonafede NBA hall of famer, Yao Ming broke the rule book when it came to exceptionally tall players in the game.
4. Slavko Vranes
Height – 7ft 6 inches
Team – Portland Trail Blazers
Another of the potential forgotten men on the list, Serbian Slavko Vranes managed all of three minutes of NBA action for the Portland Trail Blazers back in 2003.
The lack of notable statistics or appearances in the NBA however take nothing away from Vranes’s career, with the Serb going on to play professionally in Turkey and Italy for a long and distinguished career.
3. Shawn Bradley
Height – 7ft 6 inches
Team – Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks
Few players over 7 foot have enjoyed the fanfare that accompanied Shawn Bradley when he was the Philadelphia 76ers 2nd draft pick in 1993.
Whilst his numbers were steady, they certainly didn’t match the level of trust shown in him by the 76ers hierarchy and he swiftly moved on to the New Jersey Nets.
Nine relatively uneventful seasons at the Dallas Mavericks followed for Bradley before his retirement from the game in 2005.
2. Manute Bol
Height – 7ft 7 inches
Teams – Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat
Bursting onto the scene back in the mid 1980’s Manute Bol enjoyed a superb NBA career, lasting the best part of a decade.
Representing incredible sides such as Miami Heat and Golden State, Bol was a hit everywhere he went.
Despite his tall frame, Bol was famously slender, weighing just 200 pounds and he was able to use his agility and speed to good effect throughout his NBA career.
1. Gheorghe Muresan
Height – 7ft 7 inches
Team – Washington Bullets, New Jersey Nets
Romanian Gheorghe Muresan holds the honour of being the tallest ever NBA player, edging out Bol, at a colossal 7 foot, 7 inches.
His seven year career at the top of the game saw him represent the Washington Bullets and the New York Mets, despite it being punctuated by injuries, with Muresan retiring from the game in 2000.
