Who are the tallest basketball players of all time?

In this article you’ll discover the tallest basketball players in history! Only players standing 7 ft 3 in (2.22 m) and above made the cut. Enjoy!

Discover this countdown ranking of the tallest basketball players of all time, along with some key facts about each of them.

30) Hasheem Thabeet, 7 ft 3 in (2.22 m)

• Hasheem Thabeet was born on February 16, 1987, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
• He didn’t start playing basketball until age 15 and became the first Tanzanian-born player in the NBA.
• He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies, leading them to a Final Four, before being drafted second overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies.
• He later played in the Basketball Africa League and won a regional title back in his native Tanzania.

29) Walter Tavares, 7 ft 3 in (2.22 m)

• Walter Samuel “Edy” Tavares da Veiga was born on March 22, 1992, in Cape Verde.
• He didn’t pick up a basketball until age 17, when a vacationing tourist spotted his potential.
• Drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in 2014, he played briefly in the NBA before becoming a star in Europe.
• With Real Madrid he won two EuroLeague titles (2018 and 2023) and was named 2023 Final Four MVP.
• A three-time EuroLeague Best Defender, he is the competition’s all-time leader in blocks, with a 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) wingspan.

28) Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, 7 ft 3 in (2.22 m)

• Žydrūnas Ilgauskas was born on June 5, 1975, in Kaunas, Lithuania.
• Nicknamed “Big Z,” he spent most of his career (1997–2010) with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
• He is a two-time NBA All-Star (2003 and 2005) and the Cavaliers’ all-time leader in blocked shots.
• He reached the 2007 NBA Finals with Cleveland and finished his career with the Miami Heat.
• His No. 11 jersey has been retired by the Cavaliers.

27) Vincent Pourchot, 7 ft 3 in (2.22 m)

• Vincent is the tallest French basketball player.
• He was born on July 27, 1992.
• He plays center in Pro B for the Tours club.
• He’s also a social media influencer with millions of followers across his platforms.

26) Peter John Ramos, 7 ft 3 in (2.22 m)

• Peter was born on May 23, 1985.
• He is a former Puerto Rican professional basketball player and professional wrestler, and the sixth Puerto Rican athlete to play in the NBA.
• He was a member of the Puerto Rican national basketball team from 2004 to 2016, making his Olympic debut in the game where Puerto Rico famously defeated the United States in Athens.
• As a professional wrestler, Ramos launched his career with the World Wrestling Council (WWC) in 2019.

25) Priest Lauderdale, 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)

• A 7 ft 4 in center weighing 324 lbs (147 kg).
• He was selected 28th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft.
• He wrapped up his brief NBA career with the Denver Nuggets in 1997–98.
• Lauderdale played professionally in Bulgaria and received Bulgarian citizenship. He also played in China, Venezuela, Cyprus, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Spain, England, and the UAE.

24) Boban Marjanović, 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)

• Boban Marjanović was born on August 15, 1988.
• He is a Serbian professional basketball player with the Dallas Mavericks.
• He also represents the Serbian national basketball team in international competition.
• In 2015, he was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team.
• He is one of the most beloved players in the NBA.

23) Rik Smits, 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)

• Rik Smits was born on August 23, 1966.
• Nicknamed “The Dunking Dutchman,” he is a former Dutch professional basketball player.
• He spent his entire career with the Indiana Pacers.

22) Ralph Sampson, 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)

• Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. was born on July 7, 1960.
• He is a retired American basketball player and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
• He was named College Player of the Year three times and was the first overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft.
• Named Rookie of the Year, he averaged 20.7 points and 10.9 rebounds over his first three seasons with the Houston Rockets.
• After numerous injuries, he retired having been named a four-time All-Star and MVP of the 1985 NBA All-Star Game.

21) Mark Eaton, 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)

• Mark was born on January 24, 1957 and passed away on May 28, 2021.
• He was a former American professional basketball player who spent his entire career (1982–1993) with the Utah Jazz.
• He was named an All-Star in 1989, won Defensive Player of the Year twice (1985 and 1989), and earned five All-Defensive Team selections.
• Though limited on offense, Eaton became one of the greatest defensive centers in NBA history.
• He led the league in blocks four times and holds NBA records for blocks in a single season (456) and career blocks per game average (3.50).
• His number 53 was retired by the Utah Jazz.
• Eaton was a reserve on his high school basketball team before graduating and working as an auto mechanic
• He was discovered by an assistant coach at Cypress College, who convinced him to enroll and play ball.
• He transferred to play college basketball for the UCLA Bruins but saw limited playing time.
• He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1982 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz as a long-term project, and helped transform the Jazz from a last-place team into a playoff contender.
• When he retired in 1994, he ranked second all-time in NBA history in career blocks, just behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

20) Sim Bhullar, 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)

• Gursimran Singh “Sim” Bhullar was born on December 2, 1992.
• He is a Canadian professional basketball player currently playing for the Hsinchu JKO Lioneers in Taiwan’s P. League+.
• He played college basketball at New Mexico State University.
• He made history as the first player of Indian descent to play in the NBA, suiting up for the Sacramento Kings in 2015.

19) Victor Wembanyama, 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)

• Victor Wembanyama was born on January 4, 2004, in Le Chesnay, France.
• A 7 ft 4 in forward-center with an 8 ft (2.44 m) wingspan, he is currently the tallest player in the NBA.
• He was selected first overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2023 NBA Draft.
• He was unanimously named 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year after leading the league in blocks per game.
• He comes from a family of athletes: his father competed in track and field for Congo, and his mother played for the French national basketball team.

18) Pavel Podkolzin, 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m)

• Pavel Nikolayevich Podkolzin was born on January 15, 1985.
• He is a former Russian professional basketball player who previously played in both the NBA and the NBA Development League.

17) Chuck Nevitt, 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m)

• Charles Goodrich Nevitt, also known as “Chuck E. Cheese” and “Human Victory Cigar”, was born on June 13, 1959.
• He is a retired American professional basketball player, known above all for his extraordinary height.
• He played nine seasons in the NBA (1983, 1985–1990, 1992, 1993).
• Over his career, Nevitt suited up for the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, Fulgor Libertas Forlì (Italy), and the San Antonio Spurs.

16) Slavko Vraneš, 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)

• Slavko Vraneš was born on January 30, 1983.
• He is a former Montenegrin professional basketball player who also represented the Montenegrin national team in international competition.

15) Tacko Fall, 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)

• Elhadji Tacko Sereigne Diop Fall was born on December 10, 1995.

• He is a Senegalese professional basketball player currently playing for the Cleveland Charge in the NBA G League.

• Born and raised in Dakar, Senegal, Tacko moved to the United States at age 16 and went on to play college basketball at the University of Central Florida (UCF).

• He went undrafted but later signed with the Boston Celtics, where over two seasons he became a fan favorite.

• He signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers as a free agent in 2021.

• He is the tallest active player in the NBA and one of the tallest human beings alive. His measurements at the 2019 NBA Draft Combine set all-time NBA records for tallest height with shoes (7 ft 7 in / 2.31 m), greatest wingspan (8 ft 2 in / 2.50 m), and greatest standing reach (10 ft 2 in / 3.11 m).

14) Shawn Bradley, 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)

• Shawn was born on March 22, 1972.
• He is a former German-American professional basketball player who played center for the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, and Dallas Mavericks.
• Born in Landstuhl, West Germany, while his family was stationed at a U.S. military base medical facility, he grew up in Castle Dale, Utah.
• He holds dual American and German citizenship.
• He gained worldwide recognition through his appearance in Space Jam alongside Michael Jordan.
• Following a cycling accident, he became paralyzed.

13) Yao Ming, 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)

• Yao Ming was born on September 12, 1980.
• He is a former basketball player who was selected to the All-Star Game eight times and named to the All-NBA First Team five times.
• Born in Shanghai, Yao began playing for the Sharks as a teenager and spent five years with their senior team before playing five years professionally in China.
• He was then selected by the Houston Rockets as the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft.
• In July 2011, Yao announced his retirement from professional basketball due to a series of foot and ankle injuries that forced him to miss 250 games over his final six seasons.
• In eight seasons with the Rockets, he ranks sixth in franchise history in total points and rebounds, and second in total blocks.
• In April 2016, Yao was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame alongside Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson.
• In February 2017, he was unanimously elected president of the Chinese Basketball Association.

12) Samuel Deguara, 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)

• Samuel Deguara was born on June 21, 1991.
• He is a Maltese professional basketball player currently playing for the Taipei Fubon Braves in the ASEAN Basketball League.
• He is the tallest man in both Italy and Malta.
• At 7 ft 6 in, Deguara is currently the third tallest active basketball player in the world.

11) Mamadou Ndiaye, 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)

• Mamadou was born on September 14, 1993.
• He currently plays in Victoria but previously played in the NBA with the Detroit Pistons.
• He was named 2013 CIF-5AA Player of the Year for Brethren Christian in Huntington Beach, California, won the 2013 John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year Award for CIF Division V, and earned first-team all-state honors.
• As a senior, he averaged 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 4.5 blocks per game.
• In his freshman year at UC Irvine, he broke the Big West Conference single-game blocks record with 11 against Long Beach.

10) Manute Bol, 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m)

• Manute Bol was born on October 16, 1962 and passed away on June 19, 2010.
• He was a Sudanese-American professional basketball player and political activist.
• After playing college basketball for the Bridgeport Purple Knights, he was selected by the Washington Bullets in the 1985 NBA Draft.
• Bol played for the Bullets and three other teams over an NBA career spanning 1985 to 1995.
• A center, Bol is considered one of the greatest shot-blockers in history and is the only NBA player to retire with more career blocks than points scored.
• As of 2020, he ranked second in NBA history in blocks per game and sixteenth in total career blocks.
• Bol was also known for his tireless efforts to promote human rights in his native Sudan and to aid Sudanese refugees.

9) Gheorghe Mureșan, 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m)

• Gheorghe Dumitru Mureșan was born on February 14, 1971.
• He is a retired Romanian professional basketball player.
• At 7 ft 7 in, he is one of the tallest players in NBA history.
• Born in rural Romania in Tritenii de Jos, Cluj County, he played competitive basketball at the University of Cluj.
• He played professionally in the French league with Pau-Orthez during the 1992–93 season and was an immediate hit with fans.
• The NBA took notice and he was selected by the Washington Bullets in the 1993 NBA Draft.
• He played in the NBA from 1993 to 2000, showing the signs of a promising career that was ultimately derailed by injuries.
• His best season came in 1994–95, when he averaged 14.5 points per game.

8) Kenny George, 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m)

• Kenneth George Jr. is an American basketball player born in 1986.
• He was the tallest basketball player in the United States during the two years he played for the UNC Asheville Bulldogs, and is one of the tallest players in basketball history.
• He averaged 12.4 points and 7.0 rebounds for the Bulldogs in his final season.
• Named Big South Defensive Player of the Year, he led the Bulldogs to a school-record 23 wins.
• George’s size and weight, he weighed 359 lbs (163 kg) and wore a US size 26 shoe, are the result of a pituitary gland disorder.
• Standing 7 ft 7 in in shoes, he could dunk flat-footed and towered over virtually every player on the court.
• He suffered two knee injuries among other issues and missed nearly three full seasons.

7) Paul Sturgess, 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m)

• Paul Sturgess was born on November 25, 1987.
• He is an English professional basketball player, officially measured by Guinness World Records in November 2011 at 7 ft 7.2 in (2.318 m) and 324 lbs (147 kg).
• Paul “Tiny” Sturgess was recruited by the Harlem Globetrotters in August 2011 and is the tallest player ever to have suited up for the team.

6) Neil Fingleton, 7 ft 7½ in (2.32 m)

• Neil Fingleton was born on December 18, 1980.
• He is an English actor and former basketball player, and the tallest man ever born in Great Britain, placing him among the 25 tallest men in world history, a distinction confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records in the summer of 2007.
• Fingleton earned a basketball scholarship to the United States, playing first at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, then at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.
• He played just one game at North Carolina before transferring to Holy Cross in 2002.
• Neil made his professional debut in the 2004–05 season with the Boston Frenzy of the ABA, who waived him in December 2004.
• He was selected eighth in the fifth round of the 2005 NBA Development League Draft by the Austin Toros.
• On December 6, 2005, he began playing for the Tees Valley Mohawks of the English Basketball League.
• In November 2006, he signed with Spanish club CB Illescas, then with Ciudad Real.
• After an injury forced him into retirement in 2007, he returned to his hometown of Durham to pursue a career in showbusiness.

5) Yasutaka Okayama, 7 ft 8½ in (2.35 m)

• Yasutaka Okayama was born on November 29, 1954 in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.
• He is the tallest player ever drafted in NBA history.
• He was selected by the Golden State Warriors as the 10th pick of the eighth round of the 1981 NBA Draft though he never signed with them.
• Okayama practiced judo in middle and high school, earning a second-degree black belt.
• He took up basketball at age 18 at Osaka University of Commerce.
• He attended the University of Portland but never played for their program, as he was considered a project.
• After graduating, he joined the Sumitomo Metal Industries basketball club and represented Japan internationally from 1979 to 1986 before retiring in 1996.

4) Ri Myung-hun, 7 ft 8½ in (2.35 m)

• Ri Myung-hun was born on September 14, 1967 in North Korea.
• He played center for the national basketball team of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
• Once proclaimed the tallest living human being on earth, he stands 7 ft 8½ in and at one point explored the possibility of playing in the NBA in the 1990s.

3) Sun Mingming, 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m)

• Mingming Sun was born on August 23, 1983.
• He is a Chinese basketball player who wears a US size 20 shoe.
• He also makes occasional appearances as an actor.

2) Alexander Sizonenko, 7 ft 10 in (2.39 m)

• Alexander Alekseyevich Sizonenko was born on July 27, 1959 and passed away on January 5, 2012.
• He was a Soviet basketball player born in Zaporizhia, in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.
• Guinness World Records officially measured him at 7 ft 10 in (2.39 m).
• He was named the tallest man in the world in 1991.
• It is said that Sizonenko continued to grow after that measurement was taken, though age eventually reduced his standing height considerably.
• Due to his extreme growth, his mobility became increasingly limited over time.
• Sizonenko played professionally for Spartak Leningrad (1976–1978) and Stroitel Kuybyshev (1979–1986), and was also a member of the Soviet national team, appearing in 12 games.

1) Suleiman Ali Nashnush, 8 ft 1 in (2.46 m)

• Suleiman Ali Nashnush was born in 1943 and passed away on February 25, 1991.
• He is one of just seventeen people in medical history to have reached or surpassed 8 ft (2.43 m).
• He was a Libyan basketball player and actor.
• In 1960, he successfully underwent surgery to correct his abnormal growth.
• He was one of the tallest basketball players of all time; though when he was actively playing, he was closer to 7 ft 10 in (2.39 m) and played for Libya.

List of the tallest basketball players of all time:

1. Suleiman Ali Nashnush, 7 ft 10 in ~ 8 ft 1 in
2. Alexander Sizonenko, 7 ft 10 in
3. Sun Mingming, 7 ft 9 in
4. Ri Myung-hun, 7 ft 8½ in
5. Yasutaka Okayama, 7 ft 8½ in
6. Neil Fingleton, 7 ft 7½ in
7. Paul Sturgess, 7 ft 7 in
8. Kenny George, 7 ft 7 in
9. Gheorghe Mureșan, 7 ft 7 in
10. Manute Bol, 7 ft 7 in
11. Mamadou Ndiaye, 7 ft 6 in
12. Samuel Deguara, 7 ft 6 in
13. Yao Ming, 7 ft 6 in
14. Shawn Bradley, 7 ft 6 in
15. Tacko Fall, 7 ft 6 in
16. Slavko Vraneš, 7 ft 6 in
17. Chuck Nevitt, 7 ft 5 in
18. Pavel Podkolzin, 7 ft 5 in
19. Victor Wembanyama, 7 ft 4 in
20. Sim Bhullar, 7 ft 4 in
21. Mark Eaton, 7 ft 4 in
22. Ralph Sampson, 7 ft 4 in
23. Rik Smits, 7 ft 4 in
24. Boban Marjanović, 7 ft 4 in
25. Priest Lauderdale, 7 ft 4 in
26. Peter John Ramos, 7 ft 3 in
27. Vincent Pourchot, 7 ft 3 in
28. Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, 7 ft 3 in
29. Walter Tavares, 7 ft 3 in
30. Hasheem Thabeet, 7 ft 3 in

List of the tallest basketball players to have played in the NBA

1. Gheorghe Mureșan, 7 ft 7 in
2. Manute Bol, 7 ft 7 in
3. Yao Ming, 7 ft 6 in
4. Shawn Bradley, 7 ft 6 in
5. Tacko Fall, 7 ft 6 in
6. Slavko Vraneš, 7 ft 6 in
7. Chuck Nevitt, 7 ft 5 in
8. Pavel Podkolzin, 7 ft 5 in
9. Victor Wembanyama, 7 ft 4 in
10. Sim Bhullar, 7 ft 4 in