25 Tallest NBA Players To Ever Play The Game

Posted by , Updated on March 25, 2024

With a basketball hoop towering 10 feet high, it generally makes sense to have tall players on a team. Of course, not all professional NBA basketball players are tall. Those that are, however, have significant advantages to a team. But who is the tallest of the tall? Here are 25 tallest NBA players to ever play the game.

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25

Dikembe Mutombo (7'2")

Dikembe_MotomboSource: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/588/dikembe-mutombo

First drafted in 1991, Dikembe Mutombo came on the court weighing 260 lbs and standing tall at 7’2″.

24

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7'2")

Kareem_Abdul-JabbaSource: http://www.nba.com/history/players/abduljabbar_bio.html

Veteran NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was 7’2″ tall and weighed 267 lbs.

23

Swede Halbrook (7'3")

Swede_HalbrookSource: http://www.landofbasketball.com/nba_players/h/swede_halbrook.htm

Drafted in 1956, Swede Halbrook was 7’3″ tall and had a short career with the Nationals.

22

Aleksandar Radojević (7'3")

aleksander-rSource: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/683/aleksandar-radojevic

Aleksandar Radojević was drafted in 1999 and played for the Utah Jazz. He stood at 7’3″ and weighed 250 lbs.

21

Kristaps Porziņģis (7'3")

Kristaps_PorzingisSource: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3102531/kristaps-porzingis

Drafted in 2015, Kristaps Porziņģis played for the Knicks, standing at 7’3″.

20

Walter Tavares (7'3")

walter-tavaresSource: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3033031/edy-tavares

Walter Tavares stands at 7’3″ and plays for the Cavaliers.

19

Tibor Pleiß (7'3")

tibor-pleissSource: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4284/tibor-pleiss

Born in West Germany, Tibor Pleiß was drafted in 2012 and is 7’3″ tall.

18

Ha Seung-Jin (7'3")

ha-seung-jinSource: http://www.nba.com/draft2004/profiles/HaSeung-Jin.html

Playing center for the Portland Trailblazers, Ha Seung-Jin stands at 7’3″ tall.

17

Hasheem Thabeet (7'3")

Hasheem_ThabeetSource: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4016/hasheem-thabeet

Drafted in 2009, Hasheem Thabeet stands at 7’3″ tall and last played for the Thunder.

16

Randy Breuer (7'3")

randy-breuer-1Source: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3652/randy-breuer

Drafted in 1983 and briefly a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Randy Breuer stood at 7’3″ tall.

15

Keith Closs (7'3")

Keith-ClossSource: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/153/keith-closs

Though he only had a short three-year career, Keith Closs stood at 7’3″ tall.

14

Arvydas Sabonis (7'3")

Arvydas_SabonisSource: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/745/arvydas-sabonis

Drafted in 1986, Arvydas Sabonis had a decent seven-year career with the Portland Trailblazers. He stood at 7’3″ tall.

13

Zydrunas Ilgauskas (7'3")

Zydrunas_IlgauskasSource: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/362/zydrunas-ilgauskas

Zydrunas Ilgauskas was drafted in 1996 and had a thirteen-year career. He is 7’3″ tall.

12

Peter John Ramos (7'3")

peter-john-ramosSource: http://www.nba.com/media/dleague/peter_john_ramos.pdf

Peter John Ramos had a short career in 2004, playing for the Washington Wizards. He’s 7’3″ tall.

11

Rik Smits (7'4")

rik-smitsSource: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/795/rik-smits

Rik Smits had a twelve-year career playing for the Pacers. He stands at 7’4″.

10

Ralph Sampson (7'4")

Ralph_SampsonSource: http://www.thetallestman.com/ralphsampson.htm

Ralph Sampson is a hall of fame basketball player standing at 7’4″ tall.

9

Priest Lauderdale (7'4")

Priest_loderdaleSource: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/1038/priest-lauderdale

Priest Lauderdale was drafted in 1996 and stands at 7’4″ tall.

8

Mark Eaton (7'4")

mark-eatonSource: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3693/mark-eaton

Playing for the Utah Jazz, Mark Eaton stands at 7’4″.

7

Slavko Vranes (7'5")

Milko_BjelicaSource: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2176/slavko-vranes

Slavko Vranes had a short career playing for the Portland Trailblazers but stood above the rest at 7’5″ tall.

6

Pavel Podkolzin (7'5")

Pavel-PodkolzinSource: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2441/pavel-podkolzin

Drafted in 2004, Pavel Podkolzin had a short career with the NBA but stood tall at 7’5″.

5

Chuck Nevitt (7'5")

Chuck_NevittSource: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3804/chuck-nevitt

Standing at 7’5″ tall, Chuck Nevitt had a long nine-year career playing for several teams during that time.

4

Yao Ming (7'6")

Yao_MingSource: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/1722/yao-ming

Having a strong 8-year career with the Houston Rockets, Yao Ming towered over most players at 7’6″ tall.

3

Shawn Bradley (7'6")

Bradley_ShawnSource: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/88/shawn-bradley

With a long twelve-year career starting in 1993, Shawn Bradley also was a behemoth figure to most on the court standing at 7’6″.

2

Manute Bol (7'7")

manule-bolSource: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3642/manute-bol

Playing for several teams over his 10 year NBA career, Manute Bol towered over everyone at 7’7″.

1

Gheorghe Muresan (7'7")

Nuggets at Wizards 3/23/18Source: http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/584/gheorghe-muresan

Next, to Manute Bol, Gheorghe Muresan is the tallest NBA player to ever play the game at 7’7″ tall.



Photo: 25. Cavic = Steve Lipofsky, Lipofsky-Dikembe Motombo, CC BY-SA 3.0, 24. Wikipedia Commons.com (Public Domain), 23. Wikipedia Commons.com (Public Domain), 22. Photo via twitter, 21. Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, Kristaps Porzingis and Kris Humphries, CC BY-SA 2.0, 20. Photo via Twitter, 19. robert hextall, Tibor Pleiß and Benjamin Eze, CC BY-SA 2.0, “18. GaleHorn, 2010-프로농구-KCC-vs-SK, CC BY 4.0, 17. CT Snow from Hsinchu, Taiwan, Hasheem Thabeet cropped, CC BY 2.0, 16. Photo via Twitter, 15. Photo via Twitter, 14. Unknown, Arvydas Sabonis (1986) (Cropped), CC BY-SA 4.0, 13. Keith Allison, Zydrunas Ilgauskas Cleveland Cavaliers, CC BY-SA 2.0, 12. Photo via Twitter, 11. Wikipedia Commons.com (Public Domain), 10. jammmick, Ralph Sampson, CC BY 2.0, 9. Biso, Priest loderdale, CC BY 3.0, 8. Photo via Twitter, 7. Rudolf Getel, Milko Bjelica Lietuvos Rytas, CC BY 2.0, 6. Photo via Twitter, 5. Wikipedia Commons.com (Public Domain), 4. Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA, Yao Ming (2310543001), CC BY-SA 2.0, 3. Wikipedia Commons.com (Public Domain), 2. Photo via Twitter, 1. Gheorghe_Muresan_Verizon_Center_2010.jpg: Keith Allison derivative work: Chrishmt0423 (talk), Gheorghe Muresan 2010, CC BY-SA 2.0