Here Are The List Of The Tallest Basketball Players Ever

tallest basketball players ever

NBA is the most well-known and renowned basketball league which has a gigantic fan following.

With regards to basketball and height, it is consistently an asset and an additional benefit for the game. So check out the Top 6 tallest basketball players ever.

The field is dominated by a couple of the most well-known names ever LeBrons, Bryants, Kevin Durants, and a lot more which are not just famous for their gameplay but likewise for their height.

The tallest basketball players ever are 7 feet and 7 inches.

  1. Slavko Vranes – 7’5″ (2.26m)

Slavko played for a short time in the NBA. He probably only holds a single record that would be extremely difficult to beat.

Before his NBA career ended, he played just three minutes (that’s right, you read that right) for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Even though it was reasonable for him, there were simply too many expectations placed on him due to his height.

He was drafted by the Knicks in the 2003 draft (39th pick, second round). He was later traded to the Trail Blazers. He currently plays for Sanay Petroshimi BC in the Iranian Super League.

  1. Pavel Podkolzin – 7.5″ (2.26 m)

Another tall player who has glimpsed life in the NBA. He was the 21st pick in the 2004 first round by the Utah Jazz.

Although he didn’t impact the game, he dispels two entrenched misconceptions in the NBA: tallest basketball players ever generally play well; first-round picks will become great players.

However, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for another first-round pick. He played 6 games over two seasons.

  1. Chuck Nevitt – 7’5″ (2.26m)

Chuck Nevitt (born June 13, 1959) has had a mercurial career. He’s been through the entire NBA. He was bounced around the league, playing for the Lakers, Bulls, Pistons, Rockets, and Prods.

He was on the 1985 Lakers Championship winning team. His NBA career spanned nine years, but he only played 155 games.

The most games he played in a season was 43. He is the highest player to ever bring home a championship.

  1. Yao Ming – 7’6″ (2.29m)

One of the tallest basketball players ever Yao Ming was born on September 12, 1980, in Shanghai, China. He is probably the most talented enemy player on this list.

True to form. Yao was the number one pick in the 2002 draft. He was drafted by the Houston Rockets. He played for the Rockets for 10 seasons from 2002-2011.

Many predicted that Yao would not be successful in the NBA. His first preseason impressed them.

Charles Barkley said he would “kiss Kenny Smith’s ass provided he scores more than 19 points in a single game in his rookie season.”

Yao scored 20 points against the Lakers and Charles Barkley kissed the butt of a slob bought by Kenny Smith (Kenny Smith’s “butt”).

Yao’s introduction to the top flight triggered several instances of racism (Shaq’s joke, Miami giving away 8,000 fortune cookies).

However, Yao took them all in stride and handled the cases with a relaxed sense of humor. Yao was selected ahead of Shaq as the starter for the 2003 NBA Elite Player Game.

Such was Yao’s popularity that during the 2005–06 season, he surpassed Michael Jordan’s previous record for elite player votes with a total of 2,558,278 votes.

The injuries began to affect him starting in 2005. McGrady was brought in the previous year and the two were expected to lead the Rockets’ title run.

However, Yao missed 21 games while McGrady missed 35 games during the 2005 season and the pair played just 31 games together.

Yao’s body was constantly filled with wounds, and he suffered injuries to his knees, feet, and lower limbs.

On July 10, 2011, the inevitable happened. Yao announced his retirement from the NBA, citing lower leg and foot injuries as the explanation.

Although Yao had a good impact on the game, his bigger impact was off the court. Yao has done a tremendous job promoting the game.

For example, on November 9, 2007, Yao played against another Chinese, Yi Jianlian, and the game was watched by 200 million Chinese people.

In addition, he was one of the most famous players to ever play the game. He seems to be the best basketball player ever to come out of China.

  1. Rik Smits – 7’4″ (2.24m)

Rik Smits was brought into the world on August 23, 1966. He was nicknamed “The Dunkin’ Dutchman”.

He was the No.2 Pick in the 1988 draft, being drafted by the Indiana Pacers. He played there for 12 seasons from 1988-2000.

By a fortunate turn of events, the tallest basketball players ever Smits who was the backup for Steve Stipanovich, wound up as their starting Center after Stipanovich was forced to end his career with a terrible knee injury.

This was all that could be needed for Smits who came to the All-Rookie first team of 1983-84.

Smits finished his successful first year with twofold digit point totals throughout each season of his career.

Smits’ consistent stats and administration on the court procured him gigantic popularity among the fans and he was named to the 1998 NBA Elite player team.

Smits developed nerve harm from wearing tight shoes as a teenager. His foot issues worsened step by step and he at last retired after Indiana lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals 4 games to 2 in the 1999-2000 season.

Rik Smits was selected to the Pacers’ 40th Commemoration Team, which was chosen by the fans. He wound up with the fourth most votes, trailing just behind Reggie Mill operator, Mel Daniels, and Jermaine O’Neal.

  1. Mark Eaton – 7’4″ (2.24m)

One of the tallest basketball players ever Mark Eaton was brought into the world on January 24, 1957. His career as an NBA professional was a highly unlikely one.

He was working as an automobile mechanic before an assistant coach from Cypress Junior College recognized his talent.

He went on to play for them before transferring to UCLA. He was the 72nd pick in the 4th round of the 1982 draft.

He was picked up by the Utah Jazz where he played there for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993.

Utah coach Forthcoming Layden would later make sense of his choice by quoting the familiar saying, “you can’t teach height”.

Eaton was never a great hostile player. His height empowered him to become one of the greatest guarded centers in NBA history.

He won two NBA Protective Player of the Year grants in 1985 and 1989. Eaton was likewise a vicious shot blocker.

He currently holds the record for BPG (blocks per game) with 3.5 BPG. Eaton’s strong defense was maybe their greatest factor in the Utah Jazz’s first-ever playoff appearance in 1983. Eaton blocked 351 shots during this season.

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One interesting fact is that one of the shots he neglected to block was Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s snare, which gave him his 31,421st point (the unsurpassed record for the most extreme number of points Of all time).

Karl Malone, John Stockton, and Imprint Eaton together framed one of the deadliest teams in NBA history.

Their blended styles of play made Utah Jazz a great team. Like each player of his height, knee and foot issues occurred and dialed back his career.

He at last retired in the 1992-93 season. To respect his contributions to the team, the Utah Jazz retired Eaton’s number 53 during the 1995-96 season.