The Tallest of the Big Men in NBA history
The tallest active NBA player is actually one who was a two-time College Basketball Player of the Year before arriving in the pros this season. Zach Edey graduated from Purdue to the Memphis Grizzlies after being drafted ninth overall in 2024.
Edey is averaging nine points, almost eight rebounds, and better than a block per game for Memphis. It’s a significant contribution whose ability to make it from college to the NBA was questioned.
Who Was the Tallest NBA Player of All Time?
There have been a pair of players in the NBA that were measured at 7-foot-7. One was Gheorghe Muresan of Romania who played for Washington and the Nets when they called New Jersey home.
Muresan averaged 9.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game during his six-year NBA career.
The other was Manute Bol, who was from Sudan and played for four teams in the NBA from 1985-95.
Bol was intriguing. While he stood 91 inches tall, he was a threat from outside the 3-point arc. It became a part of NBA and pop culture at how good Bol was from long range. He hit 43 3-point shots in his NBA career. Bol averaged 2.6 points per game, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.3 blocked shots.
He became a beloved player wherever he went in the NBA.
Who Is the 7-foot-6 Basketball Player?
There was a trio who stood 7-foot-6 when it came to NBA player heights. One was great, another solid and the third marginal. The first player to be addressed is Yao Ming, who played for the Houston Rockets. Ming had his career cut short by injury. He did play eight seasons and averaged 19 points per game and 6.7 rebounds. In his eighth season, Ming played a total of five games.
Shawn Bradley came out of BYU and was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round in 1993. He played eight seasons – with three teams – and averaged 8.1 points and 6.3 rebounds. Bradley was paralyzed in a bike accident after his NBA career.
Fall played in 26 games over two seasons with the Boston Celtics. He spent a season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, with 11 games played, including his lone NBA start. His stats were a timid 2.7 points per game and 2.6 rebounds per contest.
These were among the tallest basketball players ever and the only ones to reach 7-foot-6 or taller.
Other Tall NBA Players
There were a number of players at 7-foot-5. The most memorable was Chuck Nevitt, who went from NC State to the Houston Rockets. Nevitt also played for the Lakers, Pistons, Bulls and Spurs.
Boban Marjanovic was a 7-foot-4 center who had a long career in the NBA. He played for six teams, averaging 6.6 points per game and 3.6 rebounds.
Three NBA players at 7-foot-4 made a great impression in the league. Mark Eaton came to the Utah Jazz from UCLA, where he barely registered NBA stats. Once in the league, he became one of the best defensive players in the game, a true force.
Ralph Sampson registered plenty of stats at Virginia in his college career. He was expected – perhaps unfairly – to be a generational player because of his height, someone who would lead a team to championships on the collegiate and professional levels. Sampson was a three-time National College Player of the Year, a first pick in the NBA draft by the Houston Rockets, and a four-time All-Star.
No matter what he accomplished, it never seemed to be enough and he left basketball without a championship.
The other 7-foot-4 player who would be considered a star on the NBA level was Rik Smits. The Dutchman played college basketball at Marist, where helped put the program on the NCAA tournament map. Smits was an Indiana Pacer in the NBA from 1988-2000. He made the All-Rookie team and was an All-Star in 1998. For those who like to follow the game closely from the tip-off, you can find NBA 1st quarter lines and other betting options to add to the excitement.
