The Tallest Players in NBA History

Tallest players in NBA history

• Gheorghe Muresan  7 feet 7 inches (2.31 m)
• Manute Bol            7 feet 6.75 (2.30 m)
• Slavko Vranes        7 feet 6.5 (2.29 m)
• Yao Ming                 7 feet 6 (2.28 m)
• Shawn Bradley        7 feet 6 (2.28 m)

Boban Marjanovic is currently the tallest player in the NBA, but how does he when compared to the tallest players in NBA history?

The San Antonio Spurs played against the Memphis Grizzlies in the playoffs of the 2015-16 NBA season as many of those, who bet on sports in the US might know. It happened in the second game that Matt Barnes couldn’t stop laughing at Boban Marjanovic trying to defend his inbounds pass, as Barnes realized that he hardly can do anything against his huge opponent. Barnes isn’t a short guy himself, he is 6 feet 7 (200 cm), but to see Marjanovic standing above him is like shocking.

The Serbian rookie was called up by the Spurs in October from Crvena Zvezda. Standing at 7 feet 3.5 (222 cm), currently he is tallest player in the NBA, and this could be useful for Spurs in the NBA playoffs. But where does Marjanovic rank in the list of the tallest players in NBA history?

1. Gheorghe Muresan

There are 25 former and active players in the NBA who have been listed as 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m) or taller. The tallest of them is former Romanian player Gheorghe Muresan at 7 feet 7 (2.31 m). He played for the Washington Bullets and the New Jersey Nets between 1993 and 2000. He is the second tallest living man in the European Union, being half an inch shorter than Neil Fingleton, the actor and former British basketball player.

2. Manute Bol

The Sudanese-born American player was also registered at 7 feet 7, but he was officially measured as 7 feet 6.75 (2.30 m) inches by the Guinness Book of World records. However he was very slim built (200 lb / 90 kg) and played alongside the shortest player in NBA history, Muggsy Bogues (5 feet 3 / 1.60 m) for the Washington Bullets in the 1987-88 NBA season and this also exaggerated his height.

He also played for the Golden State Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat. He is not only considered as one of the two tallest players in NBA history, but also as one of the best shot blockers ever to play in the NBA. He is the only player with more career blocks than points in NBA history. He passed away in 2010 at 47.

3. Slavko Vranes

Vranes played only three minutes for the Portland Trail Blazers in 2004. He was 20 years old back then and officially registered at 7 feet 5 (2.26 m). However according to US gambling news, he grew to 7 feet 6.5 (2.29 m) since. This makes the Montenegrin center officially the third tallest player in NBA history.

4. Yao Ming and Shawn Bradley

The Chinese Ming and the former German international Bradley both were registered at 7 feet 6 (2.28 m). With this, Ming, who played for nearly a decade for the Houston Rockets (2002-2011) is the tallest player ever to participate in an NBA All-Star game (he was elected eight times). He is also the tallest player in the NBA Hall of Fame.

Bradley was born in the former West Germany to American parents. Though he grew up in the States, due to his eligibility, he represented Germany on international level. He played for the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Jersey Nets and the Dallas Mavericks in a career that span over ten years, ending in 2005.

This top list shows for internet betting players that Boban Marjanovic is nowhere near the tallest players in NBA history. He did not even made top ten, ranking at thirteenth. However, he is currently the tallest player in the NBA with half an inch (ca. 1 cm) above fellow active NBA players Walter Tavares, Kristaps Porzingis and Tibor Pleiß.