Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective, does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
Basketball has traditionally been considered a game for tall athletes. Growth is a big advantage, especially considering that the basket is located just over a meter from the ground. That is why scouts and coaches, when looking for fresh talent, first of all turn their attention to tall guys. Only a few managed to break into professional basketball and achieve success, while being short, such as Tyrone Curtis Bogs, an NBA player with a height of only 160 centimeters. In general, professional leagues mostly consist of players taller than 190 centimeters, and the height of forwards and centers usually hovers around two meters. But, although almost all basketball players are very tall, among them there are also champions who can be called real giants.
Ranking of the tallest basketball players in the world
| Nomination | a place | Basketball player | Growth |
| 10 tallest basketball players in the world | 10 | Mark Eaton | 224 cm. |
| 9 | Pavel Podkolzin | 226 CM. | |
| 8 | Chuck Nevitt | 226 CM. | |
| 7 | Yao Ming | 229 CM. | |
| 6 | Sean Bradley | 229 CM. | |
| 5 | Slavko Vranesh | 230 CM. | |
| 4 | Manute Bol | 231 CM. | |
| 3 | Gheorghe Mureshan | 231 CM. | |
| 2 | Sun Mingming | 236 CM. | |
| 1 | Alexander Sizonenko | 245 CM. |
Mark Eaton
Rating: 4.1
Mark Eaton was a member of the Utah Jazz Professional Club of the National Basketball Association. His height reaches 224 centimeters, which played an important role in his development as one of the best defensive players. Mark has set several records for the number of block shots per season.
Interestingly, in his student years, Mark Eaton was fond of water polo and was not particularly interested in basketball, moreover he did not plan to do it professionally. All his achievements at that time were reduced to rare performances for the university team. He was educated in Phoenix as a car service technician and worked as an auto mechanic for several years. Nevertheless, in 1982, the coach of the Utah Jazz team became interested in him, deciding that Mark's high growth provides good potential.
Pavel Podkolzin
Rating: 4.2
Pavel is famous not so much for his basketball career as for the fact that in 2017 he was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the tallest resident of Russia with a growth rate of 226 centimeters. Until the age of sixteen, the native of Novosibirsk played in the local team Sibirtelecom-Lokomotiv, then he left for Italy and signed a contract for several years with the Italian club Varese. Already at this time, the height of the basketball player was 2 meters 26 centimeters. The next step was the signing of an agreement with the American “Dallas Mavericks”, after Paul was selected in the draft of the National Basketball Association. The athlete spent two seasons in the team, playing in Texas, but failed to justify the hopes of the coaches placed on his complexion. As a result, Podskolzin returned home and joined the Moscow basketball club Khimki.
Chuck Nevitt
Rating: 4.3
The American athlete began his career playing for the North Carolina University team. He was spotted by Houston Rockets during the 1982 NBA Draft. It is worth noting that it was difficult not to notice Nevitt, given that he reached 226 centimeters in height. Thanks to his height and ability, Chuck Nevitt successfully spent nine seasons in the NBA, replacing five American teams, and played for the Italian club Fulgor Libertas Forli. He competed in 16 playoff competitions, earned nearly a million dollars and won the NBA title. Since 1993, Nevitt has completed his sports career by moving into the IT field.
Yao Ming
Rating: 4.4
Yao Ming grew up in a family of professional athletes: both his father and mother played basketball, while both were tall. Yao Ming himself had a height of 165 centimeters already at the age of ten. He started going in for sports in his teens, playing for the Shanghai Sharks team. In his fifth year with the team, he managed to win the title of champion of the Chinese Basketball Association. In 2002, Yao Ming joined the American club Houston Rockets, where he became a center and took part in exhibition matches many times. The basketball player was the tallest in the team, 229 centimeters in height gave him a considerable advantage.
During the Olympic Games, Yao Ming was entrusted to carry the flag of his native country, which made him even more famous. However, since 2008, the athlete has been experiencing health problems that required surgical intervention and, as a result, he had to retire from professional sports. Despite this, he is still one of the richest and most popular people in China, holds the post of president of the Chinese Basketball Association, has contracts with a number of large companies and even bought the Shanghai Sharks club, from which his basketball career began. Yao Ming, in addition to his athletic success, is distinguished by original facial expressions, as a result of which the photo of his laughing face served as the prototype for the famous Internet meme.
Sean Bradley
Rating: 4.5
The American and German basketball player boasts a height of 229 centimeters. He started playing basketball for the high school team, followed by the Brigham Young University team. Bradley was considered the most talented of all Utah college basketball players. But as a member of the Mormon Church, after graduation, he went on a two-year mission to Australia, thus taking a break from sports. Upon returning home, Sean was immediately spotted drafted and recruited by the Philadelphia Seventi Sixers.
Taking part in serious games, Sean Bradley became famous for his ability to put brilliant block shots. But, despite this, the club soon sold it to the New Jersey Nets, and in 1997, after a change in management of the club, the basketball player moved to the Dallas Mavericks. There he became one of the best in block shots, taking first place in the league for this indicator. Bradley also took part in the 2001 Turkish Eurobasket.
Slavko Vranesh
Rating: 4.6
A basketball player from Montenegro, he is 230 centimeters tall. Slavko Vranesh began playing basketball as a teenager, and began his sports career playing for the Serbian club “Zeleznik”. In the 2000-2001 seasons he played in the teams of the Turkish clubs “Tofash” and “Efes Pilsen”, after which he returned home to Montenegro. A year later, he was selected in the NBA draft and ranked among the American “New York Knicks”. Vranesh later signed a short-term contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he played only one match, after which he ended his career with the National Basketball Association. For a long time, the basketball player played for the Belgrade teams “Crvena Zvezda” and “Partizan”, and in 2013 he moved to “Metalac”.
Manute Bol
Rating: 4.7
The African giant was born in Sudan, the son of a Dinka chieftain. Tall stature was the norm for his compatriots, and Manute Bola's father and mother reached two meters in height. The future basketball player spent his childhood in the village, looking after the family herds. Having left for a big city, he started playing for the Sudanese teams, and this continued until a coach from the United States noticed him. In America, Manute had a hard time at first due to problems with English, so having no chance of making his way to the first league, he played for the University of Bridgeport. But then the career of a basketball player went up: he joined the “Washington Bullets” and proved himself as an excellent defender, which was greatly facilitated by his height of 231 centimeters and excellent physical shape. In total, during his stay in the NBA, Manute Bol managed to change four clubs and gain popularity among the audience. After graduating from his career at the end of the 1990s, the athlete devoted himself to charity in favor of his native Sudan.
Gheorghe Mureshan
Rating: 4.8
Romanian basketball player Gheorghe Muresan shares with Manute Bol the place of the tallest basketball player in the history of the NBA. His height is 231 centimeters. It is noteworthy that Mureshan's parents were not very tall, and he himself became a giant due to problems with the pituitary gland. A unique complexion from childhood predetermined his occupation – it all started with the university team “Cluj”, then followed by participation in the championship as part of the French club “Po-Ortez”. In 1993 he was drafted by the American Baltimore Bullets. In the NBA, Gheorghe Murashan played very successfully, despite frequent injuries. In addition, the athlete played one of the main roles in the comedy film “My Giant”.
Since 1999, Mureshan has played for the New Jersey Nets. However, a year later, he had to leave the NBA after knee surgery. Nevertheless, the basketball player continued his career with Po-Ortez. In 2002, Mureshan returned to the NBA, where he played a season and announced the end of his sports career. He moved to the United States, where he opened his own basketball school.
Sun Mingming
Rating: 4.9
Chinese Sun Mingming has a height of 236 centimeters and is currently the tallest of the active professional basketball players. He began to play sports at the age of 15, in 2005 he tried to break into the Los Angeles NBA club, but to no avail. In the summer of 2005, he underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor in the pituitary gland, after which he fully recovered and continued his sports career. He played in many American minor league teams, and also played for some time for Mexican and Japanese clubs. In 2009 he returned to his native China. While playing for the Beijing Dax Team, Sun Mingming won the title of China Champion in 2012. In addition to playing basketball, he also appeared on television and had a cameo in Rush Hour 3.
Alexander Sizonenko
Rating: 5.0
The tallest basketball player in the world also entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest person on the planet in 1990. Born in Zaporozhye, from an early age he stood out with an abnormal height, as a result of which he underwent surgery on the pituitary gland. Alexander Sizonenko was a real legend of Soviet basketball because of his height of 245 centimeters. He played at the center position for the Leningrad club “Spartak”, then played in the Samara “Builder”. Coaches note his subtle flair and unique manner of moving around the court. Due to his height, Sizonenko could throw the ball into the basket by simply raising his hand. In 1989, the basketball player was invited to shoot the Czechoslovak fantasy film “The Brave Tailor”, where he played the role of a giant.
Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
