The Tallest NBA Players of All Time

The tallest players in NBA history are Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol, who both stood exactly 7 feet 7 inches (2.31 m). No one taller has ever played in the league, and the pair sit alone at the summit of basketball’s list of giants.

Height is the first thing scouts, fans and opponents notice, and a handful of players pushed it to its extreme. Some, like Yao Ming, turned their size into stardom; others were novelties who played only a game or two. Here is the full leaderboard of the tallest players in NBA history, the stories behind the numbers, and why being the tallest never guaranteed greatness. All figures are as of the 2025 season.

The record holders: Muresan and Bol at 7’7”

Gheorghe Muresan, born in Romania, was the more productive of the two on offense. He averaged a career-best 14.5 points per game for the Washington Bullets and won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award in 1996 before knee problems cut his career short. He later became a familiar face off the court, co-starring with Billy Crystal in the film My Giant.

Manute Bol, from what is now South Sudan, weighed barely 200 pounds on the same 7’7” frame, giving him an extraordinary reach. He remains one of only two players ever to finish a career with more blocks than points, and he twice led the league in blocked shots. Off the court he became a celebrated humanitarian. The two men are the only 7’7” players in league history.

The full leaderboard of the tallest NBA players

The table below ranks the tallest players in NBA history by listed height. Active or recent players are noted.

Rank	Height	Player	Country	Era
1	7’7”	Gheorghe Muresan	Romania	1993-2000
1	7’7”	Manute Bol	Sudan	1985-1995
3	7’6”	Yao Ming	China	2002-2011
3	7’6”	Shawn Bradley	USA/Germany	1993-2005
3	7’6”	Slavko Vranes	Montenegro	2004
3	7’6”	Tacko Fall	Senegal	2019-2022
7	7’5”	Chuck Nevitt	USA	1982-1994
7	7’5”	Pavel Podkolzin	Russia	2004-2006
9	7’4”	Ralph Sampson	USA	1983-1992
9	7’4”	Mark Eaton	USA	1982-1993
9	7’4”	Rik Smits	Netherlands	1988-2000
9	7’4”	Boban Marjanovic	Serbia	2015-present

Listed heights sometimes differ slightly by source, and the NBA now measures players without shoes, which trimmed a few official listings in recent years. Even so, the order at the very top has held for decades.

Yao Ming: the tallest superstar

At 7’6”, Yao Ming is the tallest player ever to become a true franchise star. The Houston Rockets center was an eight-time All-Star, a global ambassador for the game, and the first international player without U.S. college experience to be the No. 1 overall pick. Injuries ended his career early, but he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016 and remains the most accomplished of the 7’6” group. His dominance inside also puts his era’s big men on lists like the most rebounds in NBA history.

The one-game giants and the shot-blockers

Not every tall player found a lasting role. Slavko Vranes, listed at 7’6”, played just three minutes in a single NBA game. Tacko Fall, also 7’6”, became a fan favorite in Boston but appeared mostly in limited minutes. Others, like Mark Eaton and Manute Bol, turned their height into elite rim protection rather than scoring, anchoring defenses that frustrated far more athletic opponents.

Height at the other extreme is just as fascinating: see our leaderboard of the shortest NBA players of all time, where 5’3” Muggsy Bogues headlines the smallest players ever to make it.

Why height alone is not enough

The tallest players prove that size opens doors but does not guarantee success. Muresan and Bol had very different careers despite identical heights, and many of the game’s biggest men were role players rather than stars. Skill, coordination and durability matter as much as inches, which is why longevity records such as the oldest NBA players in history are filled with names of all shapes and sizes.

The short version: Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol are the tallest players in NBA history at 7’7”, ahead of a 7’6” group led by Yao Ming. As of the 2025 season, no taller player has entered the league, and Victor Wembanyama is the most intriguing of the current giants.