Basketball is mostly dominated by tall players and it is rare to see a good player who is under six foot tall. Even though there are some notable exceptions, such as Isaiah Thomas of the Boston Celtics, some of the best players in the NBA history were centers, and a few of them were 7-foot-5 or even taller!
In this list, we will count down five tallest players to ever step on the NBA hardwood. Currently, there are two 7-foot-3 players in the NBA, Boban Marjanovic and Kristaps Porzingis, and surprisingly, they didn't make the cut on this list.
#5 - Sim Bhullar
Sim Bhullar had a short NBA career as he appeared in only three games for the Sacramento Kings in 2015. However, he became the first player of Indian descent to play in the NBA, and he is also one of the tallest players in the league history.
Bhullar is 7-foot-5 and he weighs 360 pounds, but despite his size, he failed to dominate in the NBA. Fortunately, he found another team in Taiwan, as he was signed by the Dacin Tigers last year.
#4 - Yao Ming
Yao is probably the most popular player on this list as he spent nearly a decade in the NBA, dominating the league. Standing at seven feet and six inches, the Chinese big man averaged 19.1 points and 9.3 rebounds in his NBA career, and he also became the tallest player to be inducted to the Hall of Fame.
Unfortunately, Yao's career was cut short due to injuries, but he was undoubtedly one of the best players in the Houston Rockets history.
#3 - Shawn Bradley
Although both Yao Ming and Shawn Bradley were listed at 7-foot-6, Bradley was a quarter of an inch taller without shoes. The big man played in the NBA for 12 seasons and for three different teams.
He is best known for playing in Dallas, as he wore a Mavericks jersey for nearly nine years.
Bradley averaged 8.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in his NBA career, and he was one of the best shot blockers in the league's history with the career average of 2.5 blocks per game. The center led the league in blocks in 1997, averaging 3.4 rejections.
#2 - Manute Bol
Manute Bol was seven feet and 6.75 inches tall, yet he weighed only 210 pounds. It's interesting that he was playing with Muggsy Bogues, who was the shortest player to ever play in the league, and their height difference was 28 inches.
Bol ranks second on NBA's all-time blocking average with 3.3 blocks per game, and he played ten years in the league. While most of his stats were not impressive, Bol averaged the league-leading 5.0 blocks in his rookie season and 4.3 blocks three seasons after.
#1 - Gheorghe Muresan
Gheorghe Muresan is not only the tallest player in the NBA history, but also the tallest player in his country, Romania, as well as the talLest person in the European Union.
Muresan played six seasons in the NBA, winning the award for most improved player in his third season. He also led the league twice in field goal percentage.
The big man averaged 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in his NBA career. Muresan wore number 77 in reference to his height.
