If basketball is known for one thing in particular, it is the daunting height of the athletes who participate in the sport. In the NBA, the average height for players is 6-foot-7, but power forwards and centers bloom to heights much taller than that. It makes sense, too, as the taller a player is, the closer they are to the basket, and the easier it is to flush down dunks, secure rebounds, and protect the rim. In the 2026 NBA Finals, a very tall player is doing things never seen before on the basketball court.
Victor Wembanyama stands 7-foot-4, yet he has an offensive arsenal reminiscent of a guard. The former first overall pick has also led the NBA in blocks per game in each of his first three seasons.
Mark Eaton : 7-foot-4
Mark Eaton spent his entire 11-year playing career with the Utah Jazz between 1982 and 1994. During that time, he became one of the best rim protectors in NBA history. Standing 7-foot-4, Eaton led the league in blocks four different times and once averaged 5.6 swats per game in a single season. That is the best mark in a single season in league history.
Also, unlike many other incredibly tall players, Eaton was very durable, logging five full 82-game campaigns and playing in at least 80 games nine times. In one of the two seasons he didn't play 80 he appeared in 79 contests. With Eaton protecting the rim and John Stockton and Karl Malone running the pick-and-roll, it is a wonder that the Jazz didn't win a championship.
Rik Smits : 7-foot-4
Here is another monstrous big who was very skilled. Rik Smits, who stands 7-foot-4 and resided with the Indiana Pacers for all 12 of his NBA seasons between 1988 and 2000, averaged double figures in scoring every single year and lays claim to lifetime averages of 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 50.7 percent from the floor.
Foot issues abbreviated Smits' career, but during his prime, he was actually a force with a dependable jumper and some slick post moves. As a matter of fact, Shaquille O'Neal has said that Smits was one of his most difficult matchups. The Dunking Dutchman has a fantastic nickname to boot.
Ralph Sampson : 7-foot-4
Along with Hakeem Olajuwon in Houston, Ralph Sampson formed the original twin towers duo, and he helped the Houston Rockets make an NBA Finals appearance in 1986. The 7-foot-4 Sampson was outstanding in the early stages of his career, making the All-Star team each of his first four years in the NBA. He averaged over 20 points and 10 boards per game twice.
However, after Houston made its Finals appearance with Sampson and Olajuwon in 1986, Sampson began to fall victim to injuries, which severely derailed his career. From 1987 through 1992, Sampson bounced around between the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, and Washington Bullets before retiring. Sampson boasts career averages of 15.4 points, 8.8 boards, and 1.6 blocks a night. He was even better as an amateur. At Virginia, Sampson joined Bill Walton as the only two three-time national college players of the year, which led to him becoming one of the most highly touted prospects in NBA Draft history.
Victor Wembanyama: : 7-foot-4
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots the ball as New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) defends during game three of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Speaking of highly anticipated prospects, Wembanyama's unicorn nature in a 7-foot-4 frame made him highly coveted. The basketball world knew who the French hooper was years before he was selected by the San Antonio Spurs, despite the fact that he didn't play basketball stateside growing up.
Wemby is only 22 years old, and he is already starting to live up to the potential. He won the Defensive Player of the Year award this year, but he can also hit stepback jump shots or dribble with the skill of a much smaller man. There have been a lot of talented giants in NBA history, but Wembanyama has the potential to become the best one on this list. His Spurs are down 2-1 in the NBA Finals.
Boban Marjanovic : 7-foot-4
The 7-foot-4 Boban Marjanovic began his NBA journey with the Spurs back in 2015 and spent just one season there. Since then, the Serbian has ricocheted between the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia Sixers, Dallas Mavericks, and, most recently, the Rockets. He was a fan-favorite everywhere he suited up because of his joyful personality and ever-present smile.
Offensively, Marjanovic is pretty skilled. He shoots from mid-range, gobbles up offensive boards, and has very solid awareness. However, he doesn't spread the floor, and his defensive deficiencies are just too much to overcome. He isn't even much of a rim protector, as he has averaged just 0.3 blocks per game for his career.
Still, Boban is an absolute treasure and a source of great entertainment thanks to his social media antics. He also played an assassin in a “John Wick” movie. Boban's parents are not vertically gifted. His father is 5-foot-9, and his mother is 5-foot-6. There is a case to be made that Marjanovic should have become more than just a journeyman. His 25.3 PER rating would rank 12th all-time if he met the games played requirement.
Priest Lauderdale: 7-foot-4
That brings us to the final 7-foot-4 behemoth to grace the NBA: Priest Lauderdale. Lauderdale spent just two seasons in the NBA, playing for the Atlanta Hawks and Denver Nuggets. In 74 games, he tallied 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. He had an extended career overseas, playing for 23 different professional basketball teams in total.
Chuck Nevitt: 7-foot-5
He isn't a household name, but the 7-foot-5 Chuck Nevitt bounced around the NBA for a considerable amount of time between 1982 and 1994, spending time with the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs.
Nevitt didn't exactly play much during his career, accumulating 155 games in total and averaging 5.3 minutes per game, but he was actually a member of the Lakers team that won a championship in 1985. It makes sense that the Showtime Lakers had a big man spectacle. Nevitt is the tallest American player ever.
Pavel Podkolzin : 7-foot-5
Pavel Podkolzin may have been tall, but his NBA career was short. The 7-foot-5 center played in six games for the Mavericks between 2004 and 2006.
Sim Bhullar : 7-foot-5
Another tall player who wasn't a household name, Sim Bhullar stands 7-foot-5 and appeared in three contests for the Sacramento Kings in 2005, but that was where his NBA career started and ended. Bhullar was of Indian descent.
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Slavko Vranes : 7-foot-5
Slavko Vranes is one of the tallest players in NBA history. The thing is, he only played one game with the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2003-04 campaign and was never seen in the league again. The 7-foot-5 mark is somewhat of a curse for NBA players.
Shawn Bradley : 7-foot-6
You would be hard-pressed to find an NBA player who was posterized more than Shawn Bradley, so much so that there are YouTube highlight reels dedicated to guys throwing down on Bradley.
Even so, Bradley had an extended playing career, lasting from 1994 through 2005, where he spent time with the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, and Dallas Mavericks. He actually found somewhat of a home in Dallas, residing there for the last eight and a half seasons of his playing tenure. The German averaged double figures in scoring just four times in his career and paced the league in blocks once when he tallied 3.4 blocks per game during the 1996-97 campaign. Of course, Bradley also had a role in “Space Jam,” so he has that going for him.
Now, a tall guy who was actually an All-Star. Like many other excessively tall players, Yao Ming's career — all of which came with the Houston Rockets — did not last long due to injuries, as he spent just nine years in the NBA before being forced to retire (he also missed a whole season in 2009-10). Yao (7-foot-6) made eight All-Star teams and actually had a smooth offensive game, possessing a reliable jumper and a very smooth stroke from the free-throw line. He was a lifetime 83.3 percent free-throw shooter. The Chinese player, who became a global ambassador for the NBA, was able to play in 80 games each of his first three seasons before giving ways to injuries.
Over the last six years of his career, Yao played in 57, 48, 55, 77, zero and five games, respectively. He owns career averages of 19.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. Ming is one of the greatest what-ifs in NBA history.
Tacko Fall of Team 1 looks on during the NBA All Star Celebrity Game at Kia Forum.
William Liang-Imagn Images
The Boston Celtics signed Tacko Fall as an undrafted free agent in 2019, and he wound up earning a two-way contract with the club. The thing with Fall is that he clearly has some talent, as he has a soft touch and moves incredibly well for a man who stands 7-foot-5.
Of course, in a modern NBA players must be able to defend in space, so it wasn't too much of a shock that 7-foot-5 Fall didn't have that long of a career. Being out of the league since 2022, Fall is currently playing in China. On another note, here is some food for thought: Fall's parents are actually very average in terms of height. His father stands 6-feet tall and his mother is 5-foot-9.
Manute Bol: 7-foot-7
Manute Bol is easily one of the most recognizable figures on this list. Standing 7-foot-7 and apparently weighing around 200 pounds (how is that even possible?), Bol had a 10-year NBA playing career from 1985 through 1995, spending time with the Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat.
While Bol's overall skill left much to be desired, he was, not surprisingly, a master shot blocker. He led the league in blocks twice, averaging five blocks per game during his rookie year and 4.3 swats a night in his fourth season. He also blocked 15 shots in a game twice. Shaquille O'Neal is the only other player with a 15-block game.
Over the course of his tenure, Bol logged an impressive 3.3 blocks per game (and an insane 6.4 blocks per 36 minutes), but didn't do a whole lot else. He had a catapult 3-point shot that sometimes went in, too. Of course, Bol's son, the 7-foot-2 Bol Bol, became a fan-favorite big man in his own right.
Gheorghe Muresan: 7-foot-7
What was with the Bullets and ridiculously tall players? Shortly after Bol's time in Washington, the Bullets picked up Gheorghe Muresan, who, like Bol, stood 7-foot-7. Unlike Bol, however, Muresan was legitimately pretty good.
By his third NBA season, the Romanian native averaged 14.5 points, 9.6 boards, and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 58.4 percent from the floor. He actually led the NBA in field goal percentage two years in a row, making 60.4 percent of his shots the following season. However, due to injuries, Muresan's career did not last long. He spent four seasons with the Bullets between 1993 and 1997, missing all of the 1997-98 campaign. Muresan then landed with the New Jersey Nets for two years, where he appeared in a grand total of 31 games before retiring.
If basketball is known for one thing in particular, it is the daunting height of the athletes who participate in the sport. In the NBA, the average height for players is 6-foot-7, but power forwards and centers bloom to heights much taller than that.