This is a list of the tallest players in National Basketball Association history. It is currently topped by the Romanian Gheorghe Mureșan, taken by the Washington Bullets as the number 30 overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft.
As of the 2025–26 NBA season, thirty players have been listed at or taller. Three are active as of the season: Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, Zach Edey of the Memphis Grizzlies, and Rocco Zikarsky of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The tallest player inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is Yao Ming. Yao, Ralph Sampson and Arvydas Sabonis are the only players or taller elected to the Hall of Fame.
Yasutaka Okayama, a Japanese basketball player picked 171st overall in the seventh round of the 1981 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors, is the tallest player ever to be drafted to the NBA. However, he never played in the NBA.
List Statistics accurate as of the 2025–26 NBA season. ^Active NBA player*Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of FameGPGames playedPtsPointsPPGPoints per gameFG%Field goal percentageFT%Free throw percentageRebReboundsRPGRebounds per gameBlkBlocksBPGBlocks per game
HeightWeightPlayerTeamsGPPtsPPGFG%FT%RebRPGBlkBPGNotes Washington Bullets (–) New Jersey Nets (–)3073,0209.8.573.6441,9576.44551.5Won 1996 NBA Most Improved Player Award.Washington Bullets (–, ) Golden State Warriors (–, ) Philadelphia 76ers (–, ) Miami Heat ()6251,5992.6.407.5612,6474.22,0863.3Played alongside the shortest player in NBA history, Muggsy Bogues, during the season for the Washington Bullets; their difference in height was 28 inches (71 cm). Philadelphia 76ers (–) New Jersey Nets (–) Dallas Mavericks (–)8326,7528.1.457.7165,2686.32,1192.5Born to American parents in the former West Germany.^Boston Celtics (–)Cleveland Cavaliers ()Philadelphia 76ers (–present)37822.2.673.320902.4300.8*Houston Rockets (–)4819,19619.1.525.8324,4679.39121.9Drafted first overall in the 2002 NBA draft. Tallest player to play in at least one All-Star Game. Also tallest player inducted into the Hall of Fame.Sacramento Kings ()320.7.500—10.310.3First NBA player of Indian descent. Played 16 seconds in his debut on April 7, 2015.Houston Rockets (–, –) Los Angeles Lakers (–) Detroit Pistons (–) Chicago Bulls () San Antonio Spurs ()1552511.6.438.5892391.51110.7Tallest player to win an NBA Championship.Dallas Mavericks (–)640.7.000.50091.510.1Portland Trail Blazers ()100.0.000—00.000.0Played in one game, on against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Played 3 minutes, with one shot attempt from the field (missed) and one personal foul. Vraneš was officially listed as 7'5" while playing in the NBA, and has since grown taller (7'6" or 2.30 m), according to most sources.Utah Jazz (–)8755,2166.0.458.6496,93910.83,0643.5He set records for most blocked shots per game in a single season (5.56 bpg in ) and for an entire career (3.50 bpg)—both marks still stand today. One-time NBA All-Star. Atlanta Hawks () Denver Nuggets ()742553.4.472.5541431.9260.4San Antonio Spurs ()Detroit Pistons (–)Los Angeles Clippers (–)Philadelphia 76ers ()Dallas Mavericks (–)Houston Rockets (–)3311,8355.5.578.7621,1893.6960.3 *Houston Rockets (–) Golden State Warriors (–) Sacramento Kings (–) Washington Bullets ()4567,03915.4.486.6614,0118.87521.6Three-time College national player of the year, #1 pick in the 1983 NBA draft, four-time All-Star, member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.Indiana Pacers (–)86712,87114.8.507.7735,2776.11,1111.3One-time NBA All-Star.^San Antonio Spurs (–present)1814,23823.4.484.8171,99711.06273.5Drafted first overall in the 2023 NBA draft. Currently the tallest active player in the NBA and a two-time All-Star.Denver Nuggets (–)Orlando Magic (–)Phoenix Suns (–)2021,2436.2.545.7497093.51530.8Son of joint tallest player in NBA history, Manute Bol.Milwaukee Bucks (–) Minnesota Timberwolves (–) Atlanta Hawks (–) Sacramento Kings ()6814,5996.8.467.6282,9864.47501.1Los Angeles Clippers (–)1305023.9.471.6063722.91631.3During his collegiate career, Closs averaged 5.9 blocks per game, which is the NCAA Division I record.^Memphis Grizzlies (–present)777609.9.589.7236708.71061.4Two-time College national player of the year.Portland Trail Blazers (–)46701.5.519.500671.5130.3Only Korean player to play in the NBA.Syracuse Nationals (–)1437865.5.347.5919496.6——Cleveland Cavaliers (–) Miami Heat (–)77110,61613.8.475.7805,9047.71,2691.6Two-time NBA All-Star.Utah Jazz ()12242.0.4401.000151.320.2Toronto Raptors () Utah Jazz ()15261.7.308.625362.430.2Washington Wizards ()6111.8.500.50040.710.2*Portland Trail Blazers (–, )4705,62912.0.500.7863,4367.34941.1Sabonis was originally drafted into the NBA in 1986 (Rd. 1, #24 overall), but was not allowed to play in the NBA for most of his career due to restrictions set by the former Soviet Union.Atlanta Hawks (–)Cleveland Cavaliers ()13332.5.625.273322.5120.9Only Cape Verdean player to play in the NBA.Memphis Grizzlies (–) Houston Rockets (–) Portland Trail Blazers () Oklahoma City Thunder (–)2244832.2.567.5785952.71840.8Only Tanzanian player to play in the NBA.^Minnesota Timberwolves (–present)5142.8.6251.000142.851.0Houston Rockets (–)000.0.000.00000.000Zwikker was on the Rockets roster for the entire 1997–98 season, but spent the year on the injured list and did not play in a game before the 1998 NBA lockout.
See also
List of tallest people List of shortest players in NBA history List of NBA regular season records
Notes
References