NBA players are tall. Height is a positive attribute for this sport, especially at the professional level, so much so that the average height of an NBA player is 6 foot 6 inches (1. 98 m) tall.
Boban Marjanovic, Yao Ming, and Gheorghe Muresan are three examples of NBA players with gigantism. However, there are plenty of other extremely tall players on the court. After all, most NBA players are about eight inches (20.3 cm) taller than the average male.
Ironically, all three of the NBA players with gigantism have a couple of things in common, including being born outside of the U.S. and playing center on the court. Further, they each weighed approximately 300 pounds (136 kg) during their careers. Read on to learn more about each.
1. Boban Marjanovic
Boban Marjanovic is a 7 foot 4 inch (2.23 m) Serbian-born player. Weighing in at 300 lbs (136 kg), he is affectionately known as “Bobi” or “The Bobinator.” However, Marjanovic did not begin his professional basketball career in the United States. He joined the NBA in 2019 only after playing professionally in Serbia since the age of 14.
Boban Marjanovic is the only player on this list currently playing in the NBA. He is a center for the Houston Rockets but has played with the following teams:
- San Antonia Spurs
- Detroit Pistons
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Dallas Mavericks.
2. Yao Ming
Yao Ming is a former NBA player born in Shanghai, China. He is 7 foot 6 inches (2.29 m) tall and weighs about 290 lbs (131.5 kg). At times, people referred to him as “The Dynasty” or “The Great Wall .” When he retired in 2011, he was the tallest player in the league.
Yao Ming was the first-round pick of the 2002 NBA draft and debuted on October 30, 2002. He played eight seasons as a center. Ming averaged 19 points, nine rebounds, and one assist per game. In 2016, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
3. Gheorghe Muresan
Gheorghe Muresan is the Romanian-born center who stands at 7 foot 7 inches (2.0 m) and weighed about 303 pounds (137.4 kg) during his career. Muresan, along with Manute Bol, is the tallest player in NBA history.
Gheorghe Muresan was a second-round pick in the 1993 NBA draft, debuting on November 17, 1993. His career lasted a total of six seasons. During his time in the league, he played for the Washington Wizards and later the Brooklyn Nets. Muresan last played in 2000.
4. Others
There may be others in the NBA’s past and present that could contribute their height to gigantism, but it is unlikely, as gigantism is a rare condition. Gigantism is caused by a pituitary tumor, which causes children to grow rapidly.
Some telltale signs may indicate the condition.
- Prominent forehead
- Prominent jaw
- Gaps in teeth
- Large hands and feet
- Thick fingers and toes
- Thickening of facial features
While also of extremely tall stature, players like Manute Bol, Tacko Fall, and Shawn Bradley do not have the condition. They were all born into families with extremely tall heights. In fact, Manute Bol is reportedly from the region of Sudan, where above-average height is the norm.