10 Tallest Basketball Players Ever

Height is one of the biggest advantages for basketball players of all levels. Over the years, we have seen in the NBA “giants”, who made every other player on the court feel short. Every basketball fan around the world has wondered about the tallest NBA players of all time, while a conversation about the tallest active NBA players is not one commonly heard. However, within this article, we will talk about the 10 tallest active NBA players

	Name	Height	Nationality	Team
1	Boban Marjanović	7’4″ (224 cm)	Serbia	Houston Rockets
2	Kristaps Porziņģis	7’3″ (221 cm)	Latvia	Washington Wizards
3	Luke Kornet	7’2″ (218 cm)	USA	Boston Celtics
4	Bol Bol	7’2″ (218 cm)	Sudan	Orlando Magic
5	Moses Brown	7’2″ (218 cm)	USA	Brooklyn Nets
6	Alex Len	7’2″ (218 cm)	Ukraine	Sacramento KIngs
7	Brook Lopez	7’1″ (216 cm)	USA	Milwaukee Bucks
8	Rudy Gobert	7’1″ (216 cm)	France	Minnesota Timberwolves
9	Jakob Pöltl	7’1″ (216 cm)	Austria	Toronto Raptors
10	Chet Holmgren	7’1″ (216 cm)	USA	Oklahoma City Thuder

1. Boban Marjanović

Boban Marjanović is the tallest current NBA player and one of the tallest players in NBA history, standing at 7’4”. Boban is known for his friendly attitude, as he is frequently seen joking around with his teammates and interacting with his fans. After dominating the paint in Europe playing for Crvena Zvezda he joined San Antonio Spurs in 2015. In the following years, he played for several NBA teams including Detroit Pistons and Dallas Mavericks, until he was traded to Houston Rockets in 2022.

2. Kristaps Porziņģis

Kristaps Porziņģis is a Latvian NBA player, playing in the NBA since 2015. His greatest accomplishment is his participation in the NBA All-Star Game of 2018. As a result of his inconsistency and his injury proneness, he is now playing for Washington Wizards. The Wizards are fighting for the entrance to the play-in and Porziņģis is “vital” for them, scoring 23 points per game and getting 8.3 rebounds per game this season. 

3. Luke Kornet

Luke Kornet, NBA player Frank Kornet’s son, pursued his dream of playing in the NBA from an early age. Although he wasn’t selected in a draft, in 2017 he signed a contract with the New York Knicks. In 2022, he joined the championship finalists Boston Celtics and he is regularly getting a few minutes of playtime. Luke became famous for a defensive technique he used, jumping with his hands up from a long distance from the shooter to interrupt him by hiding the rim. It might seem stupid, but it worked. That’s why some clips of him jumping to hide the rim went viral.

4. Bol Bol

Bol Bol has the genetics to become an NBA star, being the son of the tallest NBA player ever, Manute Bol. In 2019, he joined Denver Nuggets and he played for the first time in NBA. Bol Bol is an incredible shot-blocker and he shoots consistently from the three-point line. Nowadays, that’s a common trait for a center, but his father was one of the first centers shooting regularly three-pointers.

5. Moses Brown

Moses Brown is a 23-year-old basketball player, from New York. His staggering height allowed him to be selected for the 2021 G-League First Team and 2021 G-League Best Defensive. At the start of the 2022-23 season, he signed a two-way contract with Los Angeles Clippers. Brown was active for 50 games the limit for a player with a two-way contract. On the 28th of March, he signed his second 10-day contract in a row with the Brooklyn Nets and he is doing his best to secure an NBA spot.

6. Alex Len

Alex Len is a Ukrainian NBA player, selected 5th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2013 draft. Sadly, Alex didn’t match the expectations basketball fans worldwide had. He had a few decent seasons with the Suns, but since he left them, everything seems to fall apart. This season he had been active for 19 games for the Sacramento Kings getting little to no time and averaging less than 2 points per game. 

7. Brook Lopez

Brook Lopez is a 7’1” stretch five, playing for Milwaukee Bucks. He is crucial for his team, as his outstanding shooting ability, forces the opposition center to try to defend him in the three-point line, giving Giannis Antetokounmpo enough space near the basket to write history. In 2021, together with Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook won his first ring and this year the Bucks hope they will repeat their achievement.

8. Rudy Gobert

Rudy Gobert began his NBA journey in 2013 at the age of 21. In the EuroBasket 2022, he led France to second place alongside Evan Fournier. He is exceptional at blocking shots and he has been named NBA defensive player of the year 3 times. Even though Rudy isn’t very talented in offense, due to his height he can easily grab offensive rebounds or finish with a putback dunk. He is arguably regarded as one of the best rim protectors ever leaving an indelible mark in the NBA history.

9. Jakob Pöltl

Jakob Pöltl is an Austrian NBA player, with both his parents playing volleyball it’s not a surprise that he is tall, but nobody could have predicted that he would eventually surpass the 7 feet mark, as his listed height is 7’1”. In 2016, he joined his first NBA team, Toronto Raptors. Later on, he signed with San Antonio Spurs and he spent most of his NBA career there, before returning to the Canadian team in 2023.

10. Chet Holmgren

Chet Holmgren was the 2nd pick in last year’s draft, signing with Oklahoma City Thunder. Unfortunately, before the start of the 2022-23 season, he suffered a serious tendon injury in his right foot, that won’t let him play the whole season. During this time, he will fully recover and will be ready for his NBA debut the next season

To sum up, the players on the list had very different NBA careers, some of them have shown how crucial height can be as an advantage in basketball while others despite their huge physical advantage haven’t managed to prove their worth in the NBA yet. What do you think? Will new taller players shine or will the list remain the same?