The basketball hoop is 3 meters and 5 centimeters high. Many athletes have to make a lot of effort to reach it. For some, a little is enough, due to their height, and the result that the team needs is guaranteed. In this article, we have prepared the top 10 tallest basketball players in history:
1. Alexander Sizonenko, 245 cm
Since childhood, Alexander was taller than his peers and even underwent several surgeries on his pituitary gland to stop his growth. However, he found himself in basketball, thus receiving the title of the tallest player in basketball history. Once, Sizonenko set a personal record in one match, bringing his team 39 points, due to 5 steals, 15 box shots and 12 rebounds to his credit. However, according to experts, although Alexander was one of the best centers in the country, he lacked speed due to his height and weight. In 1986, Sizonenko left the big sport due to a hormonal imbalance. Two years later, he starred in the film "The Brave Tailor" as a giant. He has the title of "The Tallest Man" in 1990.
2. Suleiman Ali Nashnoun, 240 cm
Libyan basketball player, born in Tripoli. Just like Sizonenko, the Libyan also underwent brain surgery in 1960, but in his case it was successful. Ali, took part in the national team in the selection for the World Cup in 1962. In 1969, he participated in the film "Fellini's Satyricon".
3. Gheorghe Dumitru Muresan, 231 cm
The Romanian basketball player is third on our list. The basketball player's parents were of average height, and Gheorghe explains his gigantism by a problem with the pituitary gland. He began his basketball career playing for his university team, and in 1995, after playing in the NBA, he was named the "most improved player" of the season. Gheorghe's average game figures were 9.8 points, 1.48 blocks, 0.5 assists, and 6.4 rebounds. After moving to the United States, he received number 77, which means his height is 7 feet 7 inches.
4. Manute Bol, 231 cm
A basketball player of Sudanese origin, with a height of 231 cm and a weight of over 100 kg. It is noteworthy that Bol is a descendant of the Dinka tribe, a tribe known for its tall people, and his father was a chief there. According to experts, although his statistics are relatively low (3.3 blocked shots, 4.2 rebounds and 2.6 points per game), he has made a mark in the history of the strongest basketball league, the NBA. Bol is the only one who has made more blocked shots than he has scored (1,599 points and 2,086 blocked shots). After finishing his basketball career, Bol went to Sudan to work for human rights and charitable organizations.
5. Slavko Vranesh, 230 cm
In fifth place is the Montenegrin basketball center, who began his sports career in the Serbian club "Želiznjak" and continued in the Turkish teams "Tofash" and "Efesh Pilsen", but due to the inability to adapt, he returned to Europe, namely to the Montenegrin "Budućnost". Then he played for the American, Serbian, Russian, Iranian clubs. Since 2013, he has been playing for the Serbian "Metalac". Vranesh was also a player of the Montenegrin national team.
6. Yao Ming, 229 cm
The Chinese giant, with a height of 2.29 meters, ranks 6th. At the age of ten, the future basketball player's height was 160 cm, and his parents were not short people themselves. Yao's father is 2 meters 2 centimeters tall, and his mother is 1 meter 90 centimeters tall. In addition, his father and mother were professional basketball players. Yao began his career at the Shanghai Sharks club and already in 2000 took part in the Olympic Games in Sydney. He carried the flag of China twice at the Olympic Games in Athens and Beijing. According to him, this was his childhood dream. Yao is one of the richest people in China, many companies want to cooperate with him, and in 2017 he was awarded the position of president of the Chinese Basketball Association. A year earlier, Yao was included in the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2009, Yao bought out the club where he began his career to help him solve financial difficulties and climb the tournament ladder. Now the athlete is engaged in commenting on basketball matches. Interestingly, his wife, Ye Li, played for the Chinese women's national basketball team in 2017. Also, Yao's smiling face has become the image for a popular internet meme demonstrating mockery.
7. Pavel Podkolozin, 226 cm
In seventh place, Pavel Podkolyozin with a height of 2 meters, 26 centimeters. As a center player, this basketball player began his career at the Sibirtelecom-Lokomotiv club. Two years later, Podkolyozin moved to the Italian club Varese, and then played for American clubs until 2006. However, that same year he returned to Russia, where he continued his professional career. Now Pavel plays for BC Sakhalin. He also took part in the Russian junior team, is the winner of the 2014/2015 Russian Cup, has the achievement of being the champion of the 2014/2015 Super League, and the finalist of the 2016/2017 Russian Cup.
8. Mark Eaton, 224 cm
A master of defense, as they say. This basketball player playing for the NBA club Utah Jazz, set a personal record in the NBA for the number of blocked shots in a career (3.5) and in a season (5.6). At the beginning of his career, basketball clubs did not pay much attention to Eaton, since during his studies at the university he rarely played on the court. However, the coach of the Utah Jazz invited the young basketball player to the club, and quoted his decision with the saying of Red Auerbach: "You can't learn to be tall." Eaton has the achievement of being the best defensive player of the year twice (1985, 1989), a participant in the NBA All-Star Game (1989) and others.
9. Rick Smits, 224 cm
In ninth place is a basketball player of Dutch origin, whose height is 224 centimeters. Smits plays the position of center player in the NBA club Indiana Pacers. At the age of fourteen, he began playing for the PSV club. After the 1988 season, Rick was included in the NBA All-Rookie Team. His most productive season was 1994-1995, when he scored 18.5 points per game. Smits is rightfully called the most successful Dutch basketball player in the history of Holland, as well as the most paid, Smits earned 125 million dollars during his sports career.
10. Arvydas Sabonis, 222 cm
The list ends with a native of the USSR, with Lithuanian origin, who achieved the achievement of Olympic champion, as well as world and European champion as a player of the USSR national team. He was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR and one of the strongest center players in the world in the 1980-1990s. In 2010, he entered the FIBA Hall of Fame. He has many professional and state awards.
