Like dinosaurs who once roamed the earth, centers used to dominate the NBA. From George Mikan to Wilt Chamberlain to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Shaquille O'Neal, championship teams were constructed around powerful big men who made their presences felt on both ends of the court.
With the philosophical shift to three-point shooting and "small ball" lineups, the modern-day NBA doesn't value the traditional center. So bigs have had to adapt. The agility to defend slashing scorers and the ability to knock down outside shots are now prerequisites to play in the league.
That doesn't mean height can't be an asset. It just means some of the NBA's tallest players now possess skills of much smaller players, making them more fascinating than ever.
Tallest NBA Players in 2024-25
The NBA lists 39 players who stand 7' or taller in the 2024-25 season. As far as height, one big man stands above the rest.
At 7'4", Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey is the tallest player in the league. The two-time John Wooden Award winner as the nation's top men's college basketball player starred at Purdue and was drafted ninth overall by the Grizzlies in the 2024 NBA draft.
San Antonio Spurs center/forward Victor Wembanyama and Phoenix Suns forward/center Bol Bol are the NBA's second-tallest players at 7'3". Three centers stand 7'2"—Moses Brown of the Dallas Mavericks, Donovan Clingan of the Portland Trail Blazers and Kristaps Porzingis of the Boston Celtics.
Wembanyama is the generational talent with the unprecedented skill set for his height. The 21-year-old French star flourishes with old-school defensive prowess as an intimidating shot-blocker and new-school offensive weapons as a multi-level scorer, namely from three-point range.
The Tallest Players in NBA History
At 7'7", Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muresan share the distinction as the NBA's tallest players ever. Both were beloved gentle giants.
Bol became a national story with the Bridgeport Purple Knights in 1985, when he averaged 22.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 7.1 blocks and led the tiny Connecticut school to the NCAA Division II men's tournament in his lone season of college basketball.
The South Sudan native continued to be a fan favorite in the NBA. Drafted in the second round by the Washington Bullets in 1985, Bol averaged a league-leading 5.0 blocks in the 1985-86 campaign to finish second in Defensive Player of the Year voting as a rookie. His career mark of 3.3 blocks per game ranks second all time behind only Utah Jazz legend Mark Eaton (3.50).
Muresan was just as much a curiosity for basketball fans. He wasn't as marauding of a defensive presence as Bol, but the Romanian had a very soft touch around the rim for an extremely large big man.
The 30th overall pick in 1993, Muresan developed into a capable scorer for Washington, raising his scoring average from 5.6 points as a rookie to 10.0 points in his second season. In 1995-96, he scored a career-best 14.5 points per game and shot a league-leading 58.5% to earn the NBA's Most Improved Player award.
The charismatic Muresan dabbled in acting, and in 1998, he made his feature film debut in "My Giant" with comedian Billy Crystal.
Yao Ming is the tallest player to be elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The 2002 No. 1 overall selection by the Houston Rockets, the 7'6" Yao won Rookie of the Year, made the All-Star team in all eight of his NBA seasons and nearly averaged a double-double with career marks of 19.0 points and 9.2 rebounds.
How the Average NBA Player’s Height Has Changed Over Time
A 2024 study discovered height trends in the NBA that align with the league's analytics-driven shift to emphasize three-point shooting and fill lineups with smaller, quicker defenders to guard the three-point line.
In 2024, the average height of an NBA player was 6'6.3", the shortest average of the previous 39 seasons. Also, 72% of the league was under 6'9" — the highest percentage over the past 40 seasons.
While NBA point guards were the tallest they've ever been at 6'2.4", the other four positions — shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center — were the shortest they've been since the early 1980s.
Tallest NBA Rookies of 2024-25
The aforementioned 7'4" Edey is the tallest player in the NBA. He's also the tallest rookie of the 2024-25 season.
Edey was seen as a "particularly special fit" for a Grizzlies franchise with a history of overpowering opponents with size and grinding out victories with physical play. "Let’s just say, this is exactly what we were hoping would happen," general manager Zach Kleiman said on draft night.
Donovan Clingan, a 7'2" center who won back-to-back national championships with UConn, was selected No. 7 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers for similar reasons. The hope is that Clingan can develop into a defensive force.
During the 2024-25 season, two rookie 7-footers emerged as unexpected members of their teams' rotations.
Kel'el Ware, the 15th overall choice by the Miami Heat, displayed the same athleticism that made him a two-way Big Ten force for the Indiana Hoosiers. Quinten Post, a Boston College Eagles standout who was drafted 52nd by the Golden State Warriors, impressed in the G League and immediately produced in his NBA call-up, giving the rejuvenated Dubs dynasty some much-needed three-point shooting at the center spot.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tallest NBA Players of 2024-2025 (and All Time).