How Victor Wembanyama compares to the tallest players in NBA history, from Manute Bol to Yao Ming

Scott Rafferty

How Victor Wembanyama compares to the tallest players in NBA history, from Manute Bol to Yao Ming image

For a long time, it was unclear how tall Victor Wembanyama actually was.

Now, we have an answer.

After being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Wembanyama was officially measured at 7-3.5 without shoes by the Spurs. He has since been listed on NBA.com as being 7-4. Not only does that make the 19-year-old one of the tallest players in the NBA right now, but it makes him one of the tallest players of all time.

Here's how Wembanyama compares to the tallest players in NBA history.

MORE: How Wembanyama's salary compares to NBA's highest-paid centers

How Victor Wembanyama compares to the tallest players in NBA history

At 7-7, Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol are the tallest players to ever step foot on an NBA court.

Not far behind Muresan and Bol are Shawn Bradley, Tacko Fall and Yao Ming, each of whom is listed at 7-6. Fall is the most recent of the trio to have played in the NBA, appearing in 37 games for the Celtics and Cavaliers between 2019 and 2022.

The tallest player in the NBA last season was Boban Marjanovic. He is listed at 7-4 on NBA.com and 7-3 on Basketball Reference. He will now share the honor of being the tallest current player in the league with Wembanyama.

Here's a look at the tallest players in NBA history, according to Stathead:

Player Years Height
Gheorghe Muresan 1993-2000 7-7
Manute Bol 1985-95 7-7
Shawn Bradley 1993-2005 7-6
Tacko Fall 2019-22 7-6
Yao Ming 2002-11 7-6
Sim Bhullar 2014-15 7-5
Chuck Nevitt 1982-94 7-5
Pavel Podkolzin 2004-06 7-5
Slavko Vranes 2003-04 7-5
Mark Eaton 1982-93 7-4
Priest Lauderdale 1996-98 7-4
Ralph Sampson 1983-92 7-4
Rik Smits 1988-2000 7-4
Boban Marjanovic 2015-Present 7-3
Randy Breuer 1983-94 7-3
Keith Closs 1997-2000 7-3
Swede Halbrook 1960-62 7-3
Zydrunas Ilgauskas 1997-2011 7-3
Tibor Pleiss 2015-16 7-3
Kristaps Porzingis 2015-Present 7-3
Aleksandar Radojevic 1999-2005 7-3
Peter John Ramos 2004-05 7-3
Arvydas Sabonis 1995-2003 7-3
Ha Seung-Jin 2004-06 7-3
Edy Tavares 2015-17 7-3
Hasheem Thabeet 2009-14 7-3

Victor Wembanyama stats

2022-23 regular season (Metropolitans 92)

  • 21.6 points per game
  • 10.4 rebounds per game
  • 2.4 assists per game
  • 3.0 blocks per game
  • 0.7 steals per game
  • 2.6 turnovers per game
  • 2.0 fouls per game
  • 47.0 percent field goal shooting
  • 27.5 percent 3-point shooting
  • 82.8 percent free throw shooting

Scott Rafferty

Scott Rafferty Photo

 

Scott Rafferty is an experienced NBA journalist who first started writing for The Sporting News in 2017. There are few things he appreciates more than a Nikola Jokic no-look pass, Klay Thompson heat check or Giannis Antetokounmpo eurostep. He's a member of the NBA Global team.