Tallest Athletes of All Time: 11 Real Giants, Ranked by Height
On this page16
- 01The tallest athletes ever at a glance
- 02Morteza Mehrzad — Sitting Volleyball (Iran)
- 03Sun Mingming — Basketball (China)
- 04Manute Bol — Basketball (Sudan)
- 05Gheorghe Muresan — Basketball (Romania)
- 06Yao Ming — Basketball (China)
- 07Shawn Bradley — Basketball (USA)
- 08Mohammad Irfan — Cricket (Pakistan)
- 09Nikolai Valuev — Boxing (Russia)
- 10Richard Sligh — American Football (USA)
- 11Zdeno Chara — Ice Hockey (Slovakia)
- 12Peter Crouch — Soccer (England)
- 13How We Ranked Them
- 14Where Height Actually Wins
- 15At a Glance: The Tallest Athletes Ever
- 16A Note on Disputed Measurements
Entries are ranked strictly by documented standing height, tallest first, using official team, league, and federation listings rather than self-reported figures. Athletes at the same height share a rank, and we spread the list across sports instead of stacking it with NBA centers.
The tallest athletes ever at a glance
| Rank | Athlete | Sport | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morteza Mehrzad | Sitting volleyball | 8'1" (246 cm) |
| 2 | Sun Mingming | Basketball | 7'9" (236 cm) |
| 3 | Manute Bol | Basketball | 7'7" (231 cm) |
| 3 | Gheorghe Muresan | Basketball | 7'7" (231 cm) |
| 5 | Yao Ming | Basketball | 7'6" (229 cm) |
| 5 | Shawn Bradley | Basketball | 7'6" (229 cm) |
| 7 | Mohammad Irfan | Cricket | 7'1" (216 cm) |
| 8 | Nikolai Valuev | Boxing | 7'0" (213 cm) |
| 8 | Richard Sligh | American football | 7'0" (213 cm) |
| 10 | Zdeno Chara | Ice hockey | 6'9" (206 cm) |
| 11 | Peter Crouch | Football | 6'7" (201 cm) |
- Tallest in sport
Morteza Mehrzad — Sitting Volleyball (Iran)
At roughly 8 feet 1 inch (246 cm), Mehrzad is not just the tallest athlete on this list but the tallest Paralympian in history, which is why nobody in organized sport comes close to his rank. Sitting volleyball keeps players in floor contact, so his seated reach at the net functions like a permanent block wall that opponents cannot hit over.
He anchored Iran's gold-medal teams at Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024, where the squad claimed its eighth Paralympic title and Mehrzad was Iran's top scorer in the final. He is also frequently cited as the world's second-tallest living man, extending his fame well beyond the court.
Sport: Sitting volleyball · Height: 8'1" (246 cm) · Feat: 3-time Paralympic gold medalist (2016, 2020, 2024)
- Tallest hooper
Sun Mingming — Basketball (China)
Listed near 7 feet 9 inches (236 cm), Sun is the tallest documented basketball player of the modern era, edging the NBA's record-holders by a full two inches. He spent his career in China's CBA after NBA trial stints that never produced a roster spot, so his height, not his box score, is what kept him in the conversation.
His most durable claim came off the court: Guinness World Records recognizes Sun and his wife, handball player Xu Yan, as the tallest married couple living, with a combined 423 cm. He ranks above the 7'7" NBA pair purely on the tape measure.
Sport: Basketball (CBA) · Height: 7'9" (236 cm) · Note: Half of the world's tallest married couple
- Co-record holder
Manute Bol — Basketball (Sudan)
Bol ties Gheorghe Muresan as the tallest player in NBA history at 7 feet 7 inches (231 cm), and he weaponized it at one end only: he retired with more career blocks (2,086) than points (1,599), a distinction no other NBA player holds. He led the league in total blocks twice and set a rookie record with 397 rejections in 1985-86.
That defensive extreme is what separates him from the scoring-minded Muresan he shares the record with. See our full ranking of the tallest NBA players for where the two 7'7" giants sit among the league's other centers.
Sport: Basketball · Height: 7'7" (231 cm) · Feat: Only NBA player with more career blocks than points
- Co-record holder
Gheorghe Muresan — Basketball (Romania)
Muresan matches Bol's 7'7" but ranks alongside him for the opposite reason: he was a genuine low-post scorer, not a defensive specialist. He averaged a career-high 14.5 points with the Washington Bullets in 1995-96 and won the NBA Most Improved Player award that season, the only player this tall to claim it.
Knee and back problems cut his run short after a move to the New Jersey Nets. He later reached a wider audience co-starring with Billy Crystal in the 1998 comedy My Giant, a second act few centers his size ever get.
Sport: Basketball · Height: 7'7" (231 cm) · Feat: 1996 NBA Most Improved Player
- Tallest superstar
Yao Ming — Basketball (China)
At 7 feet 6 inches (229 cm), Yao is the tallest player ever to become a genuine franchise cornerstone, which is what lifts him above the equally tall Shawn Bradley below. He was an eight-time NBA All-Star, the No. 1 overall pick in 2002, and a 2016 Naismith Hall of Fame inductee who paired his height with footwork most giants never build.
His arrival also globalized the sport across China more than any player before or since, giving his frame a commercial reach beyond the stat sheet. His story anchors our broader piece on the greatest NBA players of all time.
Sport: Basketball · Height: 7'6" (229 cm) · Feat: 8x All-Star, Hall of Fame 2016
- Draft-hyped big
Shawn Bradley — Basketball (USA)
Bradley shares Yao's 7'6" mark but built his value on defense, leading the NBA in total blocked shots in 1996-97 and finishing above 2,100 career rejections across twelve seasons in Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Dallas. He ranks level on height but below Yao because his scoring never matched his No. 2 overall draft billing.
His playing days are now overshadowed by a 2021 cycling accident in Utah that left him paralyzed, a reminder that physical dominance offers no protection once the games end.
Sport: Basketball · Height: 7'6" (229 cm) · Feat: Led NBA in total blocks, 1996-97
- Tallest cricketer
Mohammad Irfan — Cricket (Pakistan)
At roughly 7 feet 1 inch (216 cm), Irfan is the tallest player ever to appear in international cricket, and unlike several taller names here his height was a direct on-field weapon. As a left-arm fast bowler, his elevated release produced steep, awkward bounce that unsettled experienced batters, especially in one-day cricket.
Fitness issues limited how long he held a Pakistan place, but in the early 2010s he was one of the most distinctive quicks in the world game. Our dedicated guide to the tallest cricketers of all time covers the rest of the tall-bowler lineage.
Sport: Cricket · Height: 7'1" (216 cm) · Feat: Tallest player in international cricket history
- Heavyweight
Nikolai Valuev — Boxing (Russia)
Nicknamed "The Russian Giant," Valuev stood 7 feet tall (213 cm) and used a reach opponents could not get inside to win the WBA heavyweight title twice, from 2005 to 2007 and again from 2008 to 2009. He retired 50-2, losing his final bout to David Haye on points in 2009.
His size is what places him above fellow seven-footer Richard Sligh here, since Valuev turned it into world titles rather than a single season. After boxing he served in Russia's State Duma, an unusual pivot for a career built almost entirely on physical scale.
Sport: Boxing · Height: 7'0" (213 cm) · Feat: 2-time WBA heavyweight champion, 50-2 record
- NFL's only 7-footer
Richard Sligh — American Football (USA)
Sligh remains the only seven-footer (213 cm) ever to play in an NFL game. A defensive tackle drafted in the 10th round in 1967, he appeared in eight games for the Oakland Raiders that season, including Super Bowl II, before his career ended.
Nearly six decades later no player near his height has made an NFL roster, which says less about Sligh than about how poorly extreme height suits modern defensive-line speed. Our full list of the tallest NFL players explains why the tallest men on rosters now play offensive tackle instead.
Sport: American football · Height: 7'0" (213 cm) · Feat: Only 7-footer to play in an NFL game
- NHL record-holder
Zdeno Chara — Ice Hockey (Slovakia)
At 6 feet 9 inches (206 cm), Chara is the tallest player in NHL history and, more unusually, a giant who thrived in a fast, physical sport for over two decades. The Slovak defenseman won the 2009 Norris Trophy as the league's best blueliner and captained the Boston Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup.
He also held the NHL All-Star Skills hardest-shot record for years at over 108 mph, evidence his height came attached to real power rather than standing in for it. He ranks below the seven-footers on pure height but outlasted every athlete above him in games played.
Sport: Ice hockey · Height: 6'9" (206 cm) · Feat: 2009 Norris Trophy, 2011 Stanley Cup captain
- Tallest striker
Peter Crouch — Soccer (England)
At 6 feet 7 inches (201 cm), Crouch is short by this list's standards but the tallest player to sustain a top-level career as an outfield attacker in European football. Playing for Liverpool, Tottenham, and Stoke City, he scored goals most target men his height never managed, out-jumping defenders and showing a first touch his frame disguised.
He earned 42 caps and 22 goals for England, a high total for a striker whose height made him an easy target for opposing crowds. His placement here shows how sharply height's value drops in a running, ball-at-feet sport.
Sport: Soccer · Height: 6'7" (201 cm) · Feat: 42 England caps, 22 goals
Reader interaction
Build your ranking
Drag the names into the order you think is right — or use the arrows — then submit to see how your list compares with everyone else's.
- Morteza Mehrzad — Sitting Volleyball (Iran)
- Sun Mingming — Basketball (China)
- Manute Bol — Basketball (Sudan)
- Gheorghe Muresan — Basketball (Romania)
- Yao Ming — Basketball (China)
- Shawn Bradley — Basketball (USA)
- Mohammad Irfan — Cricket (Pakistan)
- Nikolai Valuev — Boxing (Russia)
- Richard Sligh — American Football (USA)
- Zdeno Chara — Ice Hockey (Slovakia)
- Peter Crouch — Soccer (England)
Audience ranking
How everyone ranked them
Built from reader rankings using position-based points.
Height is the one sports advantage you can measure before an athlete does anything, which is why “tallest athlete” lists get written so often and so carelessly. Most pad the ranking with interchangeable NBA centers or repeat old circus-poster measurements that no federation ever confirmed. The ranked entries above fix both problems: real, named competitors, spread across six sports, ordered by documented height.
How We Ranked Them
Two rules shaped the list. First, everyone here has a documented playing career in organized sport, which is what separates an athlete ranking from a list of the tallest humans. That rule keeps out Robert Wadlow and the various 1960s-era giants whose heights were reported before modern verification existed.
Second, ranking runs strictly on standing height from official team, league, or federation listings, tallest first, with ties sharing a rank. We deliberately capped the number of basketball players so the list reflects sport as a whole rather than one league’s roster quirks.
Where Height Actually Wins
The order on this page doubles as a rough map of where extreme height pays off. The top of the list clusters in basketball and sitting volleyball for a reason: both are built around reach above a fixed net or rim, so an extra two inches converts almost directly into blocks and points.
Move down and the payoff gets more conditional. Mohammad Irfan’s height gave him bounce no shorter bowler could copy, but it also strained his body. Nikolai Valuev’s reach won titles yet made him slow inside. By the time you reach Peter Crouch, height has become a tool that only works alongside genuine skill, not a shortcut around it.
At a Glance: The Tallest Athletes Ever
| Rank | Athlete | Sport | Country | Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morteza Mehrzad | Sitting Volleyball | Iran | 8 ft 1 in (246 cm) |
| 2 | Sun Mingming | Basketball | China | 7 ft 9 in (236 cm) |
| 3 | Manute Bol | Basketball | Sudan | 7 ft 7 in (231 cm) |
| 3 | Gheorghe Muresan | Basketball | Romania | 7 ft 7 in (231 cm) |
| 5 | Yao Ming | Basketball | China | 7 ft 6 in (229 cm) |
| 5 | Shawn Bradley | Basketball | USA | 7 ft 6 in (229 cm) |
| 7 | Mohammad Irfan | Cricket | Pakistan | 7 ft 1 in (216 cm) |
| 8 | Nikolai Valuev | Boxing | Russia | 7 ft 0 in (213 cm) |
| 8 | Richard Sligh | American Football | USA | 7 ft 0 in (213 cm) |
| 10 | Zdeno Chara | Ice Hockey | Slovakia | 6 ft 9 in (206 cm) |
| 11 | Peter Crouch | Soccer | England | 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) |
A Note on Disputed Measurements
Listed sports heights are not the same as clinical ones. Teams sometimes round up, players occasionally claim an inch they do not have, and older records were taken in eras with no standard method. That is why Bol and Muresan sit tied rather than split by a fraction, and why we treat any pre-1970s giant claim with caution. Where a figure is an estimate rather than a verified listing, we have said so in the entry.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the tallest athlete competing today?+
Morteza Mehrzad of Iran, a sitting volleyball player standing roughly 8 feet 1 inch (246 cm), is the tallest athlete active in organized sport. He has won three straight Paralympic golds with Iran's national team at Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024, and is widely described as the second-tallest living man in the world, not just the tallest in sport.
Who is the tallest basketball player of all time?+
In the NBA, Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muresan share the record at 7 feet 7 inches (231 cm). Looking wider than the NBA, China's Sun Mingming is taller still at about 7 feet 9 inches (236 cm), though he played in the CBA rather than the NBA. So the answer depends on whether you mean the NBA record or professional basketball as a whole.
Why isn't the tallest man ever on this list?+
The tallest documented human, Robert Wadlow at 8 feet 11 inches, was never a competitive athlete, so he falls outside a sports ranking. This list only counts people with a documented playing career in organized sport. That filter also excludes several circus and novelty giants sometimes cited near or above 8 feet who never actually competed.
Does being tall always help in sports?+
No. Height is a clear edge in basketball, sitting volleyball, and rowing, where reach and wingspan dominate. But gymnastics rewards a compact frame, lighter wrestling and boxing weight classes favor shorter levers, and distance running punishes extra mass. Even in soccer, as Peter Crouch's career shows, extreme height is a mixed blessing once the ball is on the ground.
Who is the tallest player in NFL history?+
Richard Sligh, a defensive tackle who played eight games for the Oakland Raiders in 1967, stood exactly 7 feet tall and is the only seven-footer ever to appear in an NFL game. No one his height has made a roster since, because modern defensive linemen need speed that extreme height works against. Full details are in our guide to the tallest NFL players ever.
How are these heights verified?+
Each figure here comes from official team, league, or federation listings rather than self-reported claims, which is why we left off older records that predate reliable measurement, such as Libya's Suleiman Ali Nashnush, cited near 8 feet in 1960s reporting. Listed sports heights can still round up an inch, so the ties on this list reflect the numbers those bodies publish.
Sources
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