Image by Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
When you think of giants, your mind tends to conjure up images of mythological creatures of superhuman size from storybooks and folklore, however, the reality is, they live among us.
Indeed, many of them are idolised around the world for their sporting exploits. These are top-shelf sports stars in every sense. They are elite level performers in their respective sporting disciplines, while they would also be more than useful shopping companions, capable of grabbing those hard-to-reach groceries from on high without a flex.
Perhaps the most renowned sporting giant today is basketball star, Victor Wembanyama, the French-born San Antonio Spurs centre, who stands at a towering 7 feet 4 inches tall (224cm) and has an estimated 8-foot wingspan (that’s with his arms stretched out to you and me).
Wembanyama is often far taller than his opponents in the NBA, a division known for harbouring giants. His extra reach gives him an advantage over opponents and makes him a go-to option for bettors in popular markets like total points scored on betting sites listed at bookmaker comparison site MansionBet.
But does that make him the tallest athlete in sports history? Let’s find out.
Basketball: The Land of the Giants
No sport requires height quite like basketball. This is a sport where little fellas need not apply. This is Wembanyama’s realm, however, the 22-year-old isn’t the tallest player to hit the professional courts. In fact, we have to trace a decent distance down the list of tallest basketball players to find him.
According to the NBA’s official records, Gheorge Muresan (Washington Bullets/New Jersey Nets, 1993–2000) and Manute Bol (Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, 1985–1995), are tied for the position of joint-tallest players ever at 7 feet 7 inches (231 cm).
Muresan was a Romanian titan who had a surprising deftness of touch around the basket despite his limited athleticism, while Bol was a Virginia-born behemoth who led the league in blocks in three separate seasons.
Beyond that pair, we have a group of 7-foot-6-inch (229 cm) players, including Shawn Bradley (Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks), Tacko Fall (Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers) and Yao Ming, the former Houston Rockets Hall of Famer.
A little lower down stands Sim Bhullar, Chuck Nevitt, Pavel Podkolzin and Slavko Vraneš, who all measure 7 feet 5 inches (226 cm), and one inch further back, another cohort exists which includes Victor Wembanyama, along with the likes of Boban Marjanović, Mark Eaton, Ralph Sampson and Rik Smits.
So, where does Wembanyama rank among the tallest players in the NBA? He is currently the tallest active player in the division, but typically sits between 10th and 15th on all-time height charts.
Away from the NBA, Chinese star Sun Ming reached 7 feet 9 inches (236 cm) in professional leagues, while Libyan Suleiman Ali Nashnush was listed around 8 feet (245 cm) in the 1960s, though verification and competitive context mean a pinch of salt might be needed there.
Who are the tallest football players ever?
Moving on from basketball completely, we turn to football next, where extreme height isn’t all that common. Goalkeepers have typically dominated the category over the years here, with height an in-demand attribute for that position.
The tallest verified professional footballers include:
- Simon Bloch Jorgensen (Denmark/Germany) — 6 feet 10½ inches (210 cm), widely recognised as the tallest player in association football history, who was a journeyman in the Danish and English lower leagues.
- Kristof van Hout (Belgium) — 6 feet 10 inches (208 cm), keeper who played in the Belgian Pro League and in the Netherlands.
- Paul Millar (Scotland) — 6 feet 10 inches (208 cm), forward unsurprisingly known for aerial presence. Millar is regarded as the tallest outfielder to play the game to date. He did his best work for Elgin City between 2011 and 2014.
- Tonny Brogaard and Tomáš Holý — both 6 feet 9 inches (206 cm), and again, goalkeepers.
A more current example is Kyle Hudlin (England, 6’9″), another forward who has been surfing the lower levels of the English football pyramid.
Former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch is often lampooned for his height, though he stands at a relatively diminutive 6’7” in comparison to the players above.
Newcastle defender Dan Burn (6’7”) is the tallest player in England’s Premier League at present, though he would be dwarfed by the NBA’s Victor Wembanyama if the pair stood shoulder to shoulder.
Rugby: Physical Colossi Aplenty
Rugby has long been populated by intimidating physical specimens, particularly in the second row, where lineout lifting, big tackles and intense skirmishes are the norm.
The tallest international rugby union players in the history books all stand at a hulking 7 feet 0 inches (213 cm). That list includes Scotland’s Richard Metcalfe and Dean Williams (England/New Zealand).
Just behind that pair are Will Carrick-Smith (211 cm) and Devin Toner (Ireland, 210 cm), while another cluster sit ever so slightly further back at 208 cm (6’10”), including Rory Arnold (Australia), Richie Gray (Scotland) and Andries Bekker (South Africa).
Wembanyama is considerably taller than all of them, though that makes sense given the different demands of basketball and rugby. The former looks for players with long, lean frames, while the latter asks for thick-set muscular combatants.
Major League Baseball: Leverage from the Mound
The tallest players in baseball are usually found on the mound, where a higher release point can allow pitchers to find better angles and velocity.
Indeed, the tallest in MLB history are pitchers and are tied at the top, standing at a shared 6 feet 11 inches (211 cm):
- Jon Rauch — Canadian right-hander who starred for multiple teams (2002–2013) and remains one of only two players at this height to reach the majors.
- Sean Hjelle — Current San Francisco Giants pitcher, active there until 2025. He now plays for the Orix Buffaloes at the age of 29.
A busy group stands slightly lower at 6 feet 10 inches (208 cm), including Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, Chris Young, Eric Hillman and a few others.
Players in other positions on the diamond of similar height are rare beasts, though Tony Clark, the 6’8” first baseman, who was a 2001 All Star, is a notable exception there. No verified MLB player has reached 7 feet however, leaving Wembanyama unthreatened by baseballers.
Cricket: Big Bowlers
Moving onto cricket and one player in particular stands above all others, Mohammed Irfan. The Pakistani left-arm fast bowler is officially recognised as the tallest player to appear in international and first-class cricket, standing at a gargantuan 7 feet 1 inch (216 cm).
The formidable Arfan used his height to generate power from steeper angles, achieving more awkward bounces and troubling batsmen with deliveries that seemed to come from another stratosphere.
Other tall county-level players have reached around 6 feet 10 inches (208 cm), including the likes of Will Jefferson and historical figures such as Anthony Allom from the 60s. Irfan remains the benchmark, however.
Tennis, Volleyball, Athletics and Other Sports
Beyond the sports above, numerous sporting giants have graced other games and disciplines elsewhere. In tennis, Ivo Karlović (Croatia) and Reilly Opelka (USA) both register at 6 feet 11 inches (211 cm).
In volleyball, where taller players tend to excel, the best middle blockers and opposites in top European and Asian leagues commonly measure up to nearly seven feet or more. Team USA members Matt Anderson (6’10”), Aaron Russell (6’9″) and Jayson Tatum (6’8″) are all prime examples there.
In golf, James Hart Du Preez springs to mind as the tallest golfer on the professional circuit right now, standing at a mammoth 6ft 10 inches. Over in the NFL meanwhile, you have Richard Singh, the seven-footer who had a brief fling with the Oakland Raiders in the 1960s.
In Aussie Rules, Aaron Sandilands of former Freemantle fame, stood at a towering 6’11”, while former Lithuanian Olympic swimmer, Rolandas Gimbutis ate up yards in the pool thanks to his 6’10” frame.
Boxing fans meanwhile, might point to Romania’s 7’4” monster Gogea Mitu, who was a slugger from the 1930s, while Irish pugilist Jim Cully, who was around a decade later, was believed to be 7’2”. Both were taller than modern boxing giant Nikolai Valuev (7”), though the Russian is officially the tallest champion ever.
Yet, all the names listed above aren’t quite as tall as Victor Wembanyama (224 cm), who, despite not being THE tallest athlete of all time, ranks comfortably in the top twenty in the same category.
He is the tallest (or second-tallest active player) depending on exact inclusion criteria, while he is also taller than the record holders in football, rugby, baseball, cricket and tennis.
