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5 heaviest NBA players heading into the 2021-22 season

Golden State Warriors v New Orleans Pelicans
Golden State Warriors v New Orleans Pelicans

If you ask regular followers of the NBA who the heaviest players in the league are, many would probably suggest New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has one. He’s only 6' 7", but he’s as wide as any player who has ever graced a basketball court.

NBA players are some of the biggest, and therefore, some of the heaviest athletes in any sport, making their accomplishments on the court all the more astounding. But the tallest players aren’t necessarily the heavies,t as some, like the Dallas Mavericks’ 7' 3" center Kristaps Porzingis, are pretty light for their size.


The heaviest NBA players

If you guessed that Zion Williamson is one of the heaviest players in the NBA, you are absolutely correct. But is he the heaviest or at least one of the top five? Since there are players who are much taller than Williamson and are also quite hefty, there may be some who might outweigh the Pelicans’ rising star.

But enough with speculations. Let’s look at the five heaviest NBA players as we head into the 2021-22 season:

*Note that the basis for the weights listed here are the officially registered weights of the players.


#5 Nikola Jokic (284 pounds)

Nikola Jokic (#15) of the Denver Nuggets scores on a lay-up.
Nikola Jokic (#15) of the Denver Nuggets scores on a lay-up.

At 284 pounds, Nikola Jokic is tied with the next player on this list in terms of weight. But I decided to place Jokic fifth because he revealed previously that he lost some weight on his way to his 2020-21 MVP season.

Nevertheless, he’s still in the list of five heaviest NBA players based on his registered playing weight.

The 6' 11" big man is an immovable object in the post, and uses his wide body to create space for himself underneath the basket, throwing up hook shots or floaters in the lane with deft precision. But even with his strong upper body strength, Jokic has a soft touch from the outside, and is capable of knocking down shots from all the way to the three-point arc.

Last season, he averaged career-highs in points (26.4) and assists (8.3), and tied his career-best in rebounds per game (10.8).


#4 Zion Williamson (284 pounds)

Zion Williamson (#1) warms up before the start of an NBA game.
Zion Williamson (#1) warms up before the start of an NBA game.

Zion Williamson is the other 284-pounder on the list of heaviest NBA players. Just by looking at the 6' 7", 21-year-old forward, it’s easy to assume that he could tip the scales at close to 300 pounds.

But even for his weight, Williamson is a high-flying forward who soars through the air for powerful dunks. His second and third jumps are extremely quick, impressing many NBA observers. He has converted most of his observers into believers, by the way.

When he enters the painted area, only three things can usually happen: he will make a layup/dunk, get fouled, or both. That’s a testament to how well Williamson uses his body.

A once-a-generation talent, Zion Williamson averaged 27 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in his sophomore 2020-21 campaign.

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