Kristaps Porzingis, Rudy Gobert, And More: 5 Tallest NBA Players Going Into The 2022-23 Season
As the old cliché goes, height is might. It’s an adage that rings true in the NBA as the greatest teams in league history have featured a great big man.
George Mikan started it with the league’s first dynasty, the Minneapolis Lakers. Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain also won their fair share of NBA championships. In the 1980s, the LA Lakers and the Boston Celtics, two of the most successful teams at the time, had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Parish respectively.
The 1990s saw the rise of traditional power centers like Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Shaquille O’Neal. But as time went by, the style of play changed drastically.
Centers are more likely to stretch the floor and shoot 3-pointers in today's game. The bruising big men of the past are almost extinct.
But despite the transition in play, big men are still relied upon as the last line of defense. Putting a shot up past a seven-footer with a long wing span will always be difficult.
The average height of an NBA player last season was 6’6”, eight inches taller than the average American.
Here are five players that will literally stand taller among their peers in the 2022-23 NBA season.
#5. Rudy Gobert (7'1")
The 7’1” French center, known as the “Stifle Tower”, found a new home with the Minnesota Timberwolves after an offseason trade in July. In return, the Utah Jazz received a haul that included Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, and Walker Kessler. The Timberwolves also gave up four first-round picks and a 2026 first-round pick swap.
On the surface, it looks like a hefty price to pay for Minnesota. However, Gobert is worth it because he will take some defensive pressure off Karl-Anthony Towns. Aside from being a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, he was also a member of the NBA All-Defensive First Team from 2017 to 2022. Gobert has also been selected to three NBA All-Star games
He's averaged 12.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks over a span of nine NBA seasons, all with the Utah Jazz.
#4. Bol Bol (7'2")
Being tall runs through Bol Bol’s DNA. His father, the legendary Manute Bol, stood at an astronishing 7-foot-7. He and Gheorghe Mureșan (7'7") are the tallest players in NBA history.
Manute played for four teams in his 10-year NBA career and led the league in blocks twice. He was also a member of the 1986 NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
Meanwhile, the younger Bol is still establishing his pro career. After playing two-plus seasons with the Denver Nuggets, the 7’2” giant was traded to the Detroit Pistons in January for Rodney McGruder and a 2022 second-rounder. He was sent to the Boston Celtics in a three-way trade that involved the San Antonio Spurs.
The Celtics sent him to the Orlando Magic. He was ruled out for the season in March in order to recover from right foot surgery. The Magic re-signed him to an undisclosed deal at the beginning of free agency in July. Bol Bol has averaged 2.7 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.3 blocks over a span three NBA seasons.
#3. Moses Brown (7'2")
The 7’2” center from UCLA has been a journeyman three years into his NBA career. After going undrafted in 2019, he played one Summer League game for the Houston Rockets before getting a training camp contract with the Portland Trail Blazers.
The New York native eventually played nine games for the Blazers that season. He also played for the NBA G League’s Texas Legends.
A year later, he signed a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder and became a part of the 2021 All-NBA G League First Team and All-NBA G League All-Defensive Team. He also played 43 games for the Thunder and averaged career-highs of 8.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per outing.
Those numbers were not enough to keep him in Oklahoma City as he was traded to the Boston Celtics with Al Horford, a 2025 second-rounder for Kemba Walker, a 2021 first-rounder (16th overall), and a 2025 second-rounder. A month later, he joined the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Josh Richardson.
Brown signed a 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers after being waived by the Mavericks. He eventually earned a second ten-day deal and a two-way contract before the Cavs upgraded his deal to a standard contract.
He will fight for a spot with the LA Clippers as he signed a training camp contract earlier this season. Brown has career averages of six points, 5.8 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks per game in four seasons.
#2. Kristaps Porzingis (7'3")
The 7’3” Latvian is part of the new school of big men who can dribble and shoot lights out. He has a career 3-point shooting clip of 35.3 percent and a free-throw conversion rate of 82 percent.
Unfortunately, injuries have derailed his promising NBA career. Aside from tearing up his left ACL in 2018, he has also suffered a broken nose, a torn lateral meniscus, and a knee bruise.
His injuries have limited him to an average of 49.75 games per season over the last four seasons. His fragility and inability to perform well in the playoffs prompted the New York Knicks and the Dallas Mavericks to part ways with him.
Porzingis was traded from the Knicks to the Mavericks in 2019, ending his four-year stint with the squad that drafted him fourth overall in 2015. The Mavericks then traded him and a protected 2022 second-rounder to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.
But at his best, Porzingis is a treat to watch because of his scoring and defense. He has career highs of 22.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. Over a span of six NBA seasons, he has averaged 18.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks.
#1. Boban Marjanovic (7'3")
Boban Marjanovic's height (7’3”) and heft make him an imposing presence on the court. But don't let his tough exterior fool you. He has a lovable personality and is a fan favorite wherever he plays.
He has also parlayed his popularity into a movie career. You can see him in such flicks as “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” and Netflix’s “Hustle.”
Though younger basketball fans may see him as more of an entertainer than a player, he had a streak of dominance in his earlier days. He appeared on the 2015 All-Euroleague First Team, and is also a three-time Serbian Super League Most Valuable Player. He also led Crvena Zvezda to an ABA League Championship and two Serbian Cups.
Marjanovic started playing in the NBA in 2015 for the San Antonio Spurs and their G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. He has also suited up for the Detroit Pistons, LA Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Dallas Mavericks. Last June, he was traded to the Houston Rockets with Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss, Sterling Brown, and the draft rights to Wendell Moore Jr. In return, the Mavericks got Christian Wood.
He has Euroleague averages of 11.9 points, eight rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 48 games. Meanwhile, his NBA career averages are 5.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.3 blocks per game.