Height, size, wingspan, and weight may give you a great advantage over your rivals depending on which sport you practice. Still, not even the biggest, stronger athletes ever wanted to match up against some true superhumans.
Some of the athletes we are about to mention completely dominated their rivals throughout their careers thanks to the combination of hard work, talent, and physical gifts with no precedent on their sports.
Others didn’t fare as well, sometimes because of health issues related to their bodies, sometimes because just being big won’t do it at the highest level of competition. Still, these guys are totally worth knowing, so buckle up as we show you some of the top 25 largest and most intimidating athletes of all time:
25. Blanka Vlasic
Height: 6’4’’
Weight: 146 lb
Ok, let’s put this into context. It’s pretty unusual to see a track-and-field athlete and high jumper sitting at 6’4’’. Luckily for her, Blanka Vlasic has been able to use her huge frame and wingspan to her advantage.
Vlasic has won 19 international medals through her career and is a Croatian sports legend, following the steps of her father. She’s had to battle hypothyroidism to find success, which makes her resume even more impressive.
24. Peter Crouch
Height: 6’7’’
Weight: 165 lb
While 6’7’’ may not be impressive for NBA players it sure is if you’re playing soccer. That’s why Peter Crouch always stood up from the rest of the pack, and why he was such a huge threat in the aerial game.
Crouch had a successful career in the Premier League. He scored 145 club goals and made 42 appearances for England national team. He wasn’t the craftiest or most skilled player but he sure was always the tallest guy on the pitch.
23. Jon Rauch
Height: 6’11’’
Weight: 291 lb
Being taller than your peers isn’t exactly an advantage in baseball, although it won’t hurt your chances either. Still, Jon Rauch enjoyed plenty of success throughout his 11-year career as the tallest player in Major League Baseball history.
Rauch was a solid relief pitcher for most of his career. He retired with a 43-40 record, 62 saves, a 3.90 ERA, 1.240 WHIP, and helped Team USA win the Olympic gold medal in 2000. He’s the second tallest pitcher ever just behind Loek Van Mil, who never made it to the Majors.
22. Aleksey Kazakov
Height: 7’2’’
Weight: 246 lb
Aleksey Kazakov is as dominant as they come in volleyball, mostly because he stands several inches taller than every single one of his peers and rivals. That’s why he even made Russia’s Olympic team.
Thanks to his huge reach and wingspan, Kazakov has led his nation to one silver and one bronze Olympic medals as well as the bronze medal in the European championship. He could literally rise above everyone else.
21. Hasheem Thabeet
Height: 7’3’’
Weight: 263 lb
Hasheem Thabeet is yet another prime example of the huge gap that exists between the NBA and the rest of professional basketball leagues. He’s now considered one of the biggest busts in NBA Draft history.
Thabeet had a somewhat decent career at UConn before the Memphis Grizzlies took him with the 2nd overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft. He’s bounced around the league ever since and spent most of his time in the G-League due to his struggles in both ends of the floor.
20. Sim Bhullar
Height: 7’5’’
Weight: 360 lb
Sim Bhullar is the first player of Indian descent to ever make it to the NBA, even though his journey in the league was cut short pretty soon, as he was waived by the Sacramento Kings just a couple of games after being signed.
Bhullar was an intimidating presence because of his huge frame. Sadly, he was a bit overweight and his game was pretty raw when he pursued his NBA dream. Now, he’s playing center for the Yulon Luxgen Dinos in Taiwan.
19. Mamadou N’Diaye
Height: 7’6’’
Weight: 300 lb
Mamadou N’Diaye was a major force during his time with UC Irvine. He became the tallest player in NCAA Division I history and his huge wingspan helped him be an elite shot-blocker and rim protector.
Still, his unidimensional game didn’t help his cause in the NBA. He went undrafted in 2016 but tried his luck overseas, spending most of his professional career in Mexico. He’s unlikely to ever make it to the league at this point in his career.
18. Tacko Fall
Height: 7’5’’
Weight: 311 lb
Tacko Fall became a national sensation during his senior year at UCF, especially after his impressive performance vs. Zion Williamson and Duke. Given his size and wingspan, there’s no wondering why he was an elite shot-blocker in college.
Fall went undrafted in 2019 but got a deal with the Boston Celtics, where he instantly became a fan favorite. His skills are pretty raw but hey, he doesn’t even need to jump to dunk. Given enough time to polish his game, he could be an impactful role player.
17. Ivo Karlovic
Height: 6’11’’
Weight: 230 lb
Ivo Karlovic is the tallest player in professional tennis history and by a long stretch. His height gives him a huge advantage when serving and even holds the all-time record in career aces with 13,599.
He once served at 156 mph, which is the 4th fastest serve ever. Karlovic has won 8 ATP singles titles and continues to defy the odds by still playing at 41 years old. In fact, he became the oldest player to ever win an ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
16. Yao Ming
Height: 7’6’’
Weight: 290 lb
Before becoming a meme, Yao Ming was known for being one of the biggest players in NBA history. He had a subpar wingspan for his 7’6’’ height and wasn’t exactly athletic but he still managed to have a successful 10-year career with the Houston Rockets.
Ming made every NBA player look like a middle-schooler. He was the 1st overall pick of the 2002 NBA Draft and became a major ambassador for the game. He’s one of the main reasons why the NBA is so popular in China nowadays.
15. Boban Marjanovic
Height: 7’4’’
Weight: 290 lb
Boban Marjanovic quickly became a fan favorite in the NBA thanks to his charisma but obviously, his height is what makes him so special and such a great rebounder, rim protector, and efficient player.
He’s not the biggest contributor and obviously struggles with the physicality of the NBA but he’s a solid role player and has one of the most impressive resumes in European basketball history. Oh, and he was featured in John Wick, which is awesome.
14. Margo Dydek
Height: 7’2’’
Weight: 223 lb
Margo Dydek is one of the greatest female basketball players ever. Given her height and wingspan, he led the WNBA in blocks 8 different times and is the all-time leader in blocked shots in WNBA history as well.
She was a 2-time All-Star during his 10-year career and was even named European Female Basketball Player of the Year in 1999 by La Gazzetta dello Sport. Sadly, she passed away at age 37 from a cardiac arrest while pregnant with her third child.
13. Zdeno Chára
Height: 6’9’’
Weight: 250 lb
Zdeno Chára is a living legend. He’s the oldest active player in the NHL and the last active defenseman from the ‘90s. He’s also one of the greatest players in Boston Bruins’ history and their undisputed captain.
But, more than that, he’s also the tallest player in NHL history and the second ever European player to captain a team to the Stanley Cup. He’s an aggressive defender that not even the toughest guys on ice want to rub the wrong way.
12. Manute Bol
Height: 7’6’’
Weight: 200 lb
Manute Bol was one of the biggest entertainers in the game during his career in the NBA. He was the tallest player in the league and by a long stretch, and his elite shot-blocking ability helped him stay put for 10 seasons. Bol averaged 2.6 blocks per game in just 18.7 minutes a night.
The rest of his game wasn’t impressive, though, as he struggled mightily to keep up with the physicality of his rivals. He led the league in blocks twice. Sadly, he died at 47 from acute kidney failure and Stevens-Johnson syndrome. His son Bol Bol was drafted by the Denver Nuggets.
11. Shaquille O’Neal
Height: 7’1’’
Weight: 326 lb
Shaquille O’Neal was an unstoppable force of nature. There wasn’t a way to stop him down low thanks to his combination of size, athleticism, and strength. Moreover, his footwork and basketball IQ also helped him become a Los Angeles Lakers legend and one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
Defenders literally got hurt trying to foul Shaq. He shattered multiple backboards during his career, and you just weren’t going to take a charge from him. Notably, he also has the biggest feet in NBA history and wears size 22 shoes.
10. Sharran Alexander
Height: 6’0’’
Weight: 469 lb
Sharon ‘Sharran’ Alexander was the true definition of a late bloomer. She was a nanny in London before turning into a professional sumo wrestler and taking the world by assault. Now, she’s considered one of the greatest ever.
Alexander has won four gold medals in international competitions and is recognized by the British Sumo Federation as a 2nd kyu grade, which is unusual for women. She was also named the heaviest sportswoman in the world in 2013.
9. Gheorghe Muresan
Height: 7’7’’
Weight: 303 lb
Remember Manute Bol? Well, Gheorghe Muresan was even taller. In fact, he’s the tallest player in NBA history. Other than that, he doesn’t have many accolades or accomplishments to show for during his career.
The Romanian giant played for the Washington Bullets (later Wizards) and New Jersey Nets from 1993 to 2000. He led the league in field goal percentage twice and was the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 1996 and was even featured in Eminem’s ‘My Name Is’ video.
8. Nikolai Valuev
Height: 7’0’’
Weight: 331 pounds
Nikolai Valuev made even the biggest boxers on earth look like kids. He combined his huge body with an 85-inch reach to dominate in the ring before retiring with a 50-2-1 record with 34 wins by knockout.
Valuev became a 2-time World Boxing Association heavyweight champion and was deemed ‘The Russian Giant’ and ‘The Beast from the East’, so every single one of his rivals was in for a beating when they faced off against him. He’s the heaviest and tallest world champion ever.
7. The Great Khali
Height: 7’1’’
Weight: 347 lb
There’s no way I’m getting on the ring vs. a guy that’s 7’1’’ and over 300 pounds. That’s what most wrestlers thought after watching him win the WWE’s World Heavyweight Champion in 2007, when he became the first Indian ever to win the competition.
The Great Khali used to be a police officer before his rise to stardom, so you know bad guys didn’t want anything to do with him. He’s also had plenty of success as a Hollywood and Bollywood actor and promoter.
6. André The Giant
Height: 7’4’’
Weight: 520 lb
Well, there’s little to say when you’re actually called ‘The Giant’. André René Roussimoff made a name for himself as the ‘eighth wonder of the world’ during the ‘70s and ‘80s, making several appearances in movies and television shows.
He was a legendary villain on the ring as well, even fighting Hulk Hogan in 1987. He was already 6’3’’ at 11 years old due to acromegaly (a.k.a Gigantism). Sadly, he died very young from congestive heart failure.
5. Hafthor Julius Bjornsson
Height: 6’9’’
Weight: 414 lb
When you go by names like ‘Thor’ or ‘The Mountain’, everybody must already assume that you’re a pretty big fellow. Honestly, both nicknames perfectly match Hafthor Julius Bjornsson’s description.
Bjornsson won the World’s Strongest Man award in 2018 and back-to-back Arnold Strongman Classics in 2019 and 2010. He’s also won Europe’s strongest man 4 times and the World’s Ultimate Strongman, as well as many other accolades that prove that the guy’s pretty damn strong.
4. Wilt Chamberlain
Height: 7’1’’
Weight: 275 lb
Wilt Chamberlain was the ultimate freak of nature. He was so athletic that he dominated both basketball and baseball and was even called to come back from retirement at 50 years old by both the Cleveland Cavaliers and New Jersey (Brooklyn) Nets.
The NBA had to change multiple rules to prevent Chamberlain from dominating the way he did. He had a 48’’ vertical, a 7’8’’ wingspan with hands that were 9.5 inches long and 11.5 inches wide. No wonder why he scored 100 points in one game and averaged 30.1 points and 22.9 rebounds per game over his career.
3. Gogea Mitu
Height: 7’9’’
Weight: 300 lb
Gogea Mitu’s true stature was a bit of a mystery. He was listed at different heights from 7’9’’ to even 8’2’’. He suffered from acromegaly and struggled with people constantly trying to make a profit out of his stature and scientists from all over the world wanting to examine him.
He turned his attention to boxing after a brief career in the circus and became the tallest boxer to ever live. Sadly, he was only able to go on the ring three times before dying at 26 years old from tuberculosis. He won all 3 fights by knockout.
2. Sun Mingming
Height: 7’9’’
Weight: 370 lb
Sun Mingming definitely caught the attention of everybody in the room every time he was out there. People pushed him to start playing basketball at 15 years old because of his height, and he went on to become the tallest hooper ever.
Mingming, however, never made it to the NBA after going undrafted in 2005. He bounced around the USBL, ABA, IBL, and was even drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters. He won 2 CBA championships. Notably, he also holds the Guinness World Record with his wife Xu Yan for the tallest living couple with a combined height of 13 ft 10.72.
1. Suleiman Ali Nashnush
Height: 8’0’’
Weight: 290 lbs
Suleiman Ali Nashnush is the tallest person to ever play any professional sport. He doesn’t hold the record for the tallest basketball player ever because he was ‘just’ 7’10’’ when he played for the Libyan national team. Also, because there was no record about that one being his actual height at the time.
In fact, he had to undergo surgery at 27 years old to stop his abnormal growth, so imagine how much he could’ve grown. He also had a brief acting career with an appearance in the film Fellini Satyricon.
