This article is about players with the longest wingspan in NBA history. You can also read the shortest and tallest NBA players of all-time.
The Wingspan is simply the length of one end of one’s arms and hand to the other. Everyone has a wingspan but with different lengths.
For a non-basketball athlete, the advantage of a lengthy arm span may be meaningless or even a disadvantage. However, the reverse is the case for basketball players.
The wingspan is a big deal and matters a lot to this set of athletes. The ability to reach higher during jumps and stretch is a skill, and a lengthy wingspan surely gives an added boost to the craft.
The game of basketball has seen players with eye-stunning long wingspans. Below are 18 of the longest Wingspan in NBA.
Players with the longest wingspan in NBA history
11. Andre Drummond, Hasheem Thabeet, James Lang, Ike Anigbogu
Wingspan: 7 ft 6.25 in
The four basketball stars mentioned above undoubtedly share an intense love for the game, which has seen them to a professional level. Above all, they have incredibly long wingspans.
Measurements from one fingertip to the other show all four shares the same length, and that put them tenth on the list of NBA players with the longest Wingspan.
10. Eddy Curry, Desagana Diop, Brendan Haywood
Wingspan: 7 ft 6.55 in
Eddy Curry, a 2001 round 1 NBA draft, enjoyed a brief stint with the Chicago Bulls before his series of transfer moves that saw him playing in the ASEAN Basketball League presently. He was a sight to watch in his time in the NBA.
Senegalese Desagana Diop, who debuted the NBA in the colors of Clevland currently is a coaching associate with the Utah Jazz.
The retired Brendan Haywood presently is a basketball announcer for CBS Sports and co-host as well as an analyst on SiriusXM NBA Radio. All three players were stunning on the court during their playing days with the use of advantage wingspan.
9. Jason Jennings & Hassan Whiteside
Wingspan: 7 ft 7 in
Jennings and Whiteside tied at 7 feet 7 inches wingspan. Jennings, the 43rd pick of the 2002 NBA draft, enjoyed a successful college basketball career, which thus saw him wounding up with NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers.
However, he forwent a career in the NBA to play in Europe. His incredible arm span performance was missed in the NBA.
Whiteside, who was drafted by the Sacramento Kings, currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers. He once led the NBA in blocks.
8. Zhou Qi
Wingspan: 7 ft 7.75 in
Back in 2016, when Qi declared for the NBA draft, he was a hotcake. Zhou Qi’s wingspan of 7 ft 7.75 gave him a unique profile distinguishing him from other players in the draft.
His tip to tip wingspan was a wondrous sight luring to scouts. Several basketball franchises had eyes for him. NBA’s Houston Rockets succeeded in snatching Qi as the 43rd overall pick in the draft.
However, he didn’t replicate much of his potential on the court. He inputted average plays on the court but never reached that performance bar anticipated of him.
Currently, he plays for Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association.
7. Chris Marcus
Wingspan: 7 ft 8 in
Late Marcus was one of the big guys in basketball. His enormous physical feature can sometimes be intimidating. His height is over seven feet, and he weighed over three hundred pounds with a wingspan of 7 feet 8 inches.
His college basketball career made him quite famous. He was prolific for the Western Kentucky University college basketball team in the early 2000s.
However, injury cut short his sudden rise. He participated in training sessions with NBA’s Denver Nuggets but never played a game.
Sadly, on April 23, 2020, Marcus passed away due to ill-health.
6. Rudy Gobert
Wingspan: 7 ft 8.5 in
Currently playing in the colors of Utah Jazz in the NBA, French native Rudy Gobert, who frequently represents his country at international levels in competitions, stands tall at 7 feet 1 inch and boast of 2.36 m wingspan ( 7 feet 8.5 inches).
The advantage of his long arms is instrumental to Gobert’s defensive play on the court. He was the NBA blocks leader in the 2016-2017 season.
His height added to his extended arms sum up to him been an obstacle opponents can’t quickly get past.
“The Stifle Tower” was a nickname coined out for him for his defensive capability. Aside from being one of the best defensive players, Rudy Gobert’s wingspan places him among the players with the longest wingspan currently in the NBA.
5. Mouhamed Sene
Wingspan: 7 ft 8.5 in
Senegalese Sene stands tall at 7 feet 8 inches. He debuted the NBA back in 2006 in the colors of the Seattle Supersonics before moving to other franchises.
He is among the notable players known for his lengthy arm advantage. He once won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in the D-League for his defensive plays.
4. Walter Tavares
Wingspan: 7 ft 9 in
Tavares’ basketball journey is an intriguing story. For one, he never played the game of basketball until seventeen years of age.
Luckily, he was discovered by a German tourist who saw potential beyond Tavares’ recreational playing of the game, especially his wingspan advantage.
Soon he was selected to NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. However, in 2017, he returned back to Spain to play for Real Madrid.
Tavares is the first and only basketball player from Cape Verde to play in the NBA. Walter Tavares wingspan has seen him to impressive plays since debuting the NBA.
3. Mohamed Bamba
Wingspan: 7 ft 10 in
The 2018 round 1 draft pick plies his basketball skills in the NBA with Orlando Magic. Mohamed Bamba’s wingspan measuring 7 feet 10 inches creates havoc to the oppositional team on the basketball court.
His presence in games is always evident and impactful. His strength, agility, and precision control account for his formidable plays. Added to that is his wingspan advantage.
He shuts down opposition plays on the offense almost single-handedly. Bamba on the defense is enough threat to the opponent’s team. A glance at his physical features already defines the severe aches of getting through him to score points.
The 22-year-old Bamba is still young in the game. However, his prowess on the court shows a lot of promise. We’re confident that in years to come, Bamba would carve a name for himself among the top players in the NBA if he keeps up with his incredible form.
2. Tacko Fall
Wingspan: 8 ft 2.25 in
Standing at 7 ft 5.25 inches in height, Tacko Fall’s wingspan records the second-longest wingspan in NBA history with an impressive 8 feet 2 inches.
During his college basketball career, he hits an average of 10.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, two steals, four assists, and 2.4 blocks per game. The Senegalese was undrafted before penning a deal with Boston Celtics.
Fall hit fame and became a distinct sight in the basketball world at the Summer League. Tacko possesses potential, and his lengthy wingspan is no doubt an additional advantage.
Tacko Fall is currently the active NBA player with the longest wingspan.
1. Manute Bol
Wingspan: 8 ft 6 in
Of Sudan’s descent, the late Manute Bol was one rare player with impressive height and lengthy Wingspan. He stood tall at 7 ft 7.
Manute Bol’s wingspan measured at 8 feet 6 inches is the longest of all-time in the NBA. His incredible physical features helped him with the defense as he frequently blocked shots.
It isn’t any surprise he rates among basketball history best-shot blockers to date. He made good use of his lengthy arm advantage and was a constant thorn opposition seeking to score points from long-range shots.
Bol was always ever-present to tip and block off shot heading to the hoop. Unfortunately, Bol died in 2010 from health-related issues.
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