What REALLY Happened to The Tallest NBA Players Ever

[@jasontroy3911]

Respect for Bol not just for his career but for his contributions to his people.

[@BornDivineAlmightyAllahBtbtv]

💯💯💯💯💯🔥🔥facts! He’s one of the only ones

[@leonhughes9014]

hell yeah

[@Monkycrasure-gk4fz]

I wonder how much of his money actually went to helping people, or if they just accepted it and pocketed most. He was trying to help, but it's hard to do when the people that need help have a scumbag thief in charge of helping them.

[@seansturgill4869]

There are also many accounts, videos on KZbin as well, of Manute Bol's actual age. Because his record of birth was lost, he was able to go to the University of Bridgeport. This is because no one really knew his age. Professionals who played with him remember a story about how he made a scar on his forehead every five years in order to track his age. When he was NEW in the league, his teammates tracked his age at about 55 years old AS A ROOKIE. His Wikipedia age is only based on his assumed graduation age of 22. In fact he was likely the oldest player to ever play. This would explain his mature coordination to use his body as opposed to other giants who are still flailing around with limited coordination.

[@zapper42308]

yeah he was a really good guy

[@travispavich1694]

Mark Eaton. My favorite player of all time, my first autograph, attended multiple of his camps, and even after he retired, he was a giant amongst boys, but he was a huge Teddy bear at heart. Miss him every day

[@kevinwillette5161]

I met Manute several times at Mohegan Sun casino in the early 2ks. It's wild, because he is literally the tallest human being you've ever seen in your life, but at the same time he isn't as big as you imagine. Andre the Giant was almost a foot shorter and he FELT like he was 10 feet tall. The thing that really struck me about Manute was his arms, I swear his finger tips touched his knees.

[@Tr-fj4hr]

Manute Bol was like 190 lbs give or take. I don’t think he ever broke 200 lbs; Just insanely thin at that height, borderline anorexic. it’s a wonder how his frame held up at the NBA level. Granted, he played in the 80s where players were much thinner on average.

[@Veganerd_]

Andre was 7'4, so 3 inches shorter than Manute. lol

[@kevinwillette5161]

@@Veganerd_ ummm, no. That's his pretend wrestling height. He stood on a box in interviews shot from the waist up to appear bigger, but even if you've never seen him in a ring near eye to eye with Hulk Hogan who was definitely not 7' tall, here's a couple of undisputed facts. Theres a famous picture of him with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Wilt Chamberlain, a legit 7 footer. Andre is on his tippy toes and still not as tall as Wilt. Then towards the end of his career he wrestles in Japan with Giant Baba, a former baseball player listed in their almanac as 6'7, and Andre has to come to the ring steadied with his hands on Baba's shoulders so they are basically head to head. Andre is definitely not a near foot taller. The evidence don't lie.

[@quandoku1798]

​@@kevinwillette5161 I guess he's 6'11

[@LucasWallace-z9l]

He’s had one year in the nba but he took it like a champ

[@juandabbler4707]

Gheroge Muresan led the league in field goal percentage in 1994 & 1995. Drafted same year as Bradley.

[@thebrotherhood6391]

My little giant

[@Shinobi33]

Won Most improved player award

[@seansturgill4869]

I loved the brick house that Muresan was to watch!

[@marvinwhittaker]

Manute Bol was a true humanitarian. Giving back to his homeland.

[@seansturgill4869]

There are also many accounts, videos on KZbin as well, of Manute Bol's actual age. Because his record of birth was lost, he was able to go to the University of Bridgeport. This is because no one really knew his age. Professionals who played with him remember a story about how he made a scar on his forehead every five years in order to track his age. When he was NEW in the league, his teammates tracked his age at about 55 years old AS A ROOKIE. His Wikipedia age is only based on his assumed graduation age of 22. In fact he was likely the oldest player to ever play. This would explain his mature coordination to use his body as opposed to other giants who are still flailing around with limited coordination.

[@onerider808]

A man who thinks beyond personal enrichment is indeed an honorable man.

[@tomjones4835]

What’s messed up is that the USA declared him a terrorist at the end of his life for helping his people. That always gets left out

[@doubletroubledad1323]

I’m hoping Zach Edey is going to have a successful NBA career: he was playing really well before he sprained his ankle, and hopefully he can come back strong when he returns.

[@lacedsynthetic]

Tacko Fall just joined the NBL for the breakers, which is a great fit for him and exactly what the breakers needed for some inside defense, but then he injured himself during his second game...

[@robleavold84]

Yeah NBL is a good fit for him pretty injury prone though.

[@KinetikkX]

damn poor guy

[@andycanoy863]

Safe to say that Yao Ming was the most successful 7'6 player whereas Tacko Fall lacked enough skillsets and intangibles to warrant a long career. There's more to basketball than just being tall.

[@poindextertunes]

If Yao was in the league today, he’d be shooting 3s and stretching the floor. Setting picks at the top of the arch and popping out for a long 2. Forget that he was 7’5”, he was one of the most skilled big men ever. He used to give Shaq problems and Shaq has said as much

[@poindextertunes]

Of course this is all contingent on Yao staying healthy and being able to run the floor when he needs to

[@maxmeier532]

Being tall is the entry ticket though. Tacko probably has some vision issues I would suppose. I think Steph Curry's biggest talent is his precise spatial vision that he can translate to his whole body movement. Where ever he is on the court, he can focus in on the basket and shoot quickly, with a precise trajectory in an automated fashion.

[@hilriekemp]

I'm going to give a lil push back on that TacKo Fall assessment. He suffered from the same issue Roy Hibbert did in the NBA incredibly slow footed but a better inside scorer. Except Roy was able to play in both era's until becoming phased out entirely. The Celtics had to play incredibly slow with Tacko on the floor and he was getting ate up in the pick n roll.

[@FloSick808]

@@hilriekempso he was just tall then? Had no footwork or fundamentals? Sorry not trying to back him up cause he sucks and i wonder why very few bigs have no skills these days and worst shooting 3’s. Like ok if you can shoot it, take it but i wouldn’t want a big taking more 3’s than scoring in the paint or taking some shots in mid.

[@zach7193]

Been enjoying the content so far.

[@jamieparker6465]

Rik smits was a baller in the league.

[@kerry-j4m]

Oh,yeah,I forgot about Smits,I LOVED watching him play for the Pacers back in the 90s,GOOD player too. I think his nick-name was the Flying Dutchman.

[@flednanders4601]

He should 100% be In the basketball hall of fame.

[@lilbigd24]

@@flednanders4601 nah he was amazing but he doesn’t have the accomplishments for it

[@HalIofFameHater]

@@lilbigd24 wdym? Everybody gets into the hall of fame now. Have you SEEN the people who gets in? Lackluster ROLE PLAYERS!

[@PatJWilliams]

​@flednanders4601 if he had a few more solid years, I'd fully agree. But pacers retiring his # would be a fair consolation.

[@MikaaelFrank]

There was that 7'5" 350lbs guy called Sim Buhlar who landed 10 day contract with the Kings back in 2014-15 season

[@gsmith01]

@@MikaaelFrank I forgot about him.

[@gregbrewster7371]

“A bit shorter standing at 7’4” is a wild statement to fathom 😂😂😂

[@CrustyPBnJ]

"Bro is mad short, only 1 foot 7 inches taller than the average male"

[@IamMrWalters]

Right 😆

[@nathanzettler2218]

most slept on basketball creator out there keep going love ya!

[@1990HondaEFHatch]

this is basically a mini documentary. great job man! you earned a sub!

[@THP999]

Makes you realize how remarkable that someone of Shaqs dimensions could stay relatively healthy for long periods during his career

[@NoSauceNoSauce]

My thoughts exactly. Although, it seems like most people who did poor in this video were too thin and lanky. Usually gain weight as you age. Zion looked huge in college (very young). He looked very injury prone from the start.

[@MukiBlalock]

I think Yao Ming is PROBABLY the MOST WELL KNOWN (famous?) and ONE of the BEST 🌲 TREES in MODERN NBA History.

[@TheAshurak]

No need to use the word ‘modern’ there, as there have not been many trees in the entire history. There have only been 9 players 7’5 and over, and most of them didn’t have much impact

[@cromcccxvi3787]

Manute Bol + Allen Iverson= My favorite NBA Jam Team of all time

[@chizick14]

what year is this? sounds awesome!

[@NoSauceNoSauce]

lol. sounds sick. Was Charlotte the best team to choose?

[@bobbituka123]

Manute was an important humanitarian. May he rest in peace.

[@TopNB206]

Love the way you hopped strait into

[@stever4360]

SO MANY fans have no idea how good Sampson was. Watched him in person twice at Boston Garden, dude was so fluid

[@AnthonyNorthcott]

Great video well put together

[@poindextertunes]

So Wemby is basically a shorter Manute Bol but with crazy skill, ball handling and coordination 😅

[@Lilbsack445]

Stop glazing

[@MJIZZEL]

Nah he's closer to Ralph sampson. Sampson had better handles than most centers and could shoot the 3 also.

[@2villainy]

More like a taller Ralph Sampson

[@O-D-X]

@@2villainy How tall is Wemby, because Ralph was 7'4"

[@2villainy]

@@O-D-X basketball reference does have him listed at 7-3 officially so I guess he's actually shorter than the 7-5 they claimed he was over a year ago...but he can still grow an inch or two by age 21 After looking further, the 7-5 I thought he was is apparently with shoes on...7-3 and a half without them....not sure if Sampsons height is with or without shoes but I do know it was common to add an inch or two to a players height prior to a few years ago when they started making it mandatory to list the real height Also I wanna add that apparently they used to always record heights with shoes on until a year ago

[@laartwork]

Minute Bol's broken english unintentionally coined the phrase "My Bad"

[@laartwork]

I think I heard Barkley tell the story... too lazy to look up if it was true or a different player.

[@MJIZZEL]

Yep. This is true

[@tompriceusmc]

The phrase "my bad" first came into being when Louis Armstrong used it on the Ed Sullivan show in 1956...It faded away for awhile and then briefly re-surged again in the 1970's, and then REALLY re-surged in the 80's. Manute Bol DID use it an awfully lot because his English was limited. According to his teammates he also overused the phrases: "Lets get busy" and "I'm kicking it."

[@markfain7128]

I've been a Warriors fan since the 70s and Bol will always be in my all time favorites. Fun to watch and an A+++++ dude off the court.

[@seansturgill4869]

There are also many accounts, videos on KZbin as well, of Manute Bol's actual age. Because his record of birth was lost, he was able to go to the University of Bridgeport. This is because no one really knew his age. Professionals who played with him remember a story about how he made a scar on his forehead every five years in order to track his age. When he was NEW in the league, his teammates tracked his age at about 55 years old AS A ROOKIE. His Wikipedia age is only based on his assumed graduation age of 22. In fact he was likely the oldest player to ever play. This would explain his mature coordination to use his body as opposed to other giants who are still flailing around with limited coordination.

[@minimanadam]

Imagine being 7'4 and having to change a heat core or anything under the hood of any compact car..lol

[@netrade3898]

Tom Heinsohn had the best nickname for Mark Eaton...."The Human Detour!"

[@bababooey7641]

Great vid. As a kid, I remember thinking Houston would be a dynasty with Sampson and Olajuwon. Sad that injuries derailed that

[@yogaphile7833]

16:07 You've got the wrong graphic, here... Other than these minor mistakes, I'm really enjoying your video! 👍👍👍

[@billyaubin5360]

This is a great video. Leo.

[@eightyeightkeys771]

Bol bought a house in Lake Arbor which at the time was an upscale housing development in Largo, MD with a great public golf course. My late dad almost hit Bol with his tee shot.. Bol was standing at his fence in his backyard watching us. Dad pulled is drive and was yelling “Four” but Bol was not a golfer and didn’t know what that meant. We go over to apologize and Bol was like… I saw it.. it went right past my head.. and he was smiling… LOL. So close to death and he didn’t even know it..Crazy

[@Divinecomedy232]

Fantastic video!

[@guilhermekeffer8673]

Manute was such a nice guy, sadly, his kid is nothing like him

[@SilverSkitterscuttle]

That is unfortunate. I love how Manute did sooo much for his people, gentle, humble...What is his son like personally?

[@JRiggs-nd9xh]

His son is goated he just doesn't get to play​@@SilverSkitterscuttle

[@CodeineAbdulJabbar]

@@SilverSkitterscuttlehe doesn’t know what he’s like personally. He could be the nicest guy ever. People just make assumptions from what the media tells them

[@messiahsolame]

So would u like to tell us what bad bol bol has done? I've never seen him in any controversy or bad news and he just wants to ball.

[@entransify]

really? because for as little playing time as he's gotten here in Phoenix, he's a fan favorite and his teammates say he's great to have on the team. he's just happy to be there.

[@johnbernstein3916]

Manute Bol made one of the best shots ever. I remember going OMG when he drove the lane on Magic Johnson. He was ten feet beyond the arc at the top of the key. He caught the ball and came forward, took two steps and dunked the ball over Magic. I think he dribbled once, but he covered 3/4 of the lane in two steps. It was Phenomenal!

[@bgko91880]

These guys are absolute superstars on 2k my team

[@travispavich1694]

The worst thing Bradley could have done was declare for the draft instead of playing one more season in college

[@2villainy]

Why would anyone willingly risk injury to play for free when you can alter you and your family's quality life? Be serious

[@ticesevradero]

You should have put Marjanovic here as he fits it perfectly.

[@jahkrmusic]

1:11 80 cows? Who he marry, the queen? Imagine each cow worth $1k. That's A LOT!

[@killernation8730]

Hey she was a 80 cow wife. Someone should make a movie about it, don't you think?

[@BaronLector]

My favorite Manute Bol numbers came from the back of his 1990 Skybox basketball card: Blocks per game, per 48 minutes: 8.7.

[@robharrington71]

We actually have no idea how old Manute Bol was. There was no record of his birth, and apparently his community never kept track of ages. There are some who speculate that Bol was actually over 50 while playing in the NBA, and that he died closer to 70 than 50. We'll never know.

[@thebrotherhood6391]

We can figure out how many millions years old a rock or a piece of pottery but can't come up with how old Bol really was 😂😂😂

[@marcuseversley3334]

Same thing with Sonny Liston

[@poindextertunes]

Just a sidenote: Steve Francis is the reason the Rockets picked Yao #1 overall

[@dejonketchup]

You don’t think the reason was Yao?

[@mattf3873]

Yeah.. whoever got the #1 pick was taking Yoa

[@deebrown5744]

MANUTE BOL NEED TO BE IN THE HALL OF FAME.. NOT JUST ON THE COURT BUT OFF THE COURT HOW TALL IS PEOPLE IN MANY WAYS AND HIS CULTURE

[@RollinTwentySix]

If Yao didn't have glass-boned feet, he could have been an absolute monster lol

[@Clownbaby2]

Like zion

[@RollinTwentySix]

@@Clownbaby2 Right? So many of us fans thought Zion might become the next dominant force and then womp wommp

[@joeyollar2781]

The crazy thing is, he already was a monster. Shaq himself said that Yao was the toughest player he had to go against.

[@RollinTwentySix]

@@joeyollar2781 yeah I remember watching that first Yao vs Shaq game and Yao blocked Shaq's first 2 shots lol

[@entransify]

Yao was elite in China. he just came to the NBA too late.

[@swishcountyproductions]

Subscribe while you're here please:)

[@edwardkimakaballislifekim_578]

I am 🔥🔥🔥

[@calebharrelson2107]

Me

[@Necrotog82]

They don't make it because it's not real basketball anymore in the NBA. It has become a 3-point shooting contest with weak D and such a bore to match.

[@sethjackson2266]

I'm sorry I didn't enjoy the old stupid ball that couldn't do math to know a 3 is worth more then had the league change rules to force 1v1 post ups to create more star viewership...it wasn't better ball it was dumb shit to focus attention and it hurt offenses.

[@Necrotog82]

@@sethjackson2266 The current ratings say otherwise. It's not fun when almost every team plays the same.

[@triiggz6732]

6:54 is a crime scene 😂

[@dtincworldnews8922]

Yao Ming, Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem, and Wilt Chamberlain will always be the greatest big men in the NBA.

[@rexbanner1560]

Yao Ming does not come close to Nikola jokic. plus nicola is better than shaq

[@maxmeier532]

that's a narrow view based on what you shaped your idea of basketball.

[@robmueller3551]

The players you named are up there . But in the not to distant future yokic will be the best at the center position of all time

[@sethjackson2266]

Smits in this video was better than yao...nvm the large number of better centers we can all come up with...he had insane potential but that was it...he never reached it.

[@gsmith01]

Bill Russell, Patrick Ewing, Joel Embiid, Tim Duncan, Moses Malone, and more are all better than Yao was.

[@kerry-j4m]

I remember Bradley playing for the Mavs,he got dunked on-a lot !!! LOL. Guys would EASILY drive by Dirk ( the statue on defense ) and dunk on Shawn-HARD !!! LOL. i still vividly remember Tracey McGrady dunking on Bradley very viciously.

[@flednanders4601]

Smits deserves to be in the hall of fame. He earned it.

[@PatJWilliams]

Pacers should retire the Flying Dutchman 's jersey if HOF isnt in the cards

[@ROTAR666]

how? with the shaq flu

[@gregmitchell4475]

Better ad 7'5" Zach Edey to this list. 300#, and quickly proving doubters wrong, showing incredible quickness for a mountain, fantastic hands, soft touch, even a developing 3 point shot. Never played basketball until Junior year in high school, he was a baseball and HOCKEY star before that, but just grew too big for either sport ( can you imagine his strike zone?), so as a rookie on the Memphis Grizzlies, he's still learning and getting better while being one of the leading Rookie of the Year candidates, proving that maybe the "big man" is not extinct in the NBA (thank goodness). Throw in an almost unprecedented 2 STRAIGHT NCAA Player of the Year awards after only playing basketball for 4 years at the time. Definitely has the potential to help redefine what a successful NBA player looks like. Plus he already has a hate relationship with the current NBA "thug of the Year" Draymond Green, so added props to Edey for that!

[@BaronLector]

Playing around on the playground growing up, most kids had an NBA player that they emulated: "Jordan for three! ." In Elementary and Middle school, it was Patrick Ewing for me. When I got to High School, I emulated Shawn Bradley because we were of similar builds (I was 6'8", 150 lbs in high-school). Following in his footsteps (at least when he was a 76er) and Muresan's, I even had my jersey number reflect my height (68, Bradley was 76 and Muresan was 77).

[@kyle-sk0rpi0nkeremlima95]

I was there on the tacko fall charlotte hornets pre season game, i was right behind one of the baskets

[@HappyTurkey4]

Tacko Fall is actually playing for the NZ Breakers in the NBL. my dad saw him and was like "now that's who we need the paint" (i know this because I'm from New Zealand)

[@gregmitchell4475]

Not sure why Bol couldn't rebound better, but props to the guy.

[@Dudesaidthat]

Imagine Ralph and Rick in this era

[@drsapnis]

Brdley was never a bust!!

[@roo2127]

Addendum- Ralph Smapson won the MVP of the All star game in 85 as well. I remember Magic connecting with him on numerous ally-oops. Big men face the wear & tear of the physicality of the game and gravity really hurts them.

[@BDESal]

Imagine ur a 15 year old and see a 15 year old 7’2 dude guarding u

[@jeffstreepy9911]

@swishcountyproductions Why do you have Tako Fall listed as banned?

[@rogerramjet7729]

Wemby is the sampson remix. Sampson would have absolutely dominated todays game

[@ProFlash1234]

0:20 and five foot long legs

[@teddybumps]

You forgot Chuck Nevitt. 7’-5”.

[@poindextertunes]

Damn I forgot Muresan had a 15ppg/10reb season. not bad

[@finkelmana]

I really liked Georghe. He was never going to be an elite center, but he did play hard every game. And while he wasnt an elite shot-blocker, dont think for a second he wasnt intimidating the offense.

[@onerider808]

I’d be interested in hearing how their height affected their personal lives and health.

[@Anthon-e8p]

Taco did not have to drop him like that 😂😂😂😂

[@pufanul8140]

talking about the tallest nba players and not starting with the tallest player ever in nba history is just crazy

[@juandabbler4707]

Bobby Hurley & Calbert Chaney have the two lowest Value Over Replacement in the Bradley/Webber draft. Isiah Rider hurt every team he played.

[@thebrotherhood6391]

Hurley was in a bad accident and ended his pro career before it even started. Same as future Duke blue devils Jason Williams who was in a bad motorcycle crash his rookie season ending his nba career immediately. Of course both are Duke point guard legends and both won a National Championship at Duke. Hurley won 2 of course

[@andrewyarosh1809]

Zydrunas Ilgauskas?

[@BrockMak]

Tacko Fall just got a 2-year deal with NZ Breakers in Australian NBL as a backup center after a roster spot opened up.

[@kimmccabe1422]

Best Human Award, Bol. R.i.p.

[@Anti_Happy999]

I remember when jimmyxhighroller did a video where he gound out that if your taller than 7’4” then your gonna have too many physical health problems to have a long career

[@spyrosp8350]

Respect to Manute Bol.

[@Harrygreen111]

Tacko Fall currently playing in Australian NBL for New Zealand Breakers

[@carlosmendez1938]

Olivier Rioux he is 7’9 and is surprisingly mobile for his size. He will be the top of this list one day

[@thebrotherhood6391]

I've been watching this kid for about 2 years now and he is very mobile and coordinated. I can't wait to see what this kid does in the near future

[@ErnieWilkins-xs8tf]

@CarlosMendez1938 Theres a 10 Year Kid whose already Like 7'3 and it's a Nigerian Kid whose 7'9 already their Both Mobile as well

[@alvinALee3]

2:08 Bol played in miami 😮

[@TheLyricalMouse]

Tacko Fall is currently playing in New Zealand as part of the Australian National Basketball League. 😁

[@ryanvannice7878]

So you can be tall, but not too tall. Just seems like injuries due to the extreme bodies really limit the careers of the super tall.

[@robranko5931]

Rick smits is da mirror image of yao ming ..

[@Wavecheckfoo]

YOOOOi forgot tacko fall even existed

[@2255223388]

Ahhh man... I'm not quite so excited about Olivier Rioux now. 😢

[@lukas.strautins]

Tacko plays now for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian/NZ league (NBL). When he gets on court, he's not so goofy as he was in NBA, so there's hope. Kinda surprised you didn't touch on that as part of your research.

[@jasonmitchell723]

Never heard of Ralph Sampson...thank you for the education.

[@MJIZZEL]

Wow really?? He and Hakeem were dominant in 80's. Basically only team to get to the finals in the west besides LA that decade. Ralph is the closest comparison to wemby being he had a little handle and could shoot the 3 as well. Sadly his body gave put early on.

[@2villainy]

1/2 of the original Twin Towers.... Funny part is, before the 1984 draft, Portland wanted to trade that 2 pick along with Clyde drexler to Houston for Sampson but Houston declined.... Has they accepted, Houston would have had Drexler (a rookie the year before) the number 1 & 2 picks to draft Hakeem and Jordan

[@2255223388]

Muresan's film "My Giant" was WIDELY panned. He essentially didn't have an acting career at all.

[@entransify]

he did appear in Eminem's "My Name Is" video as well.

[@codingkaptain3645]

He didn’t add my goat mugs bogues cuz he’s to good🔥🔥🔥🔥🐐🐐🐐🐐

[@deonpowe9259]

How did kwame not make this list??

[@rockersplaytime5311]

I don't respect manute bol for playing in the NBA but for what he did for his country

[@StettyT]

So for y’all who think Wemby blocking is so insane this makes you realize it has happened before just not as young and talented

[@matthewstewart2377]

why did you have banned over taco in the screen shot?

[@lilkev102kev]

If Lebron James was tacko falls father , tacko would still be in the league blocking shots.

[@yogaphile7833]

2:37 Why did you leave out the "L" in Tacko Fall's name, here...? 5:20 And why doesn't your narrative match the graphics for his stats, here?

[@phoule76]

crazy Sampson game-winner

[@jaredsmith8609]

Tacko Fall is not playing in China he is playing in the Australian NBL for the breakers

[@timgregory9624]

Tacko now playing in New Zealand

[@greysontheprodigy2034]

Alright is it just me or do I wanna see curry vs bol

[@etkadu2715]

“Wemby supposed to be doing all that “

[@blankname6629]

Rik smits was a very good center. As was arvydas sabonis

[@kennedy6971]

The blazers had arveidest sabonis and he was a giant man.

[@edwardkimakaballislifekim_578]

🔥🔥

[@tswej]

I really believe with the right team Tacko could be effective. Personally I'd like to see him in a Spurs uniform and occasionally play with Wemby to form the tallest twin towers ever in the NBA.

[@2255223388]

Tacko Fall is now playing in New Zealand, not China