You’d think in a league where everyone is a giant, being "the tallest" wouldn't be that big of a deal. But then you see Victor Wembanyama standing next to a "normal" 7-footer, and you realize the scale of the NBA has shifted. The answer to who is the tallest player in the nba now isn't just a number on a roster sheet; it’s a shifting target that literally changed over the last twelve months.
For the 2025-26 season, the crown belongs to Victor Wembanyama.
The San Antonio Spurs’ superstar is officially listed at 7 feet 5 inches. Honestly, it depends on which official team measurement you trust on a given day, but the Spurs updated his height from 7'4" to 7'5" after a late-career growth spurt that had trainers and fans doing a double-take. He’s not just tall. He’s "blocking a jump shot without leaving the floor" tall.
The Battle at the Top: Who Is the Tallest Player in the NBA Now?
If you asked this question a couple of years ago, you might have heard names like Boban Marjanović or Tacko Fall. But the league has changed. Boban is currently playing overseas, and Tacko hasn't been on an active roster for a minute. That leaves a massive void—literally—at the top of the height charts.
Wemby isn't alone up there, though. Zach Edey, the mountain of a man for the Memphis Grizzlies, is breathing down his neck at 7 feet 4 inches.
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Edey is built differently than Victor. While Wembanyama looks like a gazelle made of pipe cleaners, Edey is a 300-pound wall of granite. Watching them play is like seeing a fencing master go up against a castle.
The Current Giants (2025-26 Season)
It’s a weird time for height in the league. We have a new wave of "super-giants" who actually have skills, which is terrifying for the rest of the NBA. Here is how the top tier of the skyscraper club looks right now:
- Victor Wembanyama (Spurs): 7'5" — The undisputed king. He grew an inch since his rookie year, which shouldn't even be legal.
- Zach Edey (Grizzlies): 7'4" — A throwback force who uses every bit of that frame to dominate the paint.
- Bol Bol (Suns): 7'3" — Still one of the most unique players to ever lace them up, even if his minutes are inconsistent.
- Dereck Lively II (Mavericks): 7'3" — Another guy who reportedly hit a growth spurt. He was 7'1" coming out of Duke, but the Mavs have him measured higher now.
- Rocco Zikarsky (Timberwolves): 7'3" — The Australian rookie who’s already making people wonder if Minnesota is just trying to collect every 7-footer on the planet.
Why the Numbers Keep Changing
You might notice that height in the NBA is kinda... flexible.
Back in the day, guys like Kevin Garnett would lie about being shorter so they wouldn't have to play center. Conversely, some guards would add two inches to their height to look better to scouts.
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The NBA tried to fix this in 2019 by mandating official "no-shoes" measurements. But even with the rules, human bodies are weird. Wembanyama is only 22 years old. It is perfectly normal for a guy that size to keep growing into his early twenties. When the Spurs updated his official listing to 7'5" this season, it wasn't a marketing gimmick. He actually got bigger.
The "Wemby Effect" on the League
Being the tallest player in the NBA used to be a bit of a circus act. You’d come in, block some shots, and maybe your knees would give out after four years. That’s the tragedy of the "giant" in basketball history.
But Wembanyama is changing the prototype.
He’s the tallest player in the league, yet he leads the break and hits step-back threes. It has forced teams like the Grizzlies to draft their own giants (like Edey) just to have a body big enough to stand in his way. We are seeing a return of the "true" big man, but with the skills of a shooting guard.
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How They Compare to History
Wemby and Edey are massive, but they aren't the tallest ever. Not yet, anyway.
Gheorghe Mureșan and Manute Bol both stood at 7 feet 7 inches. Think about that for a second. That’s two full inches taller than Victor.
Then you had Yao Ming at 7'6", who was basically a cheat code until his feet couldn't take the stress anymore. The difference is that Wembanyama weighs about 100 pounds less than Yao did. He’s built for the modern, fast-paced game, which might be why he’s able to stay healthy despite the incredible leverage on his joints.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're following the height race this season, keep these things in mind:
- Watch the Official Roster Updates: Teams usually re-measure players at the start of training camp. If a player like Rocco Zikarsky or Dereck Lively II looks bigger on TV, check the official NBA.com stats; they often lag behind the team's internal data.
- Ignore "With Shoes" Heights: Most sneakers add 1.25 to 1.5 inches. If a guy is listed at 7'0" in a draft profile, he's probably 6'10" and some change in the locker room.
- Follow the Rookies: Keep an eye on the 2026 draft class. Scouts are currently tracking Olivier Rioux, a college player who has been measured at 7 feet 9 inches. If he makes the league, the "tallest player" title will be his by a landslide.
The NBA is currently a playground for giants, and Victor Wembanyama is the one looking down on everyone else. For now, 7'5" is the mark to beat. It’s a height that seems impossible until you see him fly through the air to swat a ball that should have been well out of reach.
Check the Spurs' upcoming schedule to see the "Alien" in person. Seeing that 7'5" frame move in real life is something every basketball fan needs to do at least once. It just doesn't look real.