NBA players and their height is a conversation that goes back to the league’s conception in the 1940s. For years, big men in the NBA were considered to be the most dominant, feared, and best overall players on the court. They proved that to be the case on the stat sheet as the game’s leading scorers, rebounders, and defenders. Today, in 2023-24, while the skill sets have drastically evolved and changed among the league’s tallest stars, nothing has changed about their importance to the success of their teams.
Below, we will count down the 10 tallest players in the NBA for this season. We will take a look at each player’s strengths, weaknesses, and overall impact on success. While these players play the game in entirely different ways, they all have the fact that they tower over the competition in common.
These are the 10 tallest NBA players for the 2023-24 season.
T10. Luke Kornet – 7’1’’
We get our list of the tallest players in the NBA in 2023-24 started with undrafted seven-year veteran Luke Kornet. Over the last seven seasons, Kornet has been with five different teams including a previous stint with his current team, the Boston Celtics, in 2021. Kornet is now heading into his third full season coming off the bench for Boston, serving as a deep rotation depth addition to their lineup.
Last season, Kornet appeared in 69 games for the Celtics off the bench, averaging 11.7 minutes per game of playing time along with 3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. In 2023-24, Kornet has already appeared in six games in the same role for Boston, seeing a drop in minutes to 9.7 and a drop in production to 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. I would not expect his role to increase by much over the year, barring injuries to any of Boston’s big men like Kritaps Porzingis and Al Horford. We may even see the team make a move at the deadline involving Kornet’s departure if they feel changes need to be made.
T10. Robin Lopez – 7’1’’
For most of his 16-year career in the NBA, Robin Lopez has been a journeyman with appearances for nine different teams during that span. He was a starter for a good stretch of his career from 2013 through 2019 for the Hornets, Trail Blazers, Knicks, and Bulls but over the last few seasons, has seen his role dwindle as he gets older and less available due to age and injury.
In his two seasons before 2023-24 with the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers, Lopez has failed to appear in 40 games for either team and averaged just 5.0 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. In 2023-24, he has been reunited with twin brother Brook on the Milwaukee Bucks where the same issues have arisen for him. Lopez has made one appearance for the Bucks this season off the bench with two points and one rebound in six minutes of action. At 35 years old, we could be looking at the final stage of his career unfolding before our eyes in Milwaukee with retirement a serious question for him to ponder this summer.
T10. Dereck Lively – 7’1’’
Rookie Dereck Lively of the Dallas Mavericks was the 12th overall pick of this past summer’s NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Just weeks after being drafted, Lively would be traded to the Mavericks in exchange for Davis Bertans and Cason Wallace. The move cleared a ton of cap space for the Mavericks heading into the season while also handing them one of the most exciting rookies in the NBA to start the 2023-24 season.
It did not take long for Lively to impress Mavericks coaches and teammates and he has been inserted into the starting lineup very early into his career. Lively’s addition has been a blessing for the Mavericks who have been desperately seeking a true big man for quite some time now. Lively’s abilities as a rebounder and interior defender have been huge for the Mavericks’ 6-2 start to the season but that is not all he has been in the early going of the season.
What has been super impressive about Lively has been the quick chemistry he has developed with superstar teammate Luka Doncic, especially out of the pick-and-roll. In seven games, he is averaging 9.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game on 77.8% shooting, finishing a majority of his shots at the rim thanks to his awareness of where to be on the court at all times. As a Mavericks fan and a fan of the game, Lively’s continued development is something I look forward to seeing for the rest of 2023-24 and beyond.
T10. Brook Lopez – 7’1’’
In 2008, the New Jersey Nets, as they were then referred, selected Brook Lopez with the 10th overall pick in the NBA Draft. As the team transitioned to Brooklyn, Lopez served as their captain and leader giving them nine seasons of great basketball while becoming the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.
Fast forward 15 seasons and Lopez’s career has been resurrected in a sense. When arriving in Milwaukee in 2018-19, Lopez completely revamped his game to focus on defense while also becoming much more of a perimeter scoring threat. In 2021, he helped anchor the Bucks defense to an NBA championship. In 2022-23, he became one of the NBA’s best interior defenders and was even a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
In 2023-24, Lopez remains the Bucks’ starting center and although his offensive production has tapered a bit, his defensive impact remains. Through seven starts, he is averaging 10.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game for the 5-2 Milwaukee Bucks. As long as he continues to help the team navigate their new roster and coaching regime in this capacity, the Bucks have a chance to capture their second championship in four years.
T10. Chet Holmgren – 7’1’’
Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren made his long-awaited debut in 2023-24 for the team after missing all of the 2022-23 season with a Lisfranc fracture in his foot. After becoming the Thunder’s second overall pick in 2022, Holmgren injured his foot taking a charge from LeBron James in a Seattle pro-am tournament before the start of the regular season.
With questions surrounding his build and his health, Holmgren has hit the ground running so far in the very young start to his career. Holmgren is currently the biggest threat to phenom Victor Wembanyama’s Rookie of the Year campaign as the Thunder are now thriving upon his arrival. Through eight starts for Oklahoma City in 2023-24, Holmgren is averaging 16.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game. He is also shooting 57.5% overall and 55.6% from three on 3.4 attempts.
With his other-worldly skill set on full display for all to see, it is clear that Holmgren is aiding in the influx of centers in today’s game that are furthering the evolution of the position.
T10. Rudy Gobert – 7’1’’
The first international player to appear on our list, but certainly not the last, is 11-year veteran Rudy Gobert. Spending his first nine seasons with the Utah Jazz, Gobert became a defensive nightmare for opposing teams from 2014 through 2022, winning three Defensive Player of the Year awards with three All-Star appearances, four All-NBA Team selections, and six All-Defensive Team selections.
After a rocky 2022-23 season, his first in Minnesota, Gobert has begun to find his place with the Timberwolves in 2023-24. He currently leads the NBA in defensive rating while ranking fourth in total rebounds, a massive improvement from the 2022-23 season. With the help of Gobert, Minnesota has gotten off to a 5-2 start including four wins in a row over tough competition such as the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets.
Through seven starts, Gobert is currently averaging 12.7 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game while the Timberwolves have moved into third place in the Western Conference. This is the player that Minnesota traded for last offseason and the version of him that could make them a very tough opponent for any team they face come playoff time.
T5. Moses Brown – 7’2’’
After going undrafted in 2019, Moses Brown has spent the last five seasons in the NBA, circulating around the NBA with six different teams, seeking an opportunity to showcase his skills. Since 2022, Brown has made 77 appearances, mostly in a small role off the bench for the Mavericks, Cavaliers, Clippers, Nets, and Trail Blazers. During this time, he has averaged just 8.4 minutes of playing time and 4.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
In 2023-24, Brown finds himself as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers who have seemed content in keeping him in that same bench role this season. Brown has made just one appearance through eight games for the 3-5 Trail Blazers, with four points and 3 rebounds in a recent loss to the Sacramento Kings. It is definitely concerning that Brown received such a lack of playing time considering the injury to Robert Williams III and it may indicate that he could be on the move as a trade asset or hitting waivers sometime shortly.
T5. Kristaps Porzingis – 7’2’’
For most of his career since 2015-16, Kristaps Porzingis has been referred to as a unicorn thanks to his 7’2’’ frame and the ability to play the game like a small forward or guard with incredible shooting ability from three but also as a big man who can rebounds, block shots, and score on the interior. Injuries over the last few seasons have been a main concern for Porzingis but in the last two seasons, everything has changed.
In 2022-23 with the Washington Wizards, Porzingis played in 65 games for the first time since 2016-17 with the Knicks. He averaged a career-high 23.2 points per game on a career-high 49.8% shooting heading into a pivotal free agency period. This summer, Porzingis would be part of a sign-and-trade that sent him to the Boston Celtics while shipping fan-favorite Marcus Smart out of town.
With all of that pressure on him, and a scare with plantar fasciitis this summer, Porzingis has answered the call with Boston early on in 2023-24. Through seven starts at center, Porzingis is averaging 20.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game on 54.7% shooting overall and 41.2% from three. The Celtics have taken over as an overwhelming favorite in the Eastern Conference thanks to his arrival along with the play of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Jrue Holiday of course. If Porzingis remains healthy for most of the season once again, I do not know how he cannot be considered for the second All-Star selection of his career.
3. Bol Bol – 7’3’’
Over the last five seasons, NBA fans and media have been patiently waiting for Bol Bol to break out and become the star that his skill set has shown flashes of in the past. Bol began his career with the Denver Nuggets for three years from 2020 through 2022, where he played just 53 games and averaged 2.7 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.
In 2022-23, Bol had a stretch with the Orlando Magic that made it look like his time was finally here and went on to average 9.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 70 games played. This offseason, the free agent was added to a deep and star-studded Phoenix Suns team in need of height and skill from in their frontcourt. However, through eight games, Bol has made just two appearances off the bench for the Suns for only 3.5 minutes per game.
It is unclear whether teams are done giving Bol a chance to prove he can be consistent and remain on an NBA roster but for now, it looks like that is not the case in Phoenix and we could be looking at the third-tallest player in the NBA being made available for the right price sooner rather than later.
T1. Boban Marjanovic – 7’4’’
Boban Marjanovic is one of the most beloved players in the NBA by fans and teammates alike over the last nine seasons. Despite how much he is respected and liked by everyone whom he encounters, Marjanovic has always had an issue in receiving playing time due to his size and lack of stamina or ability to play for long periods.
Since 2020, Marjanovc has appeared in less than 35 games each season while also seeing less than 9.0 minutes of playing time per game. He is currently in his second full season with the Houston Rockets, making rare appearances in blowout situations for less than 7.0 minutes at a time. Through seven games in 2023-24, Marjanovic has appeared in three games for a total of 20.1 minutes with 3.3 points and 2.7 minutes per game.
T1. Victor Wembanyama – 7’4’’
French phenom Victor Wembanyama comes in as the tallest player in the NBA this season tied with Marjanovic, standing 7’4’’. Wembanyama has been the talk of the NBA for the last year-plus after being scouted vehemently for his alien-like skill set at his size. The San Antonio Spurs rookie can do it all on the court with a fluidity in his motion, the likes of which have never been seen from a player of his stature.
There have been great, good, and poor moments so far in Wembanyama’s career with the Spurs rookie already making headlines through his team’s first eight games. Currently, he is the NBA’s leader for Rookie of the Year slightly over Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren which is sure to be one of the most exciting awards races this season. Wembanyam is currently averaging 18.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game on 44.1% shooting from the field and 29.3% from three on 5.1 attempts.
Something tells me we have yet to see the best of him in his 2023-24 rookie season which is a scary thought for the rest of the league.
