NBA players are generally some of the tallest people in the world, but even among them, there are levels to being tall. We have often seen certain extremely tall players tower over their peers in the league.
One of the tallest players in NBA history is former Houston Rockets star, Yao Ming. He was listed at 7’6″, and he was able to have multiple elite seasons due to his combination of skill and height.
Pau Gasol has recently posted a photo of him hanging out with Yao Ming. Pau Gasol was listed at 7’1″ during his career, but even he admitted that he felt short in Yao Ming’s presence.
Always great to see my friend @YaoMing! Not many people in the world make me feel short 😅 pic.twitter.com/DkMfKPW1xM
— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) October 2, 2022
Always great to see my friend Yao Ming! Not many people in the world make me feel short
There is no doubt that it is crazy to see the two former centers side by side. Obviously, Pau Gasol is extremely tall in his own right, but it is clear that he does not match Yao Ming in that department.
Yao Ming Would Dominate In Today’s NBA
Yao Ming was an 8-time All-Star and 5-time All-NBA selection, and there’s no doubt that he showed that he could be a top-tier player. His career was unfortunately derailed by injuries, and he finished his NBA career at the relatively young age of 30.
It would be interesting to imagine a player like Yao Ming in the modern NBA. Of course, the NBA has moved away from dominant, tall centers, in favor of wings and guards, and we have not seen a player with Yao Ming’s height dominate in recent memory.
Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson have previously suggested that Yao Ming would be an MVP in the modern game, lauding his elite touch and stating that it would be impossible to double-team Ming.
“It was impossible. … Imagine, Yao Ming shot the technical fouls for Houston,” Frye explained. “Crazy (touch). Even if you thought you did good, he was just like turnaround jumper like you shoot on little kids. … You can’t double team him. He was just going to pass to Ron Artest, who’s averaging 30 that year.”
Unfortunately, we will not be able to watch Yao Ming play modern basketball. But it is abundantly obvious that Yao Ming would likely still be a fantastic star-level player in today’s league.
Perhaps one day we will see a player that has similarities to Yao Ming in terms of height and skill enter the league and dominate. Until then, though, we can only imagine how he’d do.
