Ranking The 10 Heaviest Players In NBA History

Basketball is a sport that requires a lot of physical strength and agility. Players need to be in top shape to perform at their best.

However, not all basketball players are created equal. Some of them are bigger and heavier than others. In this post, we will examine the top 10 heaviest players in NBA history.  

These players not only made a huge impact on the game, but they also made a huge impact on the court due to their size and weight. From Shaquille O’Neal to Oliver Miller, we will take a look at their careers, achievements, and the impact they had on the game.

So, whether you are a basketball fan or just interested in learning more about the biggest players in NBA history, this article is for you.

10. Garth Joseph (315 Pounds)

If the name Garth Joseph doesn’t ring a bell to you, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Joseph only played one season in the NBA, which was the 2000-01 season. In that season, Joseph only played in 27 games, starting four of them, and he played for two teams: Toronto Raptors and Denver Nuggets.

Joseph would only see 4.0 minutes per game, with averages of 0.5 points and 0.5 rebounds per game. So, to say Joseph did not have a memorable career is just an understatement.

Joseph was good enough to make our list since he weighed an incredible 315 pounds while standing 7’2″. Despite 315 being a massive weight for most people, 315 only lands Joseph at the 10th spot on our list.

9. Robert Traylor (319 Pounds)

Robert ”Tractor” Traylor was certainly one of the heaviest players to ever step foot on a basketball court. Traylor played seven seasons in the NBA, averaging 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

Traylor bounced around in the NBA, playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets, and New Orleans Hornets. The last year Traylor would play in the league was the 2004-05 season.

In the 2005 offseason, Traylor attempted a comeback with the New Jersey Nets after having surgery on his aorta, but he failed his physical and was out of the league for good. Weight problems, which at his peak, Traylor weighed 319 pounds, plagued him throughout his career.

Traylor would sadly pass away in 2011 from a heart attack. Sadly, Traylor couldn’t get his weight uncontrolled. If he did, maybe he could have extended his NBA career and, more importantly, his life.

8. Kevin Duckworth (320 Pounds)

Kevin Duckworth is mostly remembered by older NBA fans when he played on the Portland Trail Blazers against the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in the 1992 NBA Finals. Duckworth also played in the 1990 Finals with Portland against the Detroit Pistons.

Unfortunately for Duckworth, his Trail Blazers would lose both Finals series. There was another unfortunate thing to happen to Duckworth, and that was losing his 275-pound body early on in his career to a 320-pound physical later on during his playing days.

Even with his weight gain, which lands him eighth on our list, Duckworth had a decent playing career, which lasted 11 years. He finished with career averages of 11.8 points and 5.8 rebounds while also winning the 1987-88 Most Improved Player Award.

7. Priest Lauderdale (325 Pounds)

The name Priest Lauderdale is another name that might not sound familiar to NBA fans, and there’s a reason for it. Lauderdale managed to play only 74 games in two seasons for the Atlanta Hawks and Denver Nuggets, which were the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons.

During those 74 games, Lauderdale saw only 7.1 minutes of playing time, and he averaged just 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. At 7’4″ and 325 pounds, you’d think Lauderdale would’ve been able to muster up a few more rebounds while on the court, but his weight only slowed him down.

After his NBA career ended in 1998, Lauderdale went on to play in numerous other basketball leagues. These include the Continental Basketball Association and the Bulgarian Basketball League.

6. Thomas Hamilton (330 Pounds)

Thomas Hamilton signed with the Boston Celtics in the 1995-96 season after going undrafted. Hamilton was a towering man, standing at 7’2″ and weighing a massive 330 pounds, but he couldn’t use his size to his advantage.

Hamilton would play in 11 games for Boston, averaging 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in just 6.4 minutes per game. After the season, Hamilton would get cut by Boston, but he would return to the league in the 1999-00 season with the Houston Rockets.

Hamilton’s return would see him double his games played to 22, and his minutes nearly doubled as well to 12.4 per game. Still, his 3.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game weren’t enough to keep him in the NBA, as the 1999-00 season would be his last.

5. Michael Sweetney (348 Pounds)

Michael Sweetney lands at the fifth spot on our list as his weight nearly reached 350 pounds. Sweetney officially weighed 348 pounds, and unlike the last few players on our list, Sweetney managed to play for four years in the NBA.

Sweetney would also see more playing time than the previous few on this list, averaging 15.5 minutes per game in his career. In those minutes, Sweetney averaged 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Of course, Sweetney’s production wouldn’t be enough to keep him on an NBA roster, and he’d fall off after the 2006-07 season. Still, Sweetney’s weight is enough to land at the fifth spot on our list.

T4. Sim Bhullar (350 Pounds)

Sim Bhullar is a 7’5″ Canadian big man who is the first to officially crack the 350-pound mark on our list. We hope Bhullar takes this fourth spot with honors because there’s unfortunately not much to be proud of from his NBA career.

Bhullar played just one season in the NBA, the 2014-15 season. To make things worse, Bhullar managed to appear in just three NBA games.

Bhullar played for the Sacramento Kings, and in those three games, Bhullar averaged 0.7 points and 0.3 rebounds in just 1.0 minutes per game. After the NBA, Bhullar would find success in other basketball leagues, like winning Taiwan’s Super Basketball League championship in 2017.

T4. Eddy Curry (350 Pounds)

Eddy Curry ties Sim Bhullar on our list of the heaviest NBA players of all time with his 350-pound body. Curry had a much more successful career than Bhullar, as he played 11 years in the league.

Curry averaged 12.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in his career for four teams, including the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat. Curry’s time on the Heat could be described as his worst and, yet, his best time in the NBA. 

The Heat team Curry played on won the NBA championship in the 2011-12 season. Curry averaged 2.1 points and 0.9 rebounds in 5.9 minutes per game. The 350-pound player only appeared in 14 regular season games.

What made things worse for Curry was he was not on the playoff roster for the Heat, meaning he saw no action in the playoffs or the Finals. Still, Curry is an NBA champion, and nobody can take that away from him.

2. Shaquille O’Neal (360 Pounds)

The player who is the second heaviest of all time is finally a name we don’t have to explain. Shaquille O’Neal is clearly the best player on our list, and it’s not even close.

Shaq is a 4x NBA champion, 3x Finals MVP, the 1999-00 NBA MVP, 3x NBA All-Star Game MVP, 2x NBA scoring champion, and the list can literally go on. That’s how dominant Shaq was during his NBA career, which may make him the most dominant player in league history.

What Shaq also had was a 360-pound body that lands him second on our list. This might be the one time Shaq doesn’t mind falling to the second spot, as only one player breaks the scale more than Shaq on our list.

1. Oliver Miller (375 Pounds)

Oliver Miller, known as “The Big O” was not as impactful as Oscar Robertson, who was also known as “The Big O.” Still, Miller has something Robertson never had: a 375-pound body.   

Yes, at one point, Miller weighed an astounding 375 pounds, which can’t be healthy for life or for a positive basketball career. Miller played 11 years in the league and even reached the 1993 NBA Finals as a rookie with the Phoenix Suns.

Of course, Miller’s Suns would lose to the Chicago Bulls, and Miller would only see the playoffs three more times, never reaching another NBA Finals. Miller averaged 7.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in his career, and he could’ve been much better if he had better control over his weight.

So, there you have it, the 10 heaviest NBA players of all time. What do you think of your list? Were their players on the list you had never heard about? Or did certain players shock you with how heavy they were?

At least one player on our list took advantage of their weight and dominated the league (Shaquille O’Neal). The way fitness and health are today in the modern NBA, we may never see a new player crack our top 10 list, and that’s probably a good thing.

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