Basketball always has been, and always will be, a land of giants. That statement is so true that even the average height in the NBA right now, 6'6, is still a good seven inches taller than the average man in the United States. While there are some examples of players below the average height who carved out lengthy, successful careers in the NBA, history has shown that if you want to play basketball, being tall helps a lot. But this post isn't about the average NBA player being taller than the average person. This is about the players who are tall even by NBA standards. Whether they be Hall of Fame level talents like Arvydas Sabonis or Yao Ming, well-known role players like Shawn Bradley or Manute Bol, or walking memes like Boban Marjanović and Tacko Fall these giants tend to leave a lasting impact on the league. But what about the ones that don't? What about the extremely tall men who enter the league, but never find their footing and only spend a cup of coffee in the big time. The men on this list all stood at 7'3 or taller but played less than a full season's worth of basketball before disappearing from the NBA entirely. So, let's take a look back at some of the NBA's forgotten giants.
Priest Lauderdale
Career Length: 74 Games
Standing at 7'4, the American-Bulgarian Priest Lauderdale first gained attention while playing at the Division II school Central State University, a historically black college in Wilberforce, Ohio. Lauderdale's extreme height proved very useful, as he was dominant for the Marauders, averaging 20.1 points and 10.2 rebounds while shooting 68% from the field in his 13 games played. Lauderdale opted to pursue a professional career overseas, signing with Greek basketball team Peristeri B.C, who he would play with for two seasons before declaring for the 1996 NBA Draft. The Atlanta Hawks, a team that was no stranger to selecting giants, took a chance on the big man and selected Lauderdale with the 28th pick in the draft.
Lauderdale's rookie season saw him take on a limited role, only playing in 35 games while only playing more than 10 minutes in three of them. Rarely playing meaningful minutes, Lauderdale would have some decent games, but mostly stayed in the background even when on the court. He'd end the season with averages of 3.2 points & 1.2 rebounds per game while shooting 55% on just 5.1 minutes per game. Lauderdale would stick around for one more season, playing with the Denver Nuggets following a trade. Lauderdale would receive more consistent playing time in Denver along with a larger role, playing in 30 of the team's first 31 games and averaging nearly 10 minutes a game. It was during this stretch that Lauderdale would drop a career-high 16 points. However, his larger role wouldn't last, as he'd only play in 9 more games to end the season, giving him averages of 3.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game while shooting 42% from the field in 8.8 minutes per game.
Lauderdale would be cut by the Nuggets that offseason, and after being signed and waived by the Chicago Bulls, he would join the Continental Basketball League, playing there for two years. From there, Lauderdale would spend over a decade playing overseas in various countries, including Venezuela, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and China before finishing out his career playing for Chabeb-Zahle in Lebanon. His NBA career would end after two seasons with 74 total games played and career averages of 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game over 7.1 minutes per game and shot 47% from the field.
Ha Seung-Jin
Career Length: 46 Games
Coming from a home that already had a 6'8 future women's basketball player, Ha Seung-Jin was not the only giant in the family. Playing basketball at Yonsei University in South Korea, the 7'3 Ha gained the attention of NBA scouts as he helped lead Yonsei to a national title after averaging 12.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game over seven tournament games. The Portland Trail Blazers liked what they saw in the South Korean, and they used the 46th overall pick to select Ha in the 2004 NBA Draft. Before he'd step on an NBA court, however, he'd suit up for a different Portland team, briefly playing the ABA (not that one) for the Portland Reign.
Ha would join the Trail Blazers midway through the 2004-05 season, playing in just 19 games and averaging just 5.5 minutes per game. Ha would have a few games that saw him play extended minutes, but he would show promise in the final game of the season, where he scored a career-high 13 points to help push the Blazers over the Los Angeles Lakers. Ha would end his rookie season with averages of 1.4 points and under one rebound and block a game while shooting 44% from the field. Ha would return to the Trail Blazers for another season and saw a slightly expanded role, averaging 7.9 minutes per game for the season, while he also spent time with the Fort Worth Flyers of the NBA D-League. This season did see Ha get the only four starts of his NBA career, as injuries to Theo Ratliff & Joel Przybilla allowed him to slide into the starting center spot. Ha would end the season with 27 games played and averaged 1.6 points and 1.8 rebounds while shooting 58% from the field. His starting stint didn't fare much better, as he only averaged 11.3 minutes per game while putting up 2 points and 3 rebounds per game, but he did shoot a perfect 4/4 from the field.
Ha would be traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in a four-player trade in the offseason, but he'd be cut before the next season. Ha would spend a season with the Anaheim Arsenal (currently the Grand Rapids Drive) of the D-League before returning to his native South Korea. Ha would sign with the Jeonju KCC Egis, who he'd play with for nine years over two stints and won two Korean Basketball League Championships in 2009 and 2011. Along with that, Ha would take home the silver medal in the 2010 Asian Games and bronze in the 2011 FIBA Asia Championships as a representative of the South Korean national basketball team. His NBA career ended with 46 games played and 6.9 (ni.ce) minutes per game, career averages of 1.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game, and a career shooting percentage of 52%. Ha Seung-Jin's NBA career will likely best be remembered for his role in a 2005 brawl with fellow big man Nedžad Sinanović, who stands at 7'3 1/2, during which Ha screamed that he would sue Sinanović for punching him in the face before attacking him with a wooden dowel. Within 24 hours, however, the two were hanging out with each other like nothing had happened. A wild story, indeed.
Aleksandar Radojević
Career Length: 15 Games
Surprisingly, this isn't actually the first time I've ever written about Aleksandar Radojević, a 7'3 Bosnian player. Only beginning his basketball career at age 16, Radojević would spend the first two seasons of his professional career suiting up for both KK Lovćen and Budućnost Podgorica. He'd sign a letter of intent in 1997 to attend Ohio State, however, payments made by Budućnost would cause him to be declared ineligible by the NCAA. He instead played at Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kansas, where he'd have a solid two seasons, averaging 15.4 points, rebounds, and 4 blocks per game while shooting 61% from the field in his final season there. Radojević attempted to transfer to Ohio State following his sophomore year, but the discovery of a $6,700 payment made by head coach Jim O'Brien to Radojević resulted in Radojević losing his eligibility and O'Brien losing his job.
Radojević entered the 1999 NBA Draft and, despite never playing high-level collegiate basketball, the 7'3 Bosnian was an enticing prospect. The Toronto Raptors actually found him so enticing that they selected Radojević with the 12th pick in the draft, passing on players like Corey Maggette and Ron Artest in the process. Almost immediately, things went downhill, as just a single game into his career, Radojević was placed on the DL with a torn ligament in his left knee. He'd end up not playing again until April, finishing the season with just three games played. Radojević wouldn't see an NBA court again for nearly four years. Frequent injuries would keep Radojević out of action for the entire 2000-01 season, during which he'd be traded to the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets would trade him that offseason to the Milwaukee Bucks, who would waive Radojević before the next season started. From there, Radojević would return to Europe for four seasons, where he'd play in Slovenia, Italy, Germany, and Greece. He'd make a return to the NBA after signing with the Utah Jazz in 2004, playing 12 games, averaging 10.7 minutes per game, and putting up 1.6 points and 2.3 rebounds. That 12 game stint would be the end of his NBA career.
Radojević would continue to play professionally until 2012, spending the next eight seasons playing around Europe. Radojević would play in Poland, Greece, Cyprus, Beirut, and Bulgaria before ending his career with Lirija Skopje in North Macedonia. His brief, 15-game NBA career ended with averages of 1.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while shooting just 31% from the field.
Edy Tavares
Career Length: 13 Games
I may be jumping the gun on this one, as there is a chance Edy Tavares makes his way back to the NBA, but based on his career stat line, I think I'm safe. Much like Radojević, the 7'3 Walter "Edy" Tavares didn't play basketball until his late teens, first playing at 17 years old. After being discovered by a German tourist in his native Cape Verde, Tavares joined Spanish team Gran Canaria's junior team, spending a year there before being loaned to La Palma of the LEB Oro, beginning his professional career. Tavares would spend four years playing professionally in Spain, ending his first stint with a 2014-15 season where he averaged 8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.8 blocks per game with Gran Canaria. Tavares would also earn ACB All-Young Players and All-EuroCup First Team selections in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
During his time in Spain, Tavares was selected with the 43rd pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, becoming the first Cape Verdean-born player to be drafted. Following his promising final season in Spain, Tavares joined the Hawks on a multi-year deal. Tavares rookie season was incredibly inconsistent, rarely playing back-to-back games and never playing in more than three games in a month. Tavares would play just 11 games during the season, frequently spending time in the D-League. One game into his sophomore season, the Hawks waived Tavares, who'd sign with Raptors 905 of the D-League. Tavares would show promise in the developmental league, earning an all-star selection, an All-NBA D-League 1st team selection, an All-Defensive Team selection, and the D-League Defensive Player of the Year Award. Before the end of the season, Tavares would sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers for one game, in which he grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds. The Cavaliers would waive Tavares before the next season.
After a one game-stint back in the D-League, once again with Raptors 905 where he put up 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks, before returning to Spain. Signing with Real Madrid in 2017, Tavares has thrived since heading back to Europe. Since his return, he's been named the EuroLeague's Best Defender and earned an All-EuroLeague Second Team selection in 2019, and won both the Spanish League and EuroLeague Championships in 2018. As for his NBA career (so far, at least), however, Tavares played in only 13 games, averaged 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, and shot 63% from the field.
Tibor Pleiß
Career Length: 12 Games
By the time he was 17 years old, the 7'3 Tibor Pleiß (sometimes spelled Pleiss and pronounced "Plice") was already playing professional basketball in his native Germany. Beginning his career with RheinEnergie Köln (later changed to Köln 99ers) in 2006, Pleiß would get his first taste of championship gold when he won his first German Cup in just his second season. Pleiß would play a total of three seasons with Köln before signing with Brose Baskets in 2009. It was during his three years with Brose that Pleiß saw his greatest success, earning two All-German League Team selections, two German League Best Young Player Awards, three more German Cup victories, and three German League championships. Pleiß would leave Germany for Spain, signing with Saski Baskonia and playing for two years, during which he put up the best numbers of his career with 12 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 56% from the field. Pleiß would spend one more season in Spain, playing with FC Barcelona before departing for the NBA in 2015.
Pleiß would be drafted all the way back in 2010, being selected with the 31st pick in the draft by New Jersey Nets. In the five years between then, Pleiß's draft rights would be shipped around the league before he ended up on the Utah Jazz, with who he'd sign a multi-year deal. Pleiß would see the court in just 12 games in his rookie season, regularly spending time with the Jazz's D-League affiliate the Idaho Stampede. While he had a three-game stint where he played almost 18 minutes per game, Pleiß rarely saw the court in games he played, averaging only 6.8 minutes per game. Following his rookie season, Pleiß would be traded to the Philadelphia 76ers before being waived.
Pleiß returned to Europe following his release, playing in both Turkey and Spain. In 2017, Pleiß and Valencia Basket took home the Spanish Supercup. As of 2018, Pleiß has been playing with Turkish team Anadolu Efes S.K., with whom the German took home the Turkish League championship in 2019. Pleiß's 12-game NBA career ended with averages of 2 points and 1.3 rebounds per game while shooting 44% from the field, with only 82 total minutes played.
Pavel Podkolzin
Career Length: 6 Games
Standing at a staggering 7'5, Pavel Podkolzin from Russia began his professional career with second division team Lokomotiv Novosib in 2001. The next year, Podkolzin would sign with Italian team Metis Varese, who he would play with for two seasons before he decided to make the jump to the NBA. Originally declaring for the 2003 draft before pulling out due to acromegaly, Podkolzin entered the 2004 class and was selected 21st by the Utah Jazz, who quickly shipped him to the Dallas Mavericks for a first-round pick.
Podkolzin barely saw the floor in his rookie season, only appearing in five games in March and only playing a total of 10 minutes all season. The next season, Podkolzin would spend the majority of his time in the D-League, playing for the Mavericks' affiliate the Fort Worth Flyers. The 7'5 Russian wouldn't appear until the final game of the season, playing in 18 minutes and grabbing 7 rebounds. He'd play more minutes in that one game than he did his entire rookie season. After two seasons, the Mavericks waived Podkolzin, ending his NBA career with only 6 games and just 28 minutes played.
Podkolzin would return to Russia and continued his professional career in his home country. Most notably, Podkolzin would return to Lokomotiv Novosib frequently, playing with them for eight years over three different stints between 2007 and 2016. Most recently, Podkolzin last suited up for Universitet Yugra Surgut. Podkolzin's career averages in the NBA stand at 0.7 points and 1.5 rebounds per game while putting up a goose egg in field goal percentage, never scoring a non-free throw basket for a 0%.
Peter John Ramos
Career Length: 6 Games
By the time the Puerto Rico-born Peter John Ramos was just a 14 year old in New York, he already stood at seven feet tall. After being discovered by former player Santiago Gotay, he was introduced to the owner of the Puerto Rican basketball team Criollos de Caguas and moved back to Puerto Rico. Learning the ropes and growing to 7'3 1/2, Ramos excelled on the court, leading his high school, Colegio Bautista de Caguas, to two national championships. When he turned professional with Criollos de Caguas, Ramos continued to shine and by 2003, he had earned the All-Puerto Rican League Most Improved Player Award in 2002 and an All-Puerto Rican League All-Star selection in 2003. In his final season with Caguas in 2004 saw the Ramos put up a strong 20.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
Ramos would declare for the 2004 NBA Draft and would be selected with the 32nd pick by the Washington Wizards. Despite his strong play in Puerto Rico, Ramos was rarely given a chance to play in the NBA. He'd only see the court in 6 games his rookie season, never playing more than five minutes a game. The following season, Ramos would be sent down to the Roanoke Dazzle of the D-League, where he put up a solid 14.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. Despite that, the Wizards would waive Ramos, who would be selected in the 2006 NBA D-League draft by the Idaho Stampede. Ramos continued to play well in the D-League, even being named an all-star and averaging 13.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Ramos would return to Criollos de Caguas in Puerto Rico following his stint in Idaho in 2007 and played until 2020. Along with Puerto Rico, Ramos would play in Spain, China, South Korea, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic since leaving the NBA. Most recently, he's suited up for Leones de Ponce. Heavily accomplished in Puerto Rico, so far Ramos has eight All-Puerto Rican League All-Star selections, six All-Puerto Rican League first-team selections, and a Puerto Rican League Most Valuable Player in 2015 to his name, along with a Dominican Republic League championship in 2015 and a Chinese Basketball Association rebounding title in 2010. Ramos has also taken home medals as a member of the Puerto Rico national team, earning gold in the 2007 FIBA CBC Championship and in the 2010 & 2016 Centrobasket tournaments. Since 2020, Ramos has turned to another career, this time in professional wrestling. Ramos would sign with famous Puerto Rican company the World Wrestling Council and join the Dynasty stable alongside Eddie Colón (known as Primo Colón in the WWE) before joining Qatar Pro Wrestling as one half of the tag team Beast Mode. His NBA career produced averages of 1.8 points and 0.7 rebounds per game while shooting 50% from the field, with Ramos playing 3.3 minutes per game and 20 minutes total.
Sim Bhullar
Career Length: 3 Games
In 2010, the Canadian-born Sim Bhullar stood out amongst his fellow players at the FIBA Americas Under-18 tournament. Partly because of his play, but also due to his 7'5 stature. In the year before this tournament, Bhullar was a dominant sophomore at The Kiski School in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, averaging a near triple-double of 16 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 blocks per game. Midway through his senior year, Bhullar would transfer to Huntington Prep School in West Virginia, where he'd finish out his high school career in 2011. Originally committing to Xavier, Bhullar would rescind that and attended New Mexico State. However, he wouldn't play until the next season due to the NCAA refusing to give him an eligibility waiver. Bhullar would play two seasons with the Aggies, averaging 10.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting 63% from the field. During that time, Bhullar showed serious potential, taking home the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Freshman of the Year, a WAC All-Newcomer Team selection, and a Third-team All-WAC selection in 2013, and the WAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player award and a WAC All-Defensive Team selection in 2014.
Following his sophomore year in college, Bhullar declared for the 2014 NBA Draft, but he would go undrafted. He would join the Sacramento Kings' Summer League team that offseason but would be waived before the season started. Bhullar's career in the NBA wasn't over just yet, as he made his way to the D-League with the Reno Bighorns. It was there that Bhullar showed signs of his potential, including a triple-double where he dropped 26 points, 17 rebounds, and 11 blocks against the Los Angeles D-Fenders, and was named to the D-League All-Defensive Second team and All-Rookie Third team. Bhullar would sign a 10-day contract with the Kings towards the end of the season and, on April 7th, made history as the first NBA player of Indian descent. Bhullar would play a total of three games that season, never playing longer than 1:30 before his contract expired, not receiving another 10-day contract, and ended the year as a free agent. Bhullar re-joined the Kings for the Summer League that offseason but left to play in the Pan Am Games, where he won the silver medal with Canada. Bhullar would sign with the D-League's Raptors 905 during the season and put up decent numbers, averaging 9.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.
Bhullar would head overseas in 2016, playing primarily in Taiwan. He would also spend a year in 2017 playing for the Guangxi Rhino of the National Basketball League in China, where he won an SBL championship. Bhullar's NBA career ended with just three games played and under three minutes played in total. He'd average 0.7 points and 0.3 rebounds per game for his career. However, his legacy in basketball lives on through a surprising source; 2K. Despite his card in 2K16 MyTeam only being a 69 (nice) overall, his extreme height made him a fan favorite card and one far more useful than his rating. The card was so popular that it was brought back by 2K for 2K21 with an 89 overall. Not bad for someone who played less than three minutes in the league.
Slavko Vraneš
Career Length: 1 Game
Of all the little known big men that have made their way to the NBA over the years, the undisputed king of the obscure giants is Slavko Vraneš, who suited up for one single game during the 2004-05 and never played again. And not only did he have the shortest career out of anyone on this list, but he's also the tallest, standing at 7'6, the third tallest in league history. Born in Montenegro, Vraneš began his basketball career in 1997 with FMP Železnik in Serbia. Vraneš would play three seasons with Železnik before playing a season with Efes Pilsen in Turkey. From there, he'd return to his home country, playing for two years with Budućnost Podgorica before declaring for the 2003 NBA Draft.
Vraneš would end up being selected with the 39th pick in the draft by the New York Knicks. While he signed with the team, he'd be waived during the season without playing a game. A month later, Vraneš signed a 10-day contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. It was during that 10-day period that, on January 8th, 2005, Vraneš stepped onto an NBA court for the first and last time. Against the Minnesota Timberwolves and down by 22 points, Vraneš checked in and played the remaining 2:45 seconds. In that time, Vraneš missed his one and only career shot attempt and fouled Ndudi Ebi. And thus marks the end of Slavko Vraneš' NBA career.
Vraneš wouldn't receive another deal and left the NBA, returning to Serbia to play with Crvena zvezda. Following that brief stint, Vraneš returned to his native Montenegro and Budućnost Podgorica for three years, where he would win a Montenegrin League championship and a Montenegrin Cup in 2007. Vraneš would see more success when he returned to Serbia with Partizan for three more years, winning the ABA League championship, the Serbian League championship, and the Serbian Cup three times each. One more championship was in Vraneš future after he signed with UNICS Kazan in Russia, as they won the EuroCup championship in 2011. Vraneš would continue to play until 2018, playing around the world in Iran and Serbia, the latter of which he ended his career in as a member of Metalac Valjevo.
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