Ranking The 10 Best 7-Footers In NBA History

The NBA is the most prominent league in the world where fans can watch literal giants go to work. Throughout NBA history, the NBA players that are a part of the seven-foot club have been few and far between but most of them turn into NBA superstars. The elite 7-footers in NBA history are often regarded as some of the best players to ever play the game as they should be as they tower over the competition but also excel in speed, strength, and agility. Today, we honor those 7-footers for what they accomplished in the NBA given the height they possessed and the heights they reached in the greatest league in the world.

These 10 players that we have listed below are the best 7-footers the NBA has ever seen. These 10 players are the All-Stars, MVPs, elite defenders, and champions of their respective eras. Each one of these players listed below dominated at their peak and became the greatest centers of their eras and among the greatest winners in NBA history. The 7-footers have always stood above the rest physically but today, they stand above every other player on the court as their achievements and accomplishments are immortalized.

These are the 10 best 7-footers in NBA history.

10. Dikembe Mutombo - 7’0’’

As a defender, there aren’t many big men in NBA history who did things better than Dikembe Mutombo. On defense, Mutombo was a feared and fierce competitor who would go on to win 4 Defensive Player of the Year awards in his career and lead the NBA in blocks for three straight seasons from 1994 thru 1996. He averaged 3.0 BPG in a season eight times in his career and led the NBA in rebounds twice.

The only reason that Mutombo isn’t ranked higher on this list is that his offensive game wasn’t nearly as polished or impactful as his defense. For the first 10 seasons of his career during his prime, 12.4 PPG, 12.4 RPG, and 3.5 BPG. His offense was never consistent enough to be the key piece of a championship team but he is still one of the 10 best 7-foot NBA players to ever hit the court.

9. Joel Embiid - 7’0’’

The next best 7-footer of all time is a player who has been among the elite NBA players of the past six seasons. In 2021 and 2022, Joel Embiid finished runner-up to Nikola Jokic for the MVP award. He is a Top three two-way big man in basketball and is a relentless scorer on offense. Embiid attacks the basket in an aggressive fashion and can finish at the rim with authority. In 2022, Embiid became the first center since Shaq in 2000 to win the scoring title averaging over 30.0 PPG.

Embiid is also one of the better big men defenders in basketball. His feet are quick enough to hang with the quicker forwards and centers in today’s game while being an elite protector of the rim at the same time. For the past six seasons, Embiid has averaged 27.3 PPG, 11.5 RPG, and 1.6 BPG over that time. In 2022-23, Embiid is having the best season of his career through 35 games played with 33.4 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 1.7 BPG as he challenged for an MVP award yet again. His status as one of the best 7-footers in NBA history has been solidified over this time and all he needs to convince the doubters who remain is an NBA championship.

8. Robert Parish - 7’1’’

During the 1980s, Robert Parish was the interior force behind one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history, the Boston Celtics. Parish was one of three heads on a trio that won three NBA championships during the 80s decade and battled amongst the elite for the entirety of it. After arriving in Boston, Parish’s lazy tendencies went out the window and he transformed before everyone’s eyes into one of the best big men of the decade.

In his first season in Boston, Parish became an All-Star and would do so with Boston for the next six years straight after that. Over his first seven seasons with the team, they would win three championships with Parish averaging 18.3 PPG, 10.3 RPG, and 1.8 BPG. He would be named to two All-NBA Teams in his career as well as nine All-Star appearances overall. Parish would add an NBA championship in 1997 with the Bulls as a reserve at 43 years old.

7. David Robinson - 7’1’’

David Robinson is one of the most underrated centers ever. His career screams that of a Top 10 big man to ever play the game but is often left off most lists that rank the players at his position. As a two-way destructive force, Robinson ignited the Spurs' turnaround from a failure into a dynasty. He just needed a few more pieces around him to make them champions. Robinson was one of the most skilled and technical bigs of the 1990s and it all began with an amazing rookie season.

In 1990, Robinson cruised to Rookie of the Year honors after taking a few years off to fulfill a military commitment. Just two seasons later, he was named Defensive Player of the Year leading the NBA with 4.5 BPG. Three years after that, he was named the MVP with 27.6 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 1.7 SPG, and 3.2 BPG. Later on in his career, Robinson would add two NBA championships to his name alongside Tim Duncan. Overall, he was named to the All-Star Game 10 times, All-NBA Teams 10 times, and All-Defensive teams eight times.

6. Patrick Ewing - 7’0’’

Patrick Ewing is one of the most offensively talented big men to ever play the game. At 7’0’’, Ewing never had to rely on his size to dominate opponents because his skill level was so high. He possessed a beautiful mid-range jumper that no opponent could stop and although he never won an NBA championship, was still one of the most formidable big men in New York and basketball history.

Ewing would become an NBA All-Star during his rookie year in 1986 and dominate his way to Rookie of the Year honors. Ewing would make 10 straight All-Star teams from 1988 thru 1997 averaging 24.0 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 1.0 SPG, and 2.8 BPG. Ewing would lead the Knicks to two NBA Finals appearances in 1994 and 1999 but fell just short both times. Even ringless, Ewing is one of the best big men in NBA history and should be treated as such in NBA history.

5. Dirk Nowitzki - 7’0’’

Dirk Nowitzki was not the typical NBA big man that we had been accustomed to for the entirety of the league’s existence. With his 7-foot frame, Nowitzki became one of the NBA’s most lethal scoring big men of all time as a shooter from all angles and every spot on the floor. He could consistently knock shots down from beyond the arc as well as dominate from the mid-range. With his patented one-legged fadeaway from his back in the post, Nowitzki developed one of the most unblockable shots in NBA history and devastated opponents nightly because of how difficult it was to guard him.

It took a bit for Nowitzki to get adjusted to the NBA but once he did, he never looked back. He became an All-Satr by the fourth season of his career and would remain one for the next 14 seasons straight. During this time, he averaged 24.3 PPG and 8.6 RPG while shooting 47.8% from the field and 38.3% from three on 3.1 attempts. He became an MVP in 2007 and led the Mavericks to their first franchise title in one of the biggest upsets in NBA Finals history in 2011. He is Top 10 in NBA history in scoring and was a 14-time All-Star, and a 12-time All-NBA Team selection to go with his MVP and Finals MVP awards.

4. Hakeem Olajuwon - 7’0’’

Widely considered to be one of the most skilled players in NBA history, Hakeem Olajuwon comes in at number four on our list. Olajuwon’s instincts on defense made him one of the toughest matchups in basketball during the 80s and 90s swatting shots and altering drives with tremendous poise and ease. On offense, his footwork and wide array of post moves made him an impossible matchup for most big men during his time.

Olajuwon set the league ablaze when it comes to his accomplishments and accolades during his 18-year NBA career. Olajuwon led the NBA in blocks three times and was named the Defensive Player of the Year twice. In 1994, he won MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP when he led Houston to its first NBA title in franchise history. He would collect another NBA title and Finals MVP on an improbable run the following season in 1995. Olajuwon was named an All-Star 12 times, All-NBA Teams 12 times, and to the All-Defensive Teams nine times.

3. Wilt Chamberlain - 7’1’’

There has never been a player in NBA history as dominant as Wilt Chamberlain was during his NBA career. Forget all the narratives of who he was playing against or how many teams there were in the league at the time. Wilt dominated the competition on both sides of the ball with speed, strength, and a tremendous amount of skill. On offense, he was unstoppable around the basket armed with freak athleticism and unstoppable power. On defense, he was just as dominant as a rim protector and shot blocker.

To begin his career, Wilt won seven straight scoring titles and averaged 39.6 PPG over that time. He would also win five rebounding titles during that stretch averaging 24.8 RPG. In 1962, he had one of the greatest single seasons ever when he averaged 50.4 PPG to go with 25.7 RPG. Chamberlain was named MVP four times and delivered championships to both the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers franchises in 1965 and 1972. There are many records that will stand forever that are held by Wilt Chamberlain as a top three 7=footer in NBA history.

2. Shaquille O’Neal - 7’1’’

The only player to challenge Wilt’s dominance during their NBA career is Shaquille O’Neal. At his peak, Shaq was as unstoppable as anyone in NBA history especially once he established a position in the post and received the ball. Whether two or three defenders crashed onto him in the paint, it was never enough to slow him down. He was a decent defender as well, altering opponents’ game plans as the game wore on with his big frame.

When Shaq broke into the league in 1993 with the Magic, fans and media alike knew what a force he was going to be. He ran away with Rookie of the Year honors and ended up leading the Magic to an NBA Finals appearance in 1995. When Shaq moved on to the Lakers, his prime began, and as he added mass, the more unstoppable he became. He would win the MVP and scoring title in 2000 and lead the Lakers to a three-peat as NBA champions from 2000-2002, claiming all three Finals MVP awards. Overall, he was a 15-time All-Star, 14-time All-NBA Team selection, and a three-time All-Defensive Team selection.

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 7’2’’

The best 7-footer to ever play the game is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Even as a young man just breaking into the league, Kareem stood above the competition almost immediately. Over the course of the next 20 years, Kareem would become one of the most decorated players in NBA history, leading his team to NBA championships, collecting the most MVP awards ever, and claiming numerous NBA records that still stand today.

Kareem began his career with the Bucks in 1969-70 and by the following season, they were NBA champions and Kareem had claimed his first Finals MVP award. He would win six total MVP awards in his career as well as two Finals MVP awards. He would win six NBA championships, including five with the Lakers during the 1980s. He would become a 19-time All-Star and a 15-time All-NBA Team selection. He would claim four blocks titles in his career as well as one rebounding title and two scoring titles. Kareem spent 20 seasons in the NBA putting together the greatest resume by a 7-footer in NBA history.