Tallest NBA player (ever): world record set by Gheorghe Muresan

October 25, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States--Romanian born Gheorghe Dumitru Mureșan, also known as "Big Ghiță", is a retired professional basketball player; at 7 feet 7 inches (2.31 m), he is the tallest player ever to have played in the NBA, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

Gheorghe Mureșan was born in Tritenii de Jos, Cluj County, Romania. Although his parents were of normal height, he grew to his remarkable height due to a pituitary gland disorder.

Gheorghe Muresan played competitive basketball at Universitatea Cluj, becoming national champion in 1992. He played professionally in the French league with Pau-Orthez during the 1992–93 season and was an instant hit with fans, also managing to win the French League Cup. He was selected by the NBA's Washington Bullets in the 1993 NBA draft.

Gheorghe Muresan played in the NBA from 1993 to 2000 showing signs of a promising career that was derailed by injuries. His best season came in the 1995–1996 campaign, when he averaged 14.5 points per game.

Gheorghe Mureșan was named the NBA's Most Improved Player for the 1995–96 season after averaging 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.26 blocks per game while making a league-leading 58.4 percent of his field goals.

He led in field goal percentage again the following season, with a 60.4% average. Overall, Gheorghe Muresan holds career averages of 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.48 blocks per game and a .573 field goal percentage.

Gheorghe Muresan joined the New Jersey Nets for the final 31 games of his career.

After ending his NBA career, Gheorghe Mureșan had another stint at Pau-Orthez where he won the French league before returning to the United States with his family. He normally wore number 77, in reference to his height.

On March 11, 2007, Gheorghe Mureșan played a game for the Maryland Nighthawks as part of the tallest lineup in the history of basketball. This was the only basketball game Mureșan ever played where he was not the tallest person on the court, as Sun Mingming is 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m).

In 2004, Gheorghe Mureşan founded the Giant Basketball Academy (GBA), a program dedicated to teaching the proper fundamentals of basketball to boys and girls of all ages.The Academy is located in Ashburn, Virginia.

Gheorghe Mureşan is also part of the Washington Wizards marketing and public relations team, serving as an "ambassador" for the team.

Outside basketball, Gheorghe Mureșan has dabbled in acting, playing the title character in 1998 feature film My Giant starring comedian Billy Crystal.

He appeared as a ventriloquist in the music video for Eminem's breakthrough single "My Name Is." He has appeared in commercials for Snickers candy bars, and sports television network ESPN. Most recently, Mureșan co-authored two young adult fitness and health books: The Boy's Fitness Guide and The Girl's Fitness Guide.

Gheorghe Mureșan and his wife Liliana and sons George and Victor have resided in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, but they relocated to suburban Washington, D.C. Since the 2016–2017 season, his oldest son, George, has played for the Georgetown University Hoyas as a walk-on forward.

The GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for the tallest professional model is Ekaterina Lisina (Russia), who is 205.16 cm (6 ft 8.77 in) tall as measured in Labinsk, Russia, on 20 July 2017.

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS also recognized the world record for the tallest man living; it is Sultan Kösen (Turkey, b.10 December 1982) who measured 251 cm (8 ft 2.8 in) in Ankara, Turkey, on 08 February 2011.