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Basketball is a game of big men and the NBA is a land of the giants. We’ve seen too many seven-foot basketball players come and go in the history of the NBA. No offense meant to the 7-footers of old but the seven-footers have evolved in the NBA as more talented than ever.
Let’s take a look at the best seven-footers in the NBA in 2019. Because this is a height-based topic, we’re listing them from the tallest. Read on.
Kristaps Porzingis 7-3
Remember when the Knicks’ fans booed him during Draft day? Oh they were so wrong about Porzingis from day one. Phil Jackson made so many mistakes during his tenure as president of the Knicks, drafting Porzingis was the exception. KP is one of the tallest players in the league and is one of the most versatile 7-footers we’ve ever seen play the game. He finished second to Karl Anthony Towns in the 2016 Rookie of the Year race and quickly became the franchise player in New York before he was injured and subsequently traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
Rudy Gobert 7-1
The Stifle Tower is the NBA’s 2019 Defensive Player of the Year and he has won the award in the last two seasons. As the anchor of the Utah Jazz defense, Rudy Gobert is led the NBA in blocks in 2017 and has been among the leaders in that category, year after year. Gobert has a 7-9 wingspan that makes him a defensive menace. He has made the All-Defensive first team three times and was an All-NBA third team member last season.
Marc Gasol 7-1
Marc Gasol is Pau’s younger brother and he is equally talented as his big bro. At 7-1, Gasol used to be one of the stalwarts for the Memphis Grizzlies during the Grit and Grind era. He is an excellent perimeter shooter for a big man and also has elite passing skills. He can also play on the other end of the floor as he was the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. Gasol is a three-time NBA All-Star, a member of the All-NBA First team in 2015 and All-NBA second team in 2013. Last season, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors where he helped the team win its first-ever NBA title.
Joel Embiid 7-0
Joel Embiid has come a long way since his injury days. The Philadelphia 76ers took a gamble in drafting him despite a long history of injuries but after a couple of years, their risk paid off and Embiid has developed into one of the league’s top centers. Embiid is an intimidator on both offense and defense and his range can extend up to the three-point area. He is agile and quick for his size. Former Sixers’ GM Sam Hinkie’s tagline was “Trust the Process”. Well, Embiid’s success is proof of that. He has been named to the All-Star team and All-NBA second team in the last two seasons.
Nikola Jokic 7-0
They call him the Joker but by any means, his game is no joke. Nikola Jokic is the Denver Nuggets’ version of the unicorn. He’s a seven-footer who has a feathery touch and who has excellent court vision. He can also bring the ball up and become the team’s primary facilitator. Jokic can do it all. Although he isn’t as powerful as the likes of Embiid or Whiteside, he is equally effective. Jokic is a walking triple-double machine and given his height, that’s impressive. He was named to the All-Star team and the All-NBA first team last season.
Karl Anthony Towns 7-0
For two consecutive season, the NBA’s General Managers picked Karl Anthony Towns as the player they want to build their franchise around. Well, that was in 2017 and 2018. Towns were the #1 overall pick in the 2015 draft and he was named as Rookie of the Year in 2016. This big man has shot at least .400 from behind the three-point area in the last two seasons and is a career .392 three-point shooter. Towns is a two-time All-Star and All-NBA third team member in 2018.
Nikola Vucevic 7-0
2019 was Nikola Vucevic’s breakout year. The 28-year-old Montenegrin averaged 20.8 points and 12.0 rebounds per game, both career-highs, for the Orlando Magic during the 2018-19 season. He made the All-Star team for the first time in his career and given how well he improved last season, it looks like we haven’t seen the best of him yet Vucevix was rewarded with a four-year $100M contract extension by the Orlando Magic last June and it was well-deserved.
Lauri Markkanen 7-0
Lauri Markkanen hails from Finland and is the son of former Finnish basketball players Pekka and Riikka Markkanen. He was drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the 7th overall pick in the 2017 draft, a pick they received in exchange for Jimmy Butler. Markkanen is a seven-footer who plays the small forward position. He is a versatile scorer who can extend his range all the way to the three-point area. Markkanen is one of the bright spots in Chicago and coming off a season where he got injured, the Bulls are expecting a big year from him this coming season.
Hassan Whiteside 7-0
Hassan Whiteside has been an enigma all throughout this career. Despite that, there is no denying that he is one of the best 7-footers in the NBA today. Whiteside is a physically dominating presence in the paint. On his day, he can dominate a game with his rebounding, shot-blocking and inside scoring. He led the NBA in blocks in 2016 and rebounding in 2017. He was also a member of the Defensive second team in 2017. He played five seasons for the Heat before being traded to the Portland Trail Blazers last summer. Fans are hoping a change in the scenario will awaken the sleeping giant in Whiteside.
Brook Lopez 7-0
Talk about three-point shooting big men, Brook Lopez is surprising. After not hitting a three-pointer in his first six NBA seasons, he became a reliable threat in the previous three years. Lopez was the 10th overall pick in the 2010 draft by the Brooklyn Nets. He became the Nets’ franchise player and all-time leading scorer before he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers along with Kyle Kuzma for D’Angelo Russell. After a season in Hollywood, he transferred to Milwaukee where he helped the Bucks to the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals. Lopez is a career .342 three-point shooter
