THE NBA’s tallest ever player stood at 7 feet 7 inches tall – but his career was cut short after being derailed by injuries.

Six-year NBA veteran Gheorghe Muresan is the tallest player in league history and earned over $8million in his professional career.

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Gheorghe Muresan is the tallest NBA player everCredit: Getty

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Muresan played in the NBA for six seasonsCredit: Getty

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He won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award in 1995-96Credit: Getty
Born in Romania in 1971, it didn’t take long for the giant to get noticed.

Muresan suffered from a pituitary gland disorder that caused him to grow at a rapid rate, causing him to sprout above 7 feet before aged 18.

He was easily the tallest player on the floor and capitalized on his height advantage in Europe.

Before taking his talents to the USA, Muresan played two years for Romania’s Universitatea Cluj-Napoca, winning a championship in 1992, then heading to France and winning the coveted French League Cup.

At age 22, Muresan was then selected by the Washington Bullets in the second round of the 1993 Draft.

Moments after he was drafted, Muresan said: “It’s an enormous joy to be here and for my country I’m sure there are plenty watching on television right now.

“I have come to this country with straight hope to be in the association.”

The now 52-year-old played professionally in the United States for two teams: the Bullets, recognized today as the Wizards, and the New Jersey Nets, now centered in Brooklyn.

Muresan was on his way to having a productive career, too, if it weren’t for injuries.

After a mediocre rookie season where he appeared 54 times at just 12 minutes per game, he experienced a drastic uptick in playing time the following years.

Muresan started 58 of the 73 games in his sophomore NBA season, doubling his minutes to just under 24 per game while averaging 10 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks.

He enjoyed the best season of his career in 1995-96, winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player award with averages of 14.5 points and 9.6 rebounds while leading the league in field-goal percentage.

Unfortunately for Muresan, his body could not handle the league’s rigorous play.

He missed the entire 1997-98 season with problems in his foot and a stretched tendon in his right ankle and would only play in 31 games over his remaining two NBA seasons.

Following his playing career, he remained closely attached to the game.

George, his oldest son, was a walk-on at Georgetown and played on the team from 2016-20, and now Victor, his younger son, is a junior forward on the team.

Victor is 6-foot-11.