Sports Giants: Athletes Who Tower Over the Competition

Most athletes wake up before sunrise to train for their next game. The blood, sweat and tears they endure training on a daily basis to increase their performance are astonishing to watch.

Some competitors, on the other hand, are lucky enough to be bigger than their competition. This collection of titans has a literal leg up on others. Take a look at the largest athletes of all time.

André Roussimoff, famously known as “Andre the Giant,” was a French professional wrestler. At 7 feet, 4 inches tall and weighing upward of 520 pounds, he certainly fit the nickname. He was a major player in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and the first inductee into its Hall of Fame.

Photo Courtesy: Janine Marmot/Bill Simmons/IMDb

Hailing from China, Yao Ming played for the Shanghai Sharks with the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) when he was 17 years old. In 2002, the 7-foot, 6-inch center was the first pick in the 2002 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets.

Tayyiba Haneef-Park is America’s tallest female indoor-volleyball player. At 6 feet, 7 inches, she dominated the court and played for the United States team in three Summer Olympic Games. Two silver medals later, Haneef-Park retired to start a family and advocate for mental health for tall young women.

Ronnie Coleman is one of the greatest bodybuilders in the world. Weighing in at 300 pounds and measuring 5 feet, 11 inches tall, Coleman has arms that measure an outrageous 24 inches around. He holds the record for the most wins by an IFBB (International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness) professional.

Born Małgorzata Dydek in Poland in 1974, Dydek traveled to the U.S. to play in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was the first pick in the 1988 WNBA draft by the Utah Starzz for her talents and her colossal height of 7 feet, 2 inches.

Morteza Mehrzad is a colossal athlete. In fact, he’s the tallest Paralympian in history at an unbelievable 8 feet, 1 inch in height. As a member of Iran’s national sitting volleyball team, he competed in the 2016 Summer Paralympics and helped his team take home the gold.

Better known as “The Great Khali”, Dalip Singh Rana stands at a massive 7 feet, 1 inch, a dominating height in the professional wrestling world. Hailing from India, Rana earned a fleet of wrestling belts as a heavyweight champion, weighing in at 347 pounds.

A former offensive tackle for the NFL from ’99 to ’10, Aaron Gibson holds the distinction of being the heaviest professional football player ever. Measuring an impressive 6 feet, 6 inches, Gibson weighed in at a whopping 410 pounds during his professional football career.

Known more by her professional wrestling name “Klondyke Kate,” Jayne Porter was the heaviest professional female wrestler, weighing in at approximately 392 pounds. For a woman measuring 5 feet, 4 inches, that’s an awful lot of weight to manage, especially in a wrestling ring.

Things get physically intense during a hockey game, which is why no one wants to be near Zdeno Chára’s 6-foot, 9-inch tall frame when he skates. Especially since he has the record for the hardest slapshot in the NHL, clocking in at 108.8 mph.

Emmanuel Yarbrough held the distinction for being the Guinness World Record holder for the heaviest living athlete of all time. Standing at 6 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing in at a staggering 882 pounds, it’s incredible to picture him walking, let alone wrestling.

At 7 feet, 7.5 inches tall, Gheorghe Mureșan towered over other players. Hailing from Romania, he played for the Washington Bullets and the New Jersey Nets from ’93 to ’00. How does someone shoot a basketball with Mureșan as the team’s center? Legitimate question.

Ivo Karlović is a towering tennis talent, standing at 6 feet, 11 inches. A member of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) since 2005, he is one of the best servers ever, with a record-breaking 156-mph serve. Thanks to his incredible height, Karlović can serve at a unique trajectory.

An aquatic powerhouse, Matt Grevers has the distinction of being the tallest Olympic swimmer of all time. A towering 6 feet, 8 inches is a lot of mass to move in the water, but he’s equipped with a muscular 220 pounds to help him through the water.

Standing at 6 feet, 11 inches and weighing 290 pounds, Jon Rauch is the tallest player in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. The towering pitcher’s MLB career spans nine different teams. He also led the U.S. Men’s team to a gold medal win in the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics.

Regarded as the tallest player in NFL history, Richard Sligh is the only player in the NFL to measure in at least 7 feet tall. Sligh played as a defensive tackle, but it turns out he may have had more luck on the field as a goal post.

The New York Yankees had the brilliant idea to snatch up 6-foot, 7-inch Aaron Judge in the first round of the 2013 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, but he wasn’t only prime real estate for the outfield. Judge proved to be a dominant force at-bat.

Sometimes, people have a leg up on the competition. Jack Bacheler had some seriously helpful legs in the world of long-distance running. At 6 feet, 7 inches, he towered over other runners, yet weighed close to the same as his competitors at 165 pounds.

Standing at a lofty 7 feet, 1 inch and weighing 325 pounds, Shaquille O’Neal was one of the largest players throughout his 19-year basketball career. After being the first draft overall in 1992 by the Orlando Magic, O’Neal quickly became one of the best centers in the NBA.

Nataliya Kuznetsova is a Russian professional bodybuilder who stands at 5 feet, 7 inches, but weighs in at a staggering 225 pounds. She is currently the world’s heaviest known female professional bodybuilder. She can squat 617 pounds, bench press 385 pounds and deadlift 529 pounds.

Peter Crouch is soccer’s center forward that you can see coming from miles away. It’s pretty rare to spot professional soccer players reaching over the 6-foot mark. Crouch stands at an astounding 6 feet, 7 inches, which launches him well over other players on the field.

Dubbed “The Big Unit,” Randy Johnson played Major League Baseball for an astounding 22 seasons. Johnson stands at 6 feet, 8 inches and is one of the most accomplished pitchers of all time. His 100 mph fastballs were some of the most celebrated and dominating pitches in the game.

At a mountainous 6 feet, 7 inches with a size 15 shoe, Bryce Bennett’s parents weren’t sure he could ever fulfill his skiing dreams. His specially designed ski boots and 7-foot wingspan helped him become one of the top downhill racers in the world.

Manute Bol was a massive standout during his time in the NBA — literally. His shot-blocking specialty was untouchable thanks to his 7 feet, 7 inches of height. However, that accounted for most of Bol’s basketball talent, as he underperformed elsewhere on the court.

Mixed martial artist Stefan Struve is nicknamed “The Skyscraper” for a good reason. The 7-foot, 265-pound powerhouse is a Dutch mixed martial artist who grew up playing football before exploring the world of MMA. He made his debut at just 17 years old.

Blanka Vlašić is a two-time world champion and two-time Olympic medalist. Standing at 6 feet, 3 inches, she is widely regarded as one of the best in the sport of high jump. Her accomplishments are especially impressive after the health challenges she has endured throughout her entire athletic career.

The stunning swim star Yvetta Hlaváčová stands at a stupendous 6 feet, 4.5 inches, making her one of the tallest swimmers in the world. She holds the world record for swimming the entire English Channel in 7 hours and 25 minutes.

Lindsay Davenport has the distinction of being one of five women who have been ranked year-end World No. 1 at least four times in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). Famous for her powerful groundstrokes, it probably helped that she stands 6 feet, 2.5 inches tall.

Legendary NFL icon William “The Refrigerator” Perry was a defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles. Standing at 6 feet, 3 inches and weighing in at a whopping 350 pounds, Perry earned the appropriate nickname, “The Fridge.”

At 7 feet, 5 inches, Chuck Nevitt was one of the tallest players in NBA history. His name may not be as recognizable as other basketball stars of his stature, but he was able to last in the league for an impressive 12 seasons.