Suleiman Ali Nashnush – A Review of The Tallest Player

Many basketball players are quite tall with some individuals sporting heights above 7 feet. But the record for the tallest basketball player of all time goes to Suleiman Ali Nashnush.

Libyan basketball player Suleiman Ali Nashnush has a height that surpasses 8 feet. Considering that the standard height of the basketball ring is at 10 feet, Nashnush would have little to no problem dunking the ball without jumping.

What is the exact height of Suleiman Ali Nashnush? Does he have other professions besides being a basketball player? Is Nashnush the tallest person in history? Continue reading to answer these questions and other relevant information.

Suleiman Ali Nashnush

Suleiman Ali Nashnush holds the record for the tallest basketball player in history. Born in Tripoli, Libya, in 1943, Nashnush has a height that goes over 8 feet, surpassing the likes of Sun Mingming, Robert Bobroczky, and Yao Ming.

It’s no surprise that Nashnush is the center of his team because of his height. However, his vertically impressive stature isn’t normal. The abnormal height promoted several health concerns for him, which led Nashnush to undergo corrective surgery in 1960.

Upon sporting a suitable height that won’t endanger his well-being, Nashnush proceeded to go through different careers. Aside from being a basketball player, he would also procure a small role in a 1969 film called Fellini Satyricon. Set in Nero era Roma, the movie’s story was based on Petronius’ writing. Unfortunately, the movie or its staff didn’t credit Nashnush for his small role of being Tryphanaea’s attendant.

Suleiman Ali Nashnush died at the relatively young age of 48 in February 1991. As it stands, no information was released for the cause of his death.

How Tall is Suleiman Ali Nashnush?

The exact height of Suleiman Ali Nashnush is 8 feet 0.5 inches. He ranks as the tallest person in basketball and shares the same title with Iranian Paralympian and volleyball player Morteza Mehrzad.

Nashnush is also the 11th tallest person and the 10th tallest man in history. The tallest person of all time is ‘The Giant of Illinois’ Robert Wadlow, who stands at a towering 8 feet 11 inches.

What Team Did Suleiman Ali Nashnush Play For?

Suleiman Ali Nashnush played for the Libyan team. Since data and film recording were quite scarce at that time, no data is available showing Nashnush playing for and with his team. However, his presence in the team was likely nothing more than a PR stunt. Nashnush’s limbs might look impressive, but the abnormal lengths make it difficult and sometimes painful for him to move efficiently.

Who are the Tallest People in History?

History is rife with tall men and women and Suleiman Ali Nashnush is one of them. Despite these people’s impressive height, the condition is far from being healthy. These individuals suffer from different medical conditions, including eunuchoid tallness, Sotos syndrome, and Pituitary gigantism.

Many of the world’s tallest individuals throughout history are suffering from these illnesses. But the stories of these people are as thought-provoking as the origins of their conditions.

Some of the tallest people in history are:

1. Robert Wadlow – 8 feet 11 inches

Dubbed ‘The Giant of Illinois,’ Robert Wadlow attained a maximum height of 8 feet 11 inches, which makes him the tallest man and person to have walked on this Earth.

The cause of his gigantic height was the hypertrophy of his pituitary gland. This disorder made his body produce more than the normal amounts of human growth hormone. In turn, Wadlow grew taller each year rapidly. By eight years old, Wadlow was already taller than most human beings on the planet. He was 6 feet 2 inches at that time and required a special desk at his school so he can sit properly.

Wadlow didn’t only have hypertrophy of the pituitary gland as his abnormal stature opened doors for other illnesses. For instance, reports say that he found it more challenging than intended to walk around campus.

Since his limbs were unnaturally long, Wadlow’s bones were more brittle than that of the average human being. Therefore, he needs to wear leg braces to walk properly and he would need to wear these medical tools for the rest of his life.

A faulty leg brace infected a blister, which caused Wadlow’s blood to become septic. Blood transfusions and emergency medical procedures failed to save him, causing him to pass away at the reasonably early age of 22 years old.

2. John Rogan – 8 feet 9 inches

Coming in at second in this list of the tallest people of all time is John William Rogan. Nicknamed ‘Bud,’ Rogan had a height of 8 feet 9 inches. He was born in Tennessee in 1868, and it wasn’t until the age of 13 when Rogan and other people near him began to notice his unusual growth.

Rogan’s quick growth gave him lengthy limbs. But it also presented him with severe ankylosis, a health condition that makes the joints inflamed and stiff.

With this health concern, Rogan found it extremely difficult to stand, let alone walk. At first, he could walk around briefly with the aid of crutches. However, by the age of 14, Rogan could no longer stand as moving his lower limbs would cause him extreme pain. It came to a point when Rogan had to use a specially-made golf cart for mobility.

Rogan passed away in 1905 because of complications from his disease. Folks who were near-and-dear to his heart buried Rogan with a layer of concrete as a deterrent for curious scientists to dig up the body.

3. John Carroll – 8 feet 7.5 inches

John Carroll, also called the ‘Buffalo Giant’ by medical publications, was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1932. Like Rogan, it wasn’t until a certain age before Carroll’s abnormal growth spurt began taking effect. For Carroll, it was at the age of 16 when his limbs started growing beyond normal means. His condition was unique as his growth spurt didn’t stop until his eventual passing in 1969.

Acromegalic gigantism is the name of Carroll’s affliction, which not only gave this man long limbs but a life with suffering as well. The pain became substantial as it crawled to his spine.

Eventually, Carroll would be the bearer of another health issue called kyphoscoliosis, an extreme curvature of the spine. Measuring Carroll’s height accurately also became more challenging than intended because of this spinal curvature.

Experts agreed that Carroll’s height was 8 feet 7.5 inches at the time of his death in 1968. But his kyphoscoliosis was so severe that reports indicate that his height might be only a little below 9 feet.

Aside from these three people, other notable tall people in history are:

Who are the Tallest NBA Players?

Some people in history were still able to move around quite well despite their taller-than-average heights. Some individuals would even become part of the NBA’s history because of their statures. Thus, the following are some of the tallest basketball players in the NBA throughout history.

1. Gheorghe Mureșan

Standing at a towering 7 feet 7 inches, Gheorghe Mureșan played for six seasons for two teams, namely the Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets. It’s quite obvious that he played as the center for both teams because of his height. He entered the NBA when he was 22 years old with the 1993 to 1994 season as his first playoffs.

As a center, he was fairly proficient as a defensive player for the Wizards and Nets. However, he wasn’t a pushover when it came to shooting.

During the 1995 to 1996 and 1996 to 1997 seasons, Mureșan became the league leader for field goal percentage and two-point percentage. But he skipped the succeeding season because of a knee and back injury.

2. Manute Bol

Born in Sudan, Africa, Manute Bol comes second in the rank of the tallest player in the NBA with Mureșan being the first. Bol is 1 inch shy of standing head-to-head with Mureșan.

Like Mureșan, Bol was the center for his affiliated teams. He played for and with the Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, and Miami Heat. Bol’s first seasonal playoffs were the 1985 to 1986 season and he played for 12 consecutive seasons while in the NBA.

Bol’s tall height was a boon in the court as it seemed to be quite easy for this North African player to swat basketballs from his opponents. He even became a two-time league leader in guarding.

3. Slavko Vraneš

Standing at the same height as Manute Bol, Slavko Vraneš was an NBA player hailing from Montenegro, a southeast country in Europe. Unlike many NBA players, Vraneš’s time on the court was short-lived. It’s because his contract only lasted for 10 days, and many teams didn’t find his basketball skills impressive enough to warrant additional playing times.

Vraneš’s NBA career started and ended in the 2003 to 2004 season. He was also part of the Portland Trail Blazers as the center with only one point for guarding.

4. Yao Ming

Even if you’re not a basketball fan, you’ve seen Yao Ming’s face in many memes. Aside from the funny online pictures, a height of 7 feet 6 inches is nothing to laugh at.

Born in Shanghai, China, Yao Ming, also called ‘The Great Wall’ and ‘The Dynasty’ by fans and colleagues, was the center for the Houston Rockets during his nine-year NBA career. His basketball skills are quite good, seeing that the Sporting News publication lauded him for being the Rookie of the Year in one published post.

But like other taller-than-average folks, Ming tends to suffer from injuries because of his height. For instance, in April 2006, Ming had a broken foot that required at least six months of rest. As such, he had to didn’t play for the rest of the season.

Aside from Mureșan, Bol, Vraneš, and Ming, other notable tall NBA players are:

Final Words

Suleiman Ali Nashnush had the gift of having a tall height that allowed him to be part of his country’s basketball team. With a height of 8 feet 0.5 inches, Nashnush was the center of his team. Although he quit the sport at an early age, he was still able to live a good life by following other careers and professions.

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