So, the other day I was just kicking back, watching some old NBA highlights. You know how it is, scrolling through videos. And I saw some footage of Manute Bol. Man, that guy was something else. His arms looked like they went on forever! It got me thinking, seriously, who actually has the longest wingspan in NBA history?
My first instinct, maybe like a lot of folks, was to think of the super tall guys. Yao Ming? Maybe Shawn Bradley? Or even someone like Rudy Gobert today? They’re huge, right? It makes sense their arms would be long too.
My Search Begins
I grabbed my laptop, figured I’d do a quick search. Typed in something like “nba players longest arms”. Got a bunch of articles, lists, you know the drill. Lots of names popped up. But I wanted the real deal, the official numbers if possible.
I started digging into draft combine results. That’s usually where they get the official measurements, right? Height without shoes, standing reach, and yeah, wingspan. It wasn’t as straightforward as I thought. Some older players, especially way back, didn’t have these super detailed combine measurements publicly listed everywhere.
- Found lots of mentions of Manute Bol again. His numbers seemed almost mythical.
- Saw Tacko Fall’s name quite a bit too, more recent guy.
- Realized quickly that just being tall didn’t automatically mean the longest wingspan. Some guys have wingspans way longer than their height, others are about the same or even shorter.
Getting Closer to the Answer
Okay, so after clicking around, reading forums, checking stats sites – you gotta be careful, sometimes the numbers are just rumors – I started seeing a consensus. Manute Bol. His reported wingspan was consistently cited as being absolutely massive. We’re talking something like 8 feet 6 inches (around 259 cm). That’s just wild to even picture.
Then there’s Tacko Fall. He was measured officially at the combine. His wingspan? Also incredible. I saw numbers like 8 feet 2.25 inches (around 250 cm). Still ridiculously long. It seems these two are generally considered the top guys for this specific measurement in league history, at least based on the info I could piece together.
Final Thoughts
It was kinda fascinating, honestly. You watch these guys play, and you know they have reach, but seeing those numbers really puts it in perspective. An 8-foot-6 wingspan… that’s wider than a king-size bed is long! It definitely explains how guys like Bol could block shots like nobody else. It wasn’t just about finding a list; it was interesting to see how this info is tracked (or sometimes not perfectly tracked) and just appreciate the unique physical gifts some of these athletes have. Made me look at defensive plays and rebounds a little differently afterwards.
