There have been a ton of great players in NBA history that were 6’7″ tall (approximately 2.01m tall).
In this post, I list the greatest 6’7″ NBA players of all time. It includes some of the best scorers ever (i.e Rick Barry, George Gervin), greatest rebounders ever (i.e. Dennis Rodman, Wes Unseld), and one of the most influential players of all-time (i.e. Julius Irving).
In no particular order, the ten best 6’7″ NBA players of ALL TIME are:
- Wes Unseld
- Paul Pierce
- Dennis Rodman
- Clyde Drexler
- Julius Irving
- Bernard King
- Rick Barry
- Reggie Miller
- George Gervin
- Carmelo Anthony
Note: This list does not include currently active 6’7 players like Kawhi Leonard
Read on for a detailed description of each player, and more:
Wes Unseld, Center
Wes Unseld played 13 NBA seasons, all with the Baltimore/Washington Bullets (i.e. currently the Washington Wizards). He is remembered as one of the greatest undersized centers of all time.
He is the only player apart from Wilt Chamberlain to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season (1969)!
Some of his other impressive NBA achievements include: NBA Champ (1978), Finals MVP (1978), MVP (1960), 5x All-Star, All-NBA First Team (1969), Rookie of the Year (1969), All-Rookie First Team, NBA rebounding leader (1975).
Unseld was also named to the 50th and 75th NBA anniversary teams.
š Wes Unseld’s son (Wes Unseld Jr.) was recently the coach of the Washington Wizards.
Paul Pierce, SF
Paul Pierce, a.k.a “The Truth“, is one of the great scorers in NBA history. He is the second all time scorer in Boston Celtics history, behind only John Havlicek (one of greatest 6’5 players of all time).
Pierce’s career spanned 19 seasons, with four NBA teams (Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and LA Clippers).
Some of Pierce’s NBA career achievements include: NBA Champ (2008), Finals MVP (2008), 10x All-Star, 4x All-NBA Team (1x Second, 3x Third), All-Rookie First Team (1999), Three-Point Contest champ (2010).
Pierce was also named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.
š£ Shaquille O’Neal gave Paul Pierce his nickname (The Truth). After playing a game vs the Celtics in 2001, Shaq was so impressed with Pierce’s game that he told reporters that Pierce was the “motherf*cking TRUTH“.
Dennis Rodman, SF/PF
Dennis Rodman, a.k.a. “The Worm“, is one of the greatest rebounders and defenders in NBA history. He is sometimes better remembered for his crazy behaviour off the court, and colorful hairstyles.
His NBA career spanned over 14 NBA seasons (1986-2000) with five teams (Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, LA Lakers, Dallas Mavericks).
Rodman’s impressive NBA career achievements include: 5x NBA Champ, 2x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Third Team, 2x Defensive Player of the Year, 8x All-Defensive Team (7x First, 1x Second), and 7x Rebounding champion (1992-1998).
Rodman was also named a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team.
Interestingly, Rodman only scored over 10ppg once in his career (1987-1988). He averaged over 10rpg, ten times in his career.
Clyde Drexler, SG/SF
Clyde Drexler, a.k.a. “Clyde the Glyde“, was a superb all-around player (offense and defense), best remembered for his smooth playing style and effortless jumping abilities.
Drexler’s NBA career spanned 16 seasons (2002ā2018), with the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets. He averaged double digit scoring in every season except for his rookie year. He has extremely impressive career averages (regular season) of 20.4ppg, 6.1rpg, 5.6apg, and 2.0 steals per game.
Drexler’s other NBA career achievements include: NBA Champ (1995/Houston), 10x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Team (1 First, 2x Second, 2x Third), member of the 50th and 75th NBA anniversary teams.
He also won an Olympic gold medal as part of the “Dream Team” at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Drexler’s jersey number (22) is retired by both Portland and Houston.
Julius Irving, SF
Julius Irving, a.k.a “Dr. J”, is one of the most influential players in NBA history, and is best known for revolutionizing the game with his high-flying, acrobatic playing style. He made the slam dunk popular.
Dr. J’s career spanned over 16 seasons (1971-1987) in the ABA/NBA with the Virigina Squires (ABA), New York Nets (ABA), and Philadelphia 76ers (NBA).
His NBA career (1976-1987) achievements include: NBA Champ (1983), NBA MVP (1981), 11x NBA All-Star, 2x All-Star Game MVP, 7x All-NBA Team (5x First, 2x Second)
His ABA career (1971-1976) achievements include: 2x ABA Champ, 2x ABA Playoffs MVP, 3x ABA MVP, 5x ABA All-Star, 5x All-ABA Team (4x First, 1x Second), ABA All-Defensive Team, ABA All-Rookie First Team, 3x ABA Scoring Champ
He is also a member of every NBA anniversary team (35th, 50th, 75th).
Julius Irving is the only player to win an MVP in both the ABA and NBA.
Bernard King, SF
Bernard King is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. He averaged over 20 points per game 11 times in his career.
He played 14 seasons (1977-1993) with five different teams (New Jersey, Utah, Golden State, New York, Washington).
King is best remembered for his time in New York, where he once led the league in scoring at 32.9 ppg (1984-1985).
His list of career achievements include: 4x NBA All-Star, 4x All-NBA Team (2x First, 1x Second, 1x Third), Comeback Player of the Year, All-Rookie Team, and scoring champ (1985).
Rick Barry
Rick Barry is one of the greatest scorers in ABA / NBA history. He holds the record for highest scoring average in the NBA Finals (36.3).
Barry is also maybe best remembered as the guy who shot his free throws underhand.
Rick Barry played 14 seasons across the ABA and NBA for five different teams — San Francisco/Golden State (NBA), Oakland (ABA), Washington (ABA), New York (ABA), Houston (NBA).
His NBA career achievements include: NBA champ (1975), NBA Finals MVP, 8x NBA All-Star, All-Star Game MVP (1967), 6x All-NBA Team (5x First, 1x Second), Rookie of the Year (1966), All-Rookie First Team, Scoring champ (1967), steals leader (1975)
His ABA career achievements include: ABA champ (1969), 4x ABA All-Star, 4x All-ABA First Team
Barry is also a member of the 50th and 75th NBA Anniversary Teams.
š¶ Good genes: Rick Barry’s five sons all became professional basketball players: Brent Barry, Jon Barry, Drew Barry, Scooter Barry, and Canyon Barry. Brent, Jon, and Drew all played in the NBA. Canyon is currently in the G League.
Reggie Miller, SG
Reggie Miller is one of the best outside shooters in NBA history, and the original 3-point king.
The lanky shooting guard is also one of the most clutch players of all time. He once scored 8 points in 9 seconds vs the New York Knicks to win a playoff game.
Reggie Miller played 18 seasons in the NBA, all with the Indiana Pacers (1987-2005).
His career achievements include: 5x NBA All-Star, 3x All-NBA Third Team, and member of NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
In 1993-1994, Reggie joined the exclusive 50-40-90 club (i.e. 50% fg, 40% 3pt, 90% ft). Only 8 other players in NBA history have ever done this (Larry Bird x2, Mark Price, Steve Nash x4, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant x2, Stephen Curry, Malcolm Brogdon, and Kyrie Irving) .
George Gervin, SG/SF
George Gervin, a.k.a. the “Iceman”, was one of the best scorers, and coolest players ever in NBA history. He is best remembered for being the master of the “finger roll” layup (as well as the pimpin’ poster seen above).
The Iceman played 15 seasons in the ABA/NBA for three different teams: Virginia (ABA), San Antonio (ABA/NBA), Chicago (NBA).
His NBA achievements include: 9x NBA All-Star, All-Star Game MVP, 7x All-NBA Team (5x First, 2x Second), 4x Scoring Champ.
His ABA achievements include: 3x ABA All-Star, 2x All-ABA Second Team, ABA All-Rookie Team.
Gervin is also a member of the 50th and 75th NBA Anniversary teams.
During his career, Gerving never averaged less than 14ppg in a season.
Carmelo Anthony, SF/PF
Carmelo Anthony, a.k.a. “Melo“, is the most recently active player on this list.
He is best remembered for being one of those most offensively skilled, and lethal scorers of his generation. He is one of the few players in history that could literally score from anywhere on the court in a variety of ways (i.e. inside/outside, mid-range, post-ups, isos, drives, etc.).
Carmelo played 19 seasons (2003-2022) in the NBA with six different teams (Denver, New York, OKC, Houston, Portland, LA Lakers). He averaged double digit scoring in every year of his career and has a 22.5ppg career average.
His other NBA achievements, include: 10x All-Star; 6x All-NBA (2x Second, 4x Third); 1x Scoring Champ; All-Rookie First Team; and member of NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.
Melo also has three Olympic gold medals (2008 Beijing; 2012 London; 2016 Rio), and one bronze medal (2004 Athens) with Team USA.
Some Other Notable 6’7 NBA Players
There have been a ton of other great 6’7″ players in NBA history.
Some other notable 6’7″ players (past or present) include (listed in alphabetical order by last name):
- Jimmy Butler*
- Michael Cooper
- Luka Doncic*
- Michael Finley
- Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway
- Eddie Johnson
- Joe Johnson
- Kawhi Leonard*
- Shawn Marion
- Steve Smith
- Metta World Peace (i.e. Ron Artest)
(* still currently playing in the NBA)
Did I miss any? Let me know in the comments below.
Best Current 6’7″ NBA Players
The are currently 59 players in the NBA that are listed at 6’7″ tall. The best current players are:
Of these players, Kawhi would easily make the all-time great list when he retires (he’s already on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team). Luka is well on his way, though he will need a few more seasons. Jimmy Butler is on the fringe. If he wins a championship or two, he may be on the list.
š Click here for more about 6’7 players currently in the NBA
FAQ
What NBA players are 6 foot 7?
Click here for a full list of current 6 foot 7 NBA players.
Who is the best 6 6 NBA player of all time?
Michael Jordan is the best 6’6 NBA player of all time.
Check out these posts for more lists (i.e. best 6’6 player of all time; best 6’8 player, etc.):
Summary
Who is your favorite 6’7″ NBA player of all time? Favorite current player?
Did I miss any notable players on this list?
Let me know in the comments below!
