There have been a ton of great players in NBA history that were 6’10” tall (approximately 2.08m tall).
In this post, we take a detailed look at the 11 best 6’10 NBA players of all time.
The list includes some of the best in-game dunkers ever (e.g. Shawn Kemp, Amar’e Stoudemire), defensive juggernauts (e.g. Dwight Howard, Alonzo Mourning), as well as pioneers of the game (e.g. Bill Russell, George Mikan).
In order by seasons played, the 11 best 6’10” NBA players of ALL TIME are:
- Moses Malone
- Dwight Howard
- Alonzo Mourning
- Chris Webber
- Shawn Kemp
- Amar’e Stoudemire
- Toni Kukoc
- Kevin McHale
- Bill Russell
- Willis Reed
- George Mikan
There are no currently active players on this list.
Read on for a detailed description of each player, and more:
Moses Malone, C
Moses Malone was a dominating force in the NBA during the late 1970s and 1980s, and one of the greatest rebounders of all time (particularly, offensive rebounds).
He played a total of 21 seasons in the ABA/NBA for 9 different teams: Utah (ABA), St. Louis (ABA), Buffalo Braves (now the LA Clippers), Houston, Philadelphia, Washington, Atlanta, Milwaukee, and San Antonio.
He is best remembered for his time in Houston and Philadelphia where he won multiple MVPS, and an NBA championship. During his prime (1978-1985), he averaged a ridiculous 14.8 rebounds and 29.4 points per game!
A list of Mose Malone’s ABA/NBA career achievements include: NBA champion; NBA Finals MVP; 3x NBA MVP; 12x NBA All-Star; 8x All-NBA Team (4x First, 4x Second); 2x All-Defensive Team (1x First, 1x Second); 6x NBA rebounding leader; ABA All-Star; ABA All-Rookie Team; member of NBA anniversary team (50th, 75th); and member of ABA All-Time team.
Malone also led the ABA/NBA league 9 times in offensive rebounds, and is the current NBA record holder for offensive rebounds in a career, season, and single game.
Rebound Monster: Moses Malone was so good at offensive rebounding, that he was sometimes accused of intentionally missing shots just so he could get the offensive rebound (and pad his stats).
Dwight Howard, C
Dwight Howard was one of the most dominant centers of the mid-late 2000s.
He is best remembered for his prime years on the Orlando Magic, where he used his freak athleticism (jumping, strength, speed) to become a multiple time All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year winner.
Overall, Dwight played 18 seasons (2004-2022) in the NBA for seven different teams (Orlando, LA Lakers, Houston, Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, and Philadelphia). He has technically not retired yet, so he may have one more NBA stint left in him (currently playing overseas).
Some of Dwight’s other NBA achievements, include: NBA Champion; 8x All-NBA Team (5x First, 1x Second, 2x Third); 3x Defensive Player of the year; 5x All-Defensive Team (4 First, 1x Second); 8x All-Star; All-Rookie First Team; 5x Rebounding Leader; 2x Blocks leader; Slam Dunk Contest Champion.
Dwight also averaged a double-double (points and rebounds) for 14 straight seasons!
He also won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
🌎 Globetrotter: Since his last NBA season in 2022, Dwight has played professional basketball for teams in Taiwan, Dubai, and Puerto Rico.
Alonzo Mourning, C
Alonzo Mourning, a.k.a “Zo“, was a fearless shot blocker and one of the best defensive players of his era.
Zo played a total of 16 NBA seasons for three different teams (Charlotte, Miami, New Jersey). He is best remembered for his time in Miami, where he won Defensive Player of the Year twice, and an NBA championship.
A list of Mourning’s NBA achievements include: NBA Champion; 2x All-NBA Team (1x First, 1x Second); 2x All-Defensive First Team; 2x Defensive Player of the Year; 7x All-Star; 2x blocks leader; All-Rookie First Team.
Mourning also won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Wallace and Dikembe Mutumbo are currently the only players in NBA history with four Defensive Player of the Year Awards.
Thanks cuz‘: In 2004, Mourning almost retired because of a kidney disease. He received a successful kidney transplant from his distant cousin, and managed to play 5 more NBA seasons.
Chris Webber, PF/C
Chris Webber, a.k.a “C-Webb“, was one of the top power forwards of the mid-late 90s, and early 2000s.
He was an immensely talented offensive player that could score from all over the floor, was a terrific passer, and could even handle the ball (which was very rare for big men at the time). He was also one of the best rebounders in the league.
Webber played 15 seasons in the NBA for five different teams (Golden State, Washington, Sacramento, Philadelphia, and Detroit). He averaged double digit scoring every year of his career, except his last (only played 9 games).
Some of Webber’s other NBA achievement’s include: 5x All-NBA Team (1x First, 3x Second, 1x Third); 5x All-Star; Rookie of the Year; All-Rookie First Team; 1x Rebounding leader.
He holds a very impressive career average of 20.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game.
🖐 Fab Five: C-Webb was already famous before entering the league, as a member of Michigan’s trend-setting college team, known as the Fab Five.
Shawn Kemp, PF
Shawn Kemp, a.k.a. “The Reign Man“, was one of the most electrifying players of 90’s.
He is best remembered for his high-flying, ferocious, highlight reel dunks as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics (now the OKC Thunder).
Kemp, together with point guard Gary Payton made one of the best duos in the league at the time (perhaps only behind Jordan/Pippen and Stockton/Malone).
Overall, Kemp played 14 seasons (1989-2003) with four different teams (Seattle, Cleveland, Portland, Orlando).
Some of his NBA achievements include: 6x All-Star; 3x All-NBA Second Team.
Kemp also averaged a double-double (points, rebounds) for 6 straight seasons (1991-97).
🫣 Lister Blister: Kemp has one of the most disrespectful poster dunks in NBA history — known as the “Lister Blister“.
Amar’e Stoudemire, PF/C
Amar’e Stoudemire, a.k.a. “STAT“, was one of the top power forwards of the 2000s.
Similar to Shawn Kemp (listed above), Stoudemire was an athletic beast that would dominate the game with his superior speed, strength and jumping ability. He also developed a reliable mid-range game, which helped him average over 20 points per game for seven seasons.
STAT ended up playing a total of 14 NBA seasons (2002-2016) for four different teams (Phoenix, New York, Dallas, Miami). His prime was derailed a bit by knee injuries, but he still ended up with impressive career averages of 18.9 points (.537 FG%) and 7.8 rebounds per game
Some of Stoudemire’s other NBA achievements include: 5x All-NBA Team (1x First, 4x Second); 6x All-Star; Rookie of the Year; and All-Rookie First Team.
Stoudemire also won an Olympic Bronze Medal with Team USA at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
🏆 Israel Champ: After the NBA, Stoudemire played a few seasons in Israel, winning two championships and a finals MVP.
Toni Kukoc, PF/C
Toni Kukoc was one of the first European-born players to make a significant impact in the NBA. Before joining the NBA, Kukoc was already a 3-time Euroleague champion, and 3-time Euroleague Finals MVP (among many other achievements).
In the NBA, Kukoc is best remembered as the 6th man for the legendary 90’s Chicago Bulls team led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. He won three straight championships with the team, as well as Sixth Man of the Year (1996).
In total, Kukoc played 13 seasons in the NBA for four different teams (Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Milwaukee).
A list of his NBA achievements include: 3x NBA Champion; Sixth Man of the Year; All-Rookie Second team.
He also averaged double digit scoring in 10 of his 13 seasons.
Kukoc won two Olympic silver medals — one with Yugoslovia at the 1988 Seoul Olympics; and one with Croatia at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
He also won a World Cup gold medal from the 1990 FIBA World Championship in Argentina.
🍽 The Waiter: Kukoc earned the strange nickname “The Waiter”, thanks to his elite passing skills (i.e. serving up assists for his teammates).
Kevin McHale, PF
Kevin McHale was a top power forwards of the 1980s, and one of the greatest low-post players of all-time.
His variety of post-moves and ability to finish near the basket earned him the great nickname “The Torture Chamber”. He was also a great defensive player, making multiple All-Defensive teams.
McHale played a total of 13 seasons in the NBA, all with the Boston Celtics.
His list of NBA achievements include: 3x NBA Champion; 1x All-NBA First Team; 6x All-Defensive Team (3x First, 3x Second); 7x All-Star; 2x Sixth Man of the Year; All-Rookie First Team; and member of NBA anniversary teams (50th, 75th)
McHale also led the league twice in field goal percentage, shooting a ridiculous 60% from 1986-1988.
O.G Big Three: McHale was part of one of the NBA’s original “Big Threes”, along with Larry Bird and center Robert Parish.
Bill Russell, C
Bill Russell was one of the first superstars in the NBA, and is universally recognized as one of the greatest players in basketball history.
He is arguably the greatest rebounder of all-time, as well as one of the best shot-blockers ever. He is also the winningest player ever, with a record 11 NBA championships.
Russell played a total of 13 NBA seasons (1956-1969), all with the Boston Celtics.
A list of his NBA achievements include: 11x NBA champion; 5x MVP; 11x All-NBA Team (3x First, 8x Second); All-Defensive First Team*; 12x All-Star; All-Star Game MVP; 4x Rebounding champion; and member of each NBA anniversary team (25th, 35th, 50th, 75th).
He also averaged over 20 rebounds per game for 10 straight seasons, and has a ridiculous career average of 22.5 rebounds per game.
Russell once grabbed 51 rebounds in a single game! To put that into perspective, most NBA teams currently average less than 50 rebounds per game.
*Note: Russell only made one All-Defensive team, because 1969 was the first year that the NBA selected defensive team awards. Russell retired after the 1969 season.
Willis Reed, C
Willis Reed was a great center of the 60’s, and one of the best New York Knicks of all time.
He played 10 seasons in the NBA (1964-1974), all with the Knicks. His career was cut a bit short due to injuries, but still managed to create all-time great NBA résumé.
He finished with impressive career averages of 18.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. This includes seven straight seasons of averaging a double-double (points and rebounds).
Reed’s other NBA achievements include: 2x NBA champion; 2x Finals MVP; NBA MVP; 5x All-NBA Team (1x First, 4x Second); All-Defensive First Team; 7x All-Star; All-Star Game MVP; Rookie of the Year; All-Rookie Team; and member of NBA’s 50th and 75th anniversary teams.
Reed is perhaps best remembered for his game 7 performance in the 1970 NBA Finals vs the LA Lakers. Reed was not expected to play at all due to a serious thigh injury, but he started the game, scoring the first two baskets. The fans went crazy, giving the New York Knicks the morale boost needed to win their first championship.
George Mikan, C
George Mikan, a.k.a. “Mr. Basketball“, was the first true NBA superstar.
He played 9 seasons in the league, which includes 2 seasons in the NBL (National Basketball League) — predecessor to the NBA. His seven seasons in the NBA were all with the Minneapolis Lakers (currently the LA Lakers). He finished his career averaging over 23 points and 13 rebounds per game.
Some of Mikan’s other NBL/NBA achievements, include: 5x NBA Champion; 4x NBA All-Star; NBA All-Star Game MVP; 6x All-NBA First Team; 3x NBA scoring champion; NBA rebounding leader; 2x NBL Champion; NBL MVP; NBL scoring champion; and member of each NBA anniversary team (25th, 35th, 50th, 75th).
Mikan was also the first true big man in the NBA, and dominated the game with his height. Before Mikan, tall players were thought to be too slow and awkward to play basketball.
🏀 Creating the ABA: Mikan was one of the founders of the ABA (American Basketball Association), which later merged with the NBA. The ABA helped revolutionize the game of basketball, including introducing the 3-point line and slam dunk contest.
Some Other Notable 6’10” NBA Players
Besides the all-time greats listed above, there have been a ton of other notable 6’10” players in NBA history.
These players might not have the accomplishments as the ones listed above, but were still great in their own right.
In order by seasons played, some other great former/current 6’10” players include:
- Rick Mahorn
- Rasheed Wallace
- Clifford Robinson
- Horace Grant
- Tom Chambers
- Rashard Lewis
- Joe Smith
- Detlef Schrempf
- Robert Horry
- Derrick Coleman
- Lamar Odom
- Danilo Gallinari*
- Larry Nance (i.e. father of Larry Nance Jr.)
- Mychal Thompson (i.e. father of Klay Thompson)
- Peja Stojakovic
- DeMarcus Cousins
- Anthony Davis*
(* still playing in the NBA)
Did I miss any of your favorite players? Let me know in the comments below.
Best Current 6’10” NBA Players
The are currently 44 players in the NBA that are listed at 6’10” tall. The best current players are:
👉 Click here for a complete list of all 6’10 players currently in the NBA
Other All-Time Players by Height
Check out these posts for lists of other all-time great NBA players by height (i.e. 6’8, 6’9, etc.)
Summary
Who is your favorite 6’10” NBA player of all time? Favorite current 6’10 player?
Did I miss any notable players on this list?
Let me know in the comments below!
