Towering over their competition at well over six feet five inches tall, the tallest Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players in history have used their massive height advantage to battle their way into the record books. This article definitively ranks the 16 tallest active WNBA players today as well as the all-time top 25 tallest WNBA players ever.
Get ready to marvel at these extraordinarily tall female basketball titans of the hardwood.
Key Takeaways
- Brittney Griner’s unmatched blend of size, dexterity and skill allows her to dominate as the league’s most imposing force
- Extreme height grants proven advantages like easy scoring at the rim, rebounding domination, and elite shot blocking
- Massive wingspans enable players like Teaira McCowan to inhale rebounds at elite levels over outstretched arms
- Despite major assets, tall players face mobility issues defending in space and strain running the floor
- Legend Margo Dydek still holds the WNBA record for blocks in a season with 114 rejections thanks to towering size
In summary, extreme height is both a blessing and a curse but the WNBA’s tallest titans use their massive size as a distinct advantage to battle for boards, buckets and blocks at the highest level.
Tallest Active WNBA Players (2024 Season)
Currently patrolling the paint during 2024 WNBA action, these 16 mammoth ballers stand at a lofty 6’5” at minimum, with several rivaling the tallest male basketball professionals in height.
Han Xu – Las Vegas Aces – 6’11”
This Chinese pioneer swats shots with ferocity thanks to her immense reach while anchoring the paint defensively. Xu also converts efficiently inside using her advanced footwork and soft hands to finish.
Brittney Griner – Phoenix Mercury – 6’9”
The reigning queen of height in the WNBA, Griner owns three blocked shot titles while averaging over 17 points per game for her career thanks largely to her mobility and wingspan belying her massive frame. Her 88 inch reach and ability to dunk lend Griner a dominating paint presence. She uses her size to catch lob passes inside and finish strong at the rim.
Elizabeth Williams – Atlanta Dream – 6’8”
This true high-rise center deploys her size to pound the boards and swat shots with 849 career blocks and counting. Williams continues expanding her offensive game to include a feathery jumper and nimble footwork in the post.
Ekaterina Fedorenkova – Las Vegas Aces – 6’7”
The Russian giant provides intense rebounding muscle and defensive physicality off the bench using her imposing size. She overwhelms opponents inside with her sheer bulk and mass.
Maja Skoric – Seattle Storm – 6’7”
This sharpshooting Serbian center earns her nickname of “Tall Ballerina” by leveraging excellent mobility and shooting touch. She spaces the floor with range while tallying rebounds and rejections using her height well.
Brittney Sykes – Los Angeles Sparks – 6’7”
Recently converting from wing, Sykes displays unusual ballhandling ability for her size to distribute creatively along with finishing strong inside. Her extra height helps on the glass.
Brionna Jones – Connecticut Sun – 6’6”
A dominant rebounder, Jones muscles down over 10 boards per game by fully utilizing her strength and length. She also provides crucial interior offense with an array of nimble post moves.
Teaira McCowan – Dallas Wings – 6’7”
The league leader in rebounding leverages her SEC Player of the Year pedigree from college by vacuuming missed shots with the best in basketball. McCowan epitomizes glass cleaning excellence.
Amanda Zahui B. – Los Angeles Sparks – 6’5”
Featuring textbook shooting form and mobility belying her stature, this versatile Swedish center spaces the floor with three-point bombs while tallying blocks shots thanks to massive wingspan.
Kayla Alexander – Minnesota Lynx – 6’6”
Over several WNBA seasons and internationally, Alexander has established herself as an elite shot blocker and rebounder. She has rejected triple digit shots multiple times demonstrating sound defensive fundamentals.
Kiah Stokes – Las Vegas Aces – 6’6”
Despite a limited role, this fleet-footed giant skies high for rebounds and alterations as one of the league’s most explosive leapers pound-for-pound. Her leaping feeds her shot blocking craft.
Kristine Anigwe – Los Angeles Sparks – 6’6”
Anigwe consistently muscles the glass at an high level by fully leveraging her rugged frame and willingness to grind. Her non-stop motor also yields buckets inside where she rumbles through contact.
Rhea Rupert – Phoenix Mercury – 6’6”
This promising rookie impressed by averaging 15 points and 8 rebounds per game in college, an impressive tally thanks to nimble footwork and shooting range unusual for a towering pivot.
Sydney Colson – Chicago Sky – 6’6”
Despite limited minutes, backup center Colson uses her mammoth size effectively to clean the glass, provide screens, and occasionally finish inside when the opportunity arises.
Kia Nurse – Phoenix Mercury – 6’5”
Recently transitioning to forward, the lanky Canadian deploys all-out hustle, athleticism and burgeoning skills to impact games thanks to her newfound size advantage at her position.
Alanna Smith – Phoenix Mercury – 6’6”
This versatile Australian stretch-four spaces the floor with a smooth three-point stroke while battling aggressively inside using her scrappy defense and rebounding to make a difference.
With three skyscrapers measuring 6’7”, two at 6’6”, and the remainder 6’5”, the extraordinary length of these current WNBA pillars provides key tangible assets for their respective franchises thanks to extreme size. Next, the spotlight shines on the tallest female ballers ever to play professional basketball stateside.
Learn More: How Long are NBA Games?
All-Time Tallest WNBA Players
From towering trailblazers who paved the way in the early days to recent shot swatting sensations of today, these are definitively the 25 tallest players ever to grace the WNBA hardwood battlegrounds:
Margo Dydek – Los Angeles Sparks – 7’2”
The tallest player in basketball history—male or female—the late Dydek still owns the WNBA single season record with 114 monumental blocks thanks to otherworldly height. She awed fans with unique versatility as a towering marksman along with visionary passing.
Brittney Griner – Phoenix Mercury – 6’9”
As we discuss above Griner’s extraordinary swiftness and agility given her colossal size allows her to dominate the interior on both ends with unmatched length and mobility. She is equipped to achieve all-time great status thanks to her incredibly unusual combination of height, timing, dexterity, and power, which will continue allowing her to eclipse records and become a transcendent star in the WNBA.
Han Xu – New York Liberty – 6’11”
Surpassing the heights of most players on Earth, towering Han Xu has expanded her game each season – now adding tenacious rebounding prowess and adept shot swatting to an already accurate shooting stroke.
Zheng Haixia – Los Angeles Sparks – 6’9”
Though brief, her stateside stint still showcased versatile all-around skills and feathery shooting touch emergent today in young star Han Xu. Haixia helped lead the Chinese national team as a trailblazing center.
Elizabeth Williams – Atlanta Dream – 6’8”
As we mentioned above, with a mammoth wingspan and innate ability to time shot blocks, Williams swats Basketball Hall of Famers and scrubs alike using disciplined technique rooted in film study and pattern recognition. Her rapidly accelerating footwork and low post scoring touch perfectly complements tenacious rebounding prowess to form a archetypal two-way force destined for stardom.
Heidi Gillingham – Seattle Storm – 6’8”
Dominating the paint with aggressive rebounding, Gillingham earned an All-Star distinction during 2002 while helping lead Seattle to the championship behind tenacious interior play.
Ekaterina Fedorenkova – Las Vegas Aces – 6’7”
As you can see above, this Russian giant deploys brute force inside thanks to a mammoth frame listing at nearly seven feet tall, with vise-like grips swallowing every rebound in sight to dominate the glass before finishing strong through hacked arms or distributing sharply to open teammates spotted thanks to seeing over the trees. Her physicality sets the tone.
Maja Skoric – Seattle Storm – 6’7”
With excellent mobility and shooting touch, “Tall Ballerina” Skoric spaces the floor with three-point range while swatting shots and inhaling rebounds in the interior with aplomb.
Brittney Sykes – Los Angeles Sparks – 6’7”
This versatile wing deploys guard skills in the frontcourt with creative passing vision thanks to the size of a forward. Sykes appears poised for a breakout campaign.
Teaira McCowan – Dallas Wings – 6’7”
With condor-like reach powered by a jet engine motor, reigning rebound queen McCowan vacuums errant shots by fully leveraging every inch of size before rumbling downhill for buckets or spraying lasers pinpointing cutters using vision afforded peering over the competition.
Lindsay Taylor – Sacramento Monarchs – 6’8”
With international and domestic experience across 15 pro seasons, Taylor established herself as an imposing back-to-the-basket scorer along with providing ruthless work ethic battling on the glass during her long successful tenure.
Brionna Jones – Connecticut Sun – 6’6”
Leveraging prototypical center size, Jones muscles inside with an array of nimble footwork, feathery hooks, and brute force affectionately dubbed “bruise and benefits” while inhaling double-digit rebounds thanks to a wingspan exceeding most aircraft. Her impact swells by the possession.
Kayla Alexander – Minnesota Lynx – 6’6”
A global journeywoman, Alexander has blocked shots and snatched rebounds at a prolific rate both stateside and abroad thanks to a wingspan exceeding most planes.
Kiah Stokes – Las Vegas Aces – 6’6”
Despite a slight frame, this pogo stick skywalker utilizes explosive leaping talent to snare rebounds and volleyball spike shots with authority over lumbering posts unable to match her lightning quick vertical bursts allowing Stokes to block better than bigger opponents.
Kristine Anigwe – Los Angeles Sparks – 6’6”
With shoulders broad as a barn door and hands like bear claws, Anigwe imposes sheer physical force battling for bruising buckets and boards against all comers thanks to a rugged frame listing nearly seven feet tall that no opponent can match muscle for muscle.
Brittany Jackson – New York Liberty – 6’6”
During her productive WNBA career, Jackson provided infectious intensity and leadership while supplying staunch interior defense including shot blocking and glass cleaning for every franchise fortunate enough to benefit from her blue collar production during her decade in the league.
Kara Braxton – Detroit Shock – 6’6”
As an All-Star and two-time champion in Detroit and Los Angeles, bruising bullseye Braxton battled larger than life for over 10 seasons by using brute force around the rim along with shockingly solid ball control and passing ability relative to her hulking proportions.
Jayne Appel – San Antonio Stars – 6’6”
Though injuries unfortunately cut her ascendant career short after only a few seasons, the former NCAA star anchored San Antonio’s attack with crafty back-to-the-basket post play for the fledgling franchise before retiring due to mounting health issues.
Erika De Souza – Atlanta Dream – 6’6”
Upon arriving from Brazil in 2002, the internationally decorated veteran De Souza carved out an impressive decade-plus WNBA tenure earning All-Star accolades before heading back overseas to continue compiling accolades and championships.
Lisa Harrison – Phoenix Mercury – 6’5”
As one of the WNBA’s highly touted original players in the late 1990s, prototypical center Harrison blended coordinated size with multifaceted skills such as pinpoint passing before debilitating injuries forced an abrupt, premature end to her immense potential after just three seasons.
Chantel Tremitiere – Sacramento Monarchs – 6’5”
Tremitiere provided crucial frontcourt depth off the bench with rebounding and defense during 5 seasons suiting up for legendary Sacramento teams led by stars Yolanda Griffith and Ruthie Bolton-Holifield in the early 2000s amidst the franchise’s dynastic run.
Taj McWilliams-Franklin – Multiple Teams – 6’5”
Despite giving up significant size against other posts, McWilliams-Franklin carved out a fantastic 14 year career across numerous teams leveraging tenacious rebounding, hard-nosed defense and flawless fundamentals into 6 All-Star appearances against daunting competition.
Erin Buescher – Sacramento Monarchs – 6’5”
Excellent footwork and positioning translated into efficient short range scoring, gritty defense and rebounding supplying quality minutes off the bench during Sacramento’s glorious tenure culminating in the 2005 championship behind legends Griffith and Bolton cemented her place in history.
Clarissa Dos Santos – Houston Comets – 6’5”
Though overseas success predicated her arrival stateside, Dos Santos highlighted low post defensive aptitude along with feathery jump shooting touch during reserve minutes aiding Houston’s drive toward continued dominance in the early 2000s behind living legends Sheryl Swoopes and Cynthia Cooper.
Maria Stepanova – Phoenix Mercury – 6’8”
As the tallest player from Russia to reach the WNBA, Stepanova used her imposing size effectively on both ends despite limited minutes before focusing her professional career to excel in Europe. Fans and teammates remembered her kind spirit and battle-tested grit in the paint.
As these tallest titans of the hardwood demonstrate with sustained excellence over long careers, substantial size clearly converts directly into statistical production, interior prowess and consistent on-court victories.
Learn More: Average NBA Height Revealed
Gameplay Advantages of Height in WNBA
The massive length and wingspan possessed by these WNBA giants provides proven tangible basketball benefits such as:
Total Rebounding Domination – Height allows for leaping ability over shorter opponents to aggressively snare missed shots. Stacked skyscrapers like 6’7” Teaira McCowan impose their sheer scale to lead the league each season in inhaling boards with relentless hustle.
High-Percentage Scoring – Towering directly at the rim with condor-like reach enables easy depositing of short range buckets over smaller defenders. Himalayan centers like Griner convert simple finishes and tough angle chances other posts can’t emulate thanks largely to extreme size.
Elite Shot Blocking – Beginning with new-age juggernaut Brittney Griner to WNBA history-holder Margo Dydek, extreme size enables rejecting perimeter shots and inside attempts with greater ease to short circuit opposing offenses. Their spectator-pleasing blocks also supply crucial extra possessions off of deflections gathered by teammates before sailing out of bounds.
Complete Mismatch Advantages – By establishing prime low block post positioning early against overwhelmed smaller foes, superior size awards WNBA giants clearer pathways to nearly automatic point blank finishes along with plentiful trips to the free throw line as fouls accumulate trying to contain mountainous posts. Extra attention also creates open scoring windows for teammates.
Height reigns as the foremost basketball advantage directly transforming into individual and team success more than any other factor.
Learn More: Average WNBA Height in 2024
Challenges for Extra Tall WNBA Players
However, notable hindrances still manifest despite the clear upside of hooping as some of the tallest women on Earth including:
Strained Mobility – Navigating 94 feet up and down the floor with elongated limbs and towering tops often impedes rapidly changing direction against cat-quick smaller players fully prepared to zoom right past more stagnant skyscraping pivots during transition sequences. Developing adequate foot speed represents a tough task.
Ball Control Difficulties – Palming and smoothly dribbling the rock poses intermittent problems for supersized mitts making crisp touch passing, overall ballhandling artistry and keeping turnovers contained into constant concerns requiring focused drillwork. Shooting touches also suffers at times.
Injury Susceptibility – The substantial sturdy frames of these WNBA titans places heavier burden on joints and pressure on hearts as pivotal battles rage inside for bruising paint postioning on 40 minutes per night until the final buzzer. This wear and tear leads to more lower body trauma over grueling seasons.
Premature Fatigue – Lugging enlarged bodies with amplified intensity during such a fast-paced sport demands better conditioning versus smaller counterparts naturally blessed with more fluid running and superior cardiovascular capabilities to sustain maximum production for entire contests without requiring as much strategic rest patterns.
Therefore, while prime assets exist flowing from extreme stature, drawbacks still manifest at times requiring focused development and smarter reliance on supreme height by players, coaches and trainers over the course of careers. Proper leveraging while masking weaknesses proves paramount.
The game is perfect for word puzzle enthusiasts and those who appreciate Canadian trivia. Its simple yet addictive format encourages repeated play, enhancing vocabulary and knowledge about Canada. Canuckle has quickly gained popularity, providing a fun and informative way to pass the time. Dive into Canuckle and test your word-guessing skills today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the tallest woman to ever play in the WNBA?
The tallest woman to ever play in the WNBA is Margo Dydek, who stood at 7 feet 2 inches tall during her career.
Who is the 7 6 15 year old basketball player?
There is no publicly documented 7’6″ or 7’9″ 15 year old or adult basketball player. Those heights would be exceptionally rare.
Who is the tallest WNBA player right now?
The tallest player currently active in the WNBA is Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner at 6 feet 9 inches tall.
Who is the 7-foot-6 player at IMG?
There is no publicly verified or confirmed 7’6″ basketball player at IMG (the elite academy).
Who is the 7ft 9 inch basketball player?
There is no well-known or officially measured 7 foot 9 inch basketball player on record, that height would be exceptionally rare even by NBA standards.
Who is the 7 tall football player?
The last reported standout 7 foot tall football player was 7’1″ former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive lineman Paul Gruber who retired in 1999.
Related Posts:
