Chinese Center's NBA Dreams
Tumor the cause of Sun Ming Ming's gigantic frame.
Ming Ming would be the tallest player ever to play in the NBA.
At 7 feet 8 ¾ inches, Sun Ming Ming is one of the tallest living persons on the planet. He weighs roughly 360-370lbs and wears a 19 size shoe.
Ming Ming played for the Chinese Junior Olympic Team (U-18) and the Daqing (pronounced “Da-Shing”) Club before coming to America to train for a possible NBA career. He declared for the 2005 NBA Draft, but went unselected, presumably because of his slowness and lack of stamina.
A doctor later discovered that his growth was the result of a tumor at the base of his skull pressing on his pituitary gland. It had to be surgically removed in 2006, or else he faced the possibility of heart failure and death. Though the surgery was mostly successful, a tiny piece of tumor still remains.
Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets is currently the tallest player in the NBA (7 feet 6 inches) and the pride of Chinese basketball. Sun Ming Ming hopes to follow in his footsteps, which would make him the tallest player to ever play in the league. Manute Bol and Gheurghe Muresan, both 7 feet 7 inches, are currently on record as the tallest NBA players ever.
Robert Pershing Wadlow is recognized by Guinness World Records as the tallest man in history at 8 feet 11 inches. The tallest man still living is Xi Shun (7 feet 8.95 inches).
