Have you ever imagined giants would be playing basketball in NBA games? The former Chinese basketball player and actor Sun Mingming is the tallest NBA player in the world, with a 2.36 m. He weighs 167 kg, and it’s enormous in NBA games. Sun Mingming is a professional basketball player with extraordinary skills and a passion for basketball, and fans are always crazy to see this giant playing what he loves. Have you ever watched Sun Mingming playing basketball in the NBA games? You might have been shocked to see his pace and skill with this giant body and weight. Let’s discuss everything regarding this basketball giant Chinese man, Sun Mingming.
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Sun Mingming Bio:
This giant was born on 23rd August 1983 and is currently 38. Sun Mingming was born in Bayan Country, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China, with his nationality is Chinese. The presently listed height of Sun Mingming is 2.36m, 7 feet and 9 inches, which is why he is the tallest NBA and basketball player in the world.
Sun Mingming went to Ventura College from 2005 to 2006. He started playing basketball officially in 2006 and kept working hard throughout his basketball career from 2006 to 2014. Some of the most popular and excellent matches played by Sun Mingming in his professional career position in the leagues like Dodge City Legends 2007, Maryland Nighthawks 2007, Grand Rapids Flight 2007, Fuerza Regia 2008, Grand Rapids Flight 2008–2009, Hamamatsu Phoenix 2009–Grand are just awesome and mind-blowing.
Tallest NBA Player: Sun Mingming Early Life:
Sun Mingming was born in Bayan Country (near a small town), Harbin, Heilongjiang, China. This giant got two siblings, a sister and a brother. Sun Mingming started playing basketball after turning 15, and he was a passionate player that achieved his goals quickly in his professional career. He educated himself about basketball at a Venture College because he played basketball there. It was a community college in Ventura, CA. For one year, from 2005 to 2006, Sun Mingming played basketball for this college, and then after considerable practice, he decided to enter into a professional career as a basketball player, but he might have never thought to be the tallest NBA player.
Professional Basketball Career:
From the beginning, Sun Mingming was an excellent player that every team wanted, and because of his dedication, he got early chances to play in some of the best teams like American minor league teams like Dodge City Legends, which is a USBL team.
He also played for other teams like the ABA team Maryland Nighthawks. After that, Sun Mingming played for the IBL team’s grand rapids flight. Sun Mingming was one of the best choices for all these teams, and he proved why he deserved his place in the team because he gave the best points to teams.
In 2007, Harlem Globetrotters recognized Sun Mingming as the tallest basketball player in the history of their matches, even though Sun Mingming would never play for their team.
After that, Sun Mingming entered the Mexican league and played with them and Fuerra Regia. He also played for Japan’s league with the team Hamamatsu Phoenix.
Homecoming To China:
After playing for three years for different teams, Sun Mingming returned to his country, China, to play for his country’s team Beijing Ducks, which had participated in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). They played together till the 2012 CBA, but Beijing Ducks lost their cup in the finals that year. Sun Mingming was also not so happy because the team had worked hard and did the best they could. Still, their partnership was a great motivation for many teams because Sun Mingming and Beijing Ducks played in the 2014 CBA and 2015 CBA finals, and in both finals, the team Beijing Ducks and the tallest NBA player Sun Mingming won the championships.
Health Condition:
In 2005, when it was summertime, Sun Mingming was diagnosed with a benign tumor in his pituitary gland. However, Sun Mingming had never had health insurance, nor did he have money to pay for the treatment, the cost more than $100,000, but his sports agent, Avery Loi, planned and started a fundraiser to raise enough funds for his client. After that, Sun Mingming successfully got surgery that treated his health condition because the tumor was removed on 26th September 2005.
Family Life:
This tallest NBA player married Xu Yan on 4th August 2013. Guinness World Records recognized this couple as the tallest living married couple (the combined height of this husband and wife is 13 feet and 10.72 inches. Their combined height was 423.47 cm in centimeters, and that’s why Sun Mingming was called a 7’9″ Chinese Giant and professional baseball player.
Do You Know Other Tallest NBA Players?
Yao was also one of the tallest NBA players in the world with a height of 7’6″, and that’s why China is truly known as the place to give birth to giants. Sun Mingming is measured as the tallest man living on the planet that played basketball as a professional player. His well-built and muscular body looks like a powerful tower that is impossible to be broken or wear. Other players with giant bodies and professional NBA careers are Manute Bol, Gheorghe Muresan, and Shawn Bradley.
Do You Know That Sun Mingming Was A TV Star?
The professional basketball career was not the last thing or only thing achieved by Sun Mingming because he, with his basketball career, also did some best TV Cameos, mostly in Rush Hour 3. Of course, it made him a TV star and even more popular because of his persistent hard work and tremendous efforts.
More About Tallest NBA Player:
The funniest and strange thing about Sun Mingming and basketball was that he was never truly interested in basketball in the beginning, but when he got 7 feet, even at the age of 15, he thought to force himself into the sports. After some time, when he had grown a love for the game, Sun Mingming developed an ambition to make his career as the tallest NBA player, but he had not yet overcome all his life’s struggles because he was diagnosed with a tumor in his brain in his 20s. That tumor caused him to grow so rapidly, even after his 20s.
This medical condition is called Acromegaly. This situation caused Sun Mingming’s body to increase the production of growth hormones and low levels of ye testosterone. Unfortunately, that was the best thing in Sun’s life because it made him the Tallest NBA player, but to treat his medical condition, there was surgical treatment needed, and Sun Mingming didn’t even ha e enough money to do it.
The Come Back Of Sun Mingming’s Professional Career:
The tumor couldn’t stop Sun Mingming from playing basketball, nor did his pocket that didn’t even have enough money to treat his medical condition. The reason was his loyal and lovely sports agent that created and successfully ran a fundraiser to collect enough money required for the surgery and treatment. The fundraiser successfully raised the money that helped Sun Mingming to receive from his poor medical conditions. He returned to his professional basketball player career after successfully recovering from his tumor. He started his new journey with even better health and targeted NBA by setting the new goal of becoming the tallest NBA player. He attended Ventura Community College and played for many countries like Mexico, Japan, China, and the USA.
Sun Mingming Dedicated His Time To Beijing Ducks:
Most of his professional career was spent for Beijing Ducks because he was firm in China. He decided to make the team win the Chinese Basketball Association league, and for two consecutive years, 2014 and 2015, he and his team Beijing Ducks won the championships. Throughout his professional career for Beijing Ducks, Sun Mingming had the most phenomenal matches and was one of the most popular and awaited basketball players.
Sun Mingming Retirement:
This 7’9″ tall giant basketball player retired in 2014 at the age of 31, and he is still known as the tallest National Basketball Association player because his height and weight were so impressive and impacting that no other players have beaten him the record yet.
Wrapping Up:
So now you know who the tallest NBA player. Sun Mingming and his height are still impressive for basketball lovers. If you are interested in sports, you don’t need to increase your height by more than 6 feet, but the stamina and endurance a player needs are necessary for a perfect basketball player. What do you think about Sun Mingming’s life, professional career, passion, dedication, struggle due to poor physical health, and success after recovering from the tumour treatment? Let us know what you think about sports, NBA, basketball, and leagues that are played and won by Sun Mingming. Also, please share this article with sports enthusiasts so this story can inspire them.
