Best NBA Players Who Are 6’6″

The NBA is, perhaps, most famously known for its players and their above-averaged size and length. With many NBA players towering over the general populace, NBA players are generally not lacking in height.

And while some NBA players, particularly those who play the center position, are as tall as 7-feet, most NBA players, generally, stand in at over 6-feet.

But just who are the best NBA players who are 6’6″?

Below, we are going to review the absolute best NBA players who are 6-foot 6-inches and how these players utilize their above-average height to dominate their positions on the court.

Want to find out the best NBA players at other heights? Definitely check out the best NBA players who are 6’4″, 6’5″, and 6’0″.

Michael Jordan

The greatest basketball player of all-time is also the best 6’6″ player of all-time. Michael Jordan redefined greatness within the league and nearly 3-decades after his final retirement, his name still gets brought up within the GOAT debate.

The conversation, or rather perhaps the debate, surrounding the greatest basketball player of all-time is one of the most fiercely debated and contested conversations surrounding the sport of basketball. 

However, even the most adamant fans will admit that Jordan’s greatness surpasses even the most well-known and established players in the history of the game.

Michael Jordan didn’t just play basketball, he lived for it.  His competitiveness, although mimicked by the likes of Kobe Bryant, could never truly be matched. 

What really separated Michael Jordan from so many other players was his obsessive need to win.  Jordan was known for his intense competitiveness and his ability to shoulder the team on his back when needed.

Although Jordan had to compete with some of the all-time greatest teams in the NBA, including the Larry Bird-led Boston Celtics and the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons, his obsessive need to win allowed him to find weaknesses and opportunities to do so.

Named to the All-NBA first team 10-times, the All-Defensive first-team 9-times, the NBA’s most valuable player five times, and with 10 scoring titles and a career average of 30.1 points per game, the most in NBA history, Michael Jordan is the very definition of basketball greatness.

Kobe Bryant

Perhaps a bit ironic that the second best 6’6″ NBA player of all-time is none other than Kobe Bryant. A Los Angeles Lakers great and player who was taken from us too soon, Kobe carried much of the NBA after Jordan’s retirement.

Kobe Bryant was the epitome of basketball greatness for a generation of basketball fans. 

With an internal fire and drive unlike any other athlete, Bryant strove to greatness through sheer will and determination, quipping, “everything negative – pressure, challenges – are all an opportunity for me to rise.”

And although Bryant, the so called ‘Black Mamba’, was taken from us too early, his style of play, determination, and mamba mentality continue to have a profound effect on both the NBA and basketball players across the globe to this day. 

An inspiration and role model for so many, Bryant in our books is one of the best NBA players of all time and is one of the only NBA players to ever score more than 70-points in a single game.

However, on January 26, 2020, at just the age of 41, Kobe Bryant was the victim of a helicopter crash, taking his life and the lives of 8 others, including his daughter Gianna.

Due to light rain and fog that morning, the Los Angeles Police Department helicopters and most other air traffic were grounded.  The flight tracker showed that the helicopter Bryant was in circled above the L.A. Zoo due to heavy air traffic in the area.

At 9:30 a.m., the pilot contacted the Burbank Airport’s control tower, notifying the tower of the situation, and was told he was “flying too low” to be tracked by radar.

At that time, the helicopter experienced extreme fog and turned south towards the mountains. At 9:40 a.m., the helicopter climbed rapidly from 1,200 to 2,000 feet (370 to 610 m), flying at 161 knots (298 km/h; 185 mph).

At 9:45 a.m., the helicopter crashed into the side of a mountain in Calabasas, about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, and began burning.

Bryant, his daughter, and the other seven occupants were all killed on impact. Initial reports indicated that the helicopter crashed in the hills above Calabasas in heavy fog. In addition, witnesses reported hearing a helicopter struggling before crashing.

Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson, alongside longtime teammate Steph Curry, has been instrumental in taking the league to a three-point heavy shooting one.

Part of the so-called “Splash Brothers”, Klay Thompson is a three-time NBA champion with the Warriors, a five-time NBA All-Star and a two-time All-NBA Third Team honoree. He has also been named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.

And albeit serious injuries within the last few years, Klay Thompson has made a remarkable recovery and is currently starting for the Golden State Warriors and their bid for the 2021-22 NBA championship.

DeMar DeRozan

One of the most adept shooters and players currently in the league, DeMar DeRozan also most closely resembles Michael Jordan in his style of play.

Per YouTube basketball commentary by JxmyHighroller, DeRozan plays a style of basketball extremely similar and reminiscent to Jordan and, as fate would have it, currently plays for the Chicago Bulls.

Having played for the USC Trojans, he was selected ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2009 NBA draft.

He is a five-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-NBA Team member. He spent nine seasons with the Raptors, including five playoff runs, before being traded to the Spurs in the summer of 2018 and the Bulls in 2021.

DeRozan has also played for the United States national team in both the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Zion Williamson

We know we’re going to get a lot of hate for this pick but for our fifth, and final, best NBA players who are 6’6″, we’ve picked none other than Zion Williamson.

Now, many will argue that Zion peaked in high school or during his time at Duke University, and we would’t necessarily disagree, but we believe Zion has the potential to be an all-time great.

Picked first overall in the 2019 NBA draft, Williamson was a standout player while at Duke. In his one, and only season, with the Blue Devils, he was named the ACC Player of the Year, ACC Athlete of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year.

In addition, he set the single-game school scoring record for freshmen in January 2019, claimed ACC Rookie of the Week accolades five times, earned AP Player of the Year, Sporting News College Player of the Year recognition, and won the Wayman Tisdale Award.

However, his NBA career has been mired in injuries, including a torn meniscus, which has limited his overall availability.

We believe, however, that if Zion can rehabilitate and return to basketball form, he will be a leading player and will be able to carry his team to league glory.