The saying ‘It’s not the size of the dog in the fight that matters, but the fight in the dog’, is popular among sport coaches to motivate players.
But the ten athletes listed below took sheer size to another level:
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Loek van Mil (baseball)
Dutch player Ludovicus Jacobus Maria van Mil, known as Loek van Mil, never made it to the big leagues, but is still ranked the tallest pitcher in professional history at 7ft 1in during his time in the minor leagues.
Van Mil played in the AAA ranks and pitched in the World Baseball Classic for the Netherlands.
John Isner (tennis)
Professional tennis star John Isner stands at 6′ 10″ and has managed to win at least one tournament each year since 2010, with the exception of 2016.
As a result, he has a top 10 world ranking and has also played in the two longest matches in tennis history, both at Wimbledon.
Dalip Singh Rana (professional wrestling)
WWE star Dalip Singh Rana, better known as ‘The Great Khali’, stands at an amazing 7′ 1″ and eventually went on to winning the promotion’s world championship in 2007.
He was the first Indian wrestler to sign with the WWE and he has also parlayed his impressive size into movie and TV roles, such as Adam Sandler’s The Longest Yard.
4. Manute Bol (basketball)
Former Washington Bullets player Manute Bol was the tallest player in NBA history at 7′ 7″, but passed away at age 47 from kidney failure in 2010.
Bol used his height to his advantage, blocking 2 086 shots in his career.
5. Peter Crouch (soccer)
England soccer player Peter Crouch is not the tallest soccer player of all time, but is arguably the most successful very tall player.
Crouch stands at an impressive 6′ 7″, but has the coordination of a much smaller man.
This made him an incredibly advantageous player to have on any team.
Troy ‘Escalade’ Jackson (basketball)
Streetball player Troy ‘Escalade’ Jackson towered in at 6′ 10″ and weighed 500 pounds and managed to entertain the crowds with his surprising dribbling skills and deft passes.
He passed away at 38 from heart disease.
Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch (boxing/MMA)
Butterbean is not quite 6 feet tall, but weighs in at over 400 pounds and managed to knock out dozens of opponents while compiling a 77-10-4 boxing record.
He also had a 17-10-1 MMA record and went 3-4 in kickboxing.
Yao Ming (basketball)
Yao Ming is one of a number of players in NBA history that have eclipsed heights of 7′ 6″ or taller, but he is unquestionably the most effective of all of them.
The Chinese phenomenon was selected first by the Houston Rockets and provided quite a return on the investment, being selected to eight All Star teams while playing with surprising finesse and skill.
Ming was also a player for the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association league.
Unfortunately, like many extremely tall players, ankle and foot injuries slowed down the end of his career and caused him to retire.
Konishiki Yasokichi (sumo wrestling)
Konishiki Yasokichi was a Hawaiian born sumo wrestler, who at the height of his career weighed in at a massive 633 pounds.
He was the first non-Japanese born wrestler to get to the level of zeki, which is the second highest rank in sumo wrestling, and at the time he was the heaviest sumo wrestler ever.
Konishiki competed in 81 tournaments and won 649 bouts in the top division of sumo wrestling, but has since retired.
Nataliya Kuznetsova (bodybuilding)
Nataliya Kuznetsova is known as the heaviest professional female bodybuilder, weighing in at a massive 243 pounds.
She started her bodybuilding journey by powerlifting at the young age of 14 and went on to bettering world records in deadlift, bench press, and arm lifting.
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