Basketball is one of the biggest sports in the world that grows rapidly every year. The origins of basketball date back to 1861 when James Naismith first created the sport using a bucket and a ball. Years after, the sport started to be accepted at schools which launched a whole basketball movement in the United States.
After years of battling to win both players and fans in basketball, the Basketball Association of America, or BAA was born on August 3, 1949. Over the years, there were many basketball associations like the ABA, which later merged with the NBA.
Since then, basketball evolved into being an international sport accepted by most countries in the world opening new branches such as the WNBA which was founded in 1996 and the games started a year later.
Despite having only a 25-year history, the Women’s National Basketball Association has a lot to offer. Over the years, top-class players have joined the women teams, and we’ve seen some incredible action on the court.
You can find very often a list of the tallest men in the game if you search for ‘Who was the tallest player in NBA history and how tall was he’. But you rarely see an article joining together the tallest women in the WNBA.
So here it is, the tallest women that ever got a chance to play in the WNBA.
Malagorzata Dydek (7ft 2in)
Here we have a Polish basketball player that managed to play in the WNBA for Connecticut Sun at the center position. This is the tallest woman in WNBA history reaching 7 feet and 2 inches (2.18m).
Dydek is born on 28 April 1947 and had a great career in the league. Later she took the coach position for the Northside Wizards but in the Queensland Basketball league.
Zheng Haixia (6ft 8.5in)
Here we have another WNBA giant that is now retired from professional basketball. She was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks in 1997 on Round 2 and managed to play for only one season. She caught their attention by winning 2 medals in the Olympic games and 2 medals at FIBA World Championships with China’s women’s national basketball team.
She has an incredible physique that makes her very valuable on the court, especially for the center position.
Elizabeth Cambage (6ft 8in)
Elizabeth or “Liz” is a professional basketball player who started her career playing for the Tusla Shock after being transferred to the Las Vegas Aces in the Women’s National Basketball Association. She is one of the top players in the league holding the WNBA single-game scoring record of 53 points reached two seasons ago against the New York Liberty.
She also plays for the Australian national team, winning a gold medal in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and a Bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics.
Lindsay Carine Taylor (6ft 8in)
Here we have another retired professional WNBA player who managed to play for an unbelievable 13 international basketball seasons, which is rare in basketball. She was drafted in 2004 by the Huston Comets at the center position due to her height.
She is not only of the tallest athletes ever to play in the WNBA but also one of the most experienced. Lindsay also managed to get her hands on 3 Bit West Tournament MVPs, and she climbed the top of All-time leading scorer, and also a leader in blocks, and field goal percentage in UC Santa Barbara history.
Maria Alexandrovna Stepanova (6ft 8in)
Maria is a retired professional WNBA player that started her career playing for the Phoenix Mercury. With a height of 6 feet and 8 inches or 203cm, she is definitely one of the tallest players in WNBA history.
Apart from her WNBA career, she also was in the first team at the Olympic Games representing Russia, where she managed to get her hands on two bronze medals.
Brittney Griner (6ft 8in)
Brittney is an active player in the Women’s National Basketball Association, playing for the Phoenix Mercury. She is one of the most successful players in the WNBA winning countless awards like the:
- 7 times WNBA All-Star
- 2 times WNBA scoring champion
- 2 times All-WNBA First Team
- 7 times WNBA block leader
- 3 Big 12 Player of the Year
At 30 years of age, she is still highly active in the WNBA and plans to continue with basketball even after her retirement.
