According to Guinness World Records, Sun Mingming is the tallest baller in the world. Not everyone can play sports at that height.
Sun Mingming! Who is he? Maybe most ballers around the world will have the same question. But if you search his name on Google, you can find the answer. The tallest basketball player in the world; it’s him.
Sun Mingming, a Chinese basketball player, is the tallest recognized baller in the world. He was born in Bayan County, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China. Sun was born on August 23, 1983, into a not very well-off family. Although he did not grow up in sufficient material conditions, Sun’s height was constantly growing to the extent of being huge. No one in his family is that tall. The incredible growth stopped when he was 22. Sun came to the doctor’s office to find a solution.
After analysis, the doctor discovers that Mingming had a benign growing tumour. It is next to his pituitary gland and created a disease named acromegaly. This is a rare condition caused by the body producing too much growth hormone by the pituitary gland. Fortunately, Mingming got to see a doctor in time because acromegaly can be life-threatening if left untreated. Because of this, Sun can grow abnormally tall.
The common cause of this disease is the growth of a tumour in the pituitary gland. Tumours are the source of abnormal GH release. GH has a role in regulating and balancing the production of hormones responsible for growth throughout the body.
Fortunately, Sun Mingming’s tumour was benign. He had moved to America to speak with Hrayr Shahinian of the Skull-Based Institute and decided to go for the necessary treatment and surgery.
The difficulty is that Mingming does not have health insurance, nor does he have enough money to do surgery. In terms of medical bills, Sun needs more than $100.000 to pay for the disease. Fortunately, a charity fund was created to raise necessary expenses by Avery Loi, his sports agent.
Everything is going very well. On October 26, 2005, Mingming was able to start his basketball career. Sun Mingming settled in the US for further treatment and attended Ventura College, California, playing for a year on the college’s basketball team. He participated in the NBA selection but was not selected. However, Sun Mingming is still a professional basketball player in lower-level leagues than the NBA.
How is Sun Mingming’s proper height?
The tallest basketball player stands at the height of 7 feet 9 inches (approx. 2.36m).
Such a special height, but he has a suitable weight for his height, about 167kg at the time of recording the Guinness record. Therefore, Sun Mingming’s appearance is very solid and healthy. In addition to being a professional basketball player, he is also an actor and martial artist.
Although undrafted in the NBA, Sun Mingming started his basketball career by joining several teams in the US basketball minor league.
Here are some teams in the US that he join during his career
- Dodge City Legends (2006)
- Maryland Nighthawks (2007)
- Grand Rapids Flight (2007, 2008)
- Drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters (2007)
At the first start, he joined the USBL, a professional men’s spring league, and played for the team Dodge City Legend after pursuing a healing process. A year later, he moved to Maryland Nighthawks, etc. A height is not everything in basketball. He lacks the prominence of skills to be able to thrive in his career. During the treatment, doctors and supervisors also discovered worrying points in Sun Mingming’s legs and health. Designing a perfect, suitable shoe for Sun Mingming is also not easy.
Image source: Mingming in Grand Rapids
To know more about this Giant’s specific process, readers can watch a documentary video on Youtube. Following and accompanying the development of Sun Mingming is also an interesting experience for the support team. Sun Mingming is sociable, friendly, and funny.
With a tall physique, the most suitable position for the Giant is probably the Center. Shooting is probably the simplest job for Sun on the court. He easily accesses the central area, chooses a position, and waits for the passes of his teammates to score. Not many people can stop Mingming’s scoring phases in close range.
However, as mentioned, physical strength is a weakness for people of the same height as Sun Mingming. Constantly high power moves are a difficult thing for him, not to mention the sprints. He cannot please the coaches. Sun Mingming’s skills are only decent. His physical condition is not allowed him to maintain the harsh play in the American basketball league.
His American journey had to stop, and Sun moved to Mexico and Japan. He played for the Fuerza Regia in the Mexican league and Hamamatsu Phoenix (2008 – 2009) in Japan.
Finally, in 2009 Sun returned to China to play for the Beijing Ducks of the CBA league.
The Chinese Giant claimed 2 CBA championships with Beijing in 2012 and 2014.
After all, the CBA is the most suitable tournament for him. Sun Mingming is also very popular in his hometown.
His best stats and achievements were all at Beijing Ducks.
This table shows other information about the Chinese Giant.
| Full name | Sun Mingming (Chinese name: 孙明明; pinyin name: Sūn Míngmíng) |
| Birthplace | Bayan County, Harbin in Heilongjiang Province, China |
| Birthdate | 23 August 1983 |
| Professional | Professional basketball player, actor and an entrepreneur |
| Descent | Chinese |
| Height in meter(s) | 2.36 m |
| Height in inches | 7’9” |
| Weight in kg(s) | 167kgs |
| Weight in pounds | 370 lbs |
| Gender | Male |
| Parents | Unclear information |
| Net worth | About $2 million |
| Body measurements | Unknown |
| Relationship status | Married to Xu Yan on 4 August 2013 |
If you are interested in other towering individuals like Sun Mingming, you may want to learn about Sultan Kösen Height: How Tall Is The Turkish Farmer? as he holds the record for being the tallest living man on Earth.
The Tallest Married Couple
In addition, he also owns another record, when together with his wife, Xu Yan, he is recorded as the tallest pair in the world. With a total height of 13’10.72″, considered the tallest couple in the world to date.
Mingming first met his future wife in 2009, when Xu Yan was a professional player at the National Games of China. The two got married on August 4, 2013. They met each other in 2009 when Xy Yan played at the National Games of China. A marriage entered the Guinness record.
Sun Mingming Compared With Yao Ming
In a joint photo, Sun Mingming is taller than Yao Ming is only 2.3m tall. The difference is not too big, but Yao Ming has had an illustrious career in the top basketball tournament in the world (NBA). Yao Ming is a legend of the basketball world in general and the NBA, in particular, has a strong place in the Hall of Fame and is the pride of the Chinese people.
Yao Ming has time to play for the Shanghai Sharks of the CBA and the Houston Rockets (NBA).
Houston Rockets is the place to honor the Chinese people. He was nicknamed The Dynasty or The Great Wall by everyone.
If you are interested in knowing more about heights of other professional athletes like Sun Mingming, check out our article on Shaq’s height and how it compares to Sun Mingming and other basketball players.
Final thought
Sun Mingming is a Chinese basketball player. He has a remarkable track record in the CBA.
In addition, he is also an actor with notable roles in the action comedy Rush Hour 3 (Kung-Fu Giant) or The Thousand Faces of Dunja (2017) as Goldfinger.
He is a rare Chinese player to play in the US and shine even for a short time.
