Top 10 Heaviest NBA Players: Shaquille O’Neal, Nikola Jokic and More

The NBA has had over 4,500 players playing in its 77-year history. Over the years, we have seen several big and tall men, many of whom have been coupling their body weight to bring a more physical and dominant aspect to their games.

However, some players have also reached a point where they were marked overweight, even reaching the point of obesity. In this article, let’s learn more about some of the heaviest NBA players to have graced the floor in the league’s storied history.

Heaviest NBA Players of All Time

The NBA has seen some really heavy players who used their size to their advantage sometimes. Whether controlling the paint, setting screens, or grabbing rebounds, their weight played a key role in their matches. Here are some of the heaviest players in NBA history.

#10 Joel Embiid – 280 lbs (Philadelphia 76ers)

Joel Embiid’s weight has often come in handy for him to exert physical dominance over his opponents inside the paint. However, before coming to the USA as a 16-year-old, Embiid had no interest in hooping earlier. He was focused on playing volleyball and soccer while living in Yaounde, Cameroon.

After one season of playing college basketball for the University of Kansas, Embiid was selected as a first-round, third-overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers. Unfortunately, his 280 lbs weight is both a boon and a bane for him. Embiid has struggled with weight issues for quite some time, effectively resulting in his faltered performance. Furthermore, his weight has also led him to face injuries, especially at times when he was expected to show up for his team.

#9 Brook Lopez – 282 lbs (Milwaukee Bucks)

Brook Lopez already weighed 235 lbs and was 7’0″ tall as a high school senior. He could use this physical gift as an asset to become an All-Pac-10 player at Stanford. In 2008, Lopez was selected as the 10th overall pick by the New Jersey Nets (now Brooklyn Nets), where he played for nine seasons. After a brief stint with the Lakers, Lopez joined forces with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kate Middleton at the Milwaukee Bucks, where he won his first NBA championship in 2021 and the NBA Cup in 2024.

#8 Nikola Jokic – 284 lbs (Denver Nuggets)

When Nikola Jokic was announced as the Denver Nuggets’ 41st overall pick in 2014, nobody had expected the Serbian international to leave such a mark in the league. In his nine seasons in the league, Jokic established himself as one of the premier big men, perhaps even equal to the liking of the great Shaquille O’Neal. He led the Nuggets to a championship in 2023, was named the league MVP thrice, and became a 7x All-Star all this while.

Many fans and analysts widely regard Jokic as the greatest passing “big man” in the league’s history. The Joker is a certified playmaker who combines his abilities as a versatile shooter to effectively finish in pain and hit lethal jump shots from the midrange and beyond the arc. Many have cited Jokic’s basketball IQ and creativity, describing him as a “basketball genius.”

#7 Jusuf Nurkic – 290 lbs (Charlotte Hornets)

At 290 lbs and 7’0″ height, Jusuf Nurkic is currently the heaviest active player in the league. Nurkic comes from a family of giants, with his father, a police officer weighing 400 lbs, and his teenage brother wearing size 16 shoes. Nurkic was selected as a first-round, 16th-overall pick by the Chicago Bulls before being shipped off to Denver on draft night. He played for the Nuggets, Blazers, and the Suns before recently being traded to the Charlotte Hornets in 2025.

#6 Kevin Duckworth – 315 lbs (Retired)

Though Kevin Duckworth had a commendable NBA career, his struggle to maintain his weight came to bite him back. At his peak, Duckworth weighed around 315 lbs before retiring. He played 11 seasons in the league for five teams, including the Washington Wizards and Portland Trail Blazers. Duckworth was named twice as an All-Star and has also won the title of Most Improved Player of the Year. During his active NBA career, he averaged 11.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

#5 Priest Lauderdale – 325 lbs (Retired)

Priest Lauderdale was a 28th overall pick in the 1997 draft by the Atlanta Hawks. During his brief stint in the NBA, he played two seasons for the Atlanta Hawks and the Denver Nuggets. Standing 7’4″ tall and with 325 lbs weight, Lauderdale averaged 3.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists during his time in the league.

#4 Shaquille O’Neal – 325 lbs (Retired)

The great Shaquille O’Neal is considered one of the most dominant centers and players in the league’s history. Shaq finds his place among the elite big men of the league, a list that includes some of the game’s greatest such as Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bill Walton.

During his time in the league, Shaq won four NBA championships, three Finals MVP, and one league MVP. He was a 15x All-Star and two-time scoring champion as well. He averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 blocks throughout his storied NBA career.

#3 Thomas Hilton – 330 lbs (Retired)

Thomas Hilton only had a short stint in the NBA. His greatest foe was his weight, which cut short his career he was constantly ridden with injuries. Hilton stood 7’2″ tall and weighed 330 lbs. He only played two seasons in the league, averaging 3.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 33 regular season games.

#2 Sim Bhullar – 360 lbs (Tainan TSG GhostHawks, Taiwan)

Sim Bhullar was the first Indian-origin player to play in the league. The big man stood 7’4″ tall and weighed a whopping 359 lbs. He only played a total of three games for the Sacramento Kings. He was cut short from the Kings’ roster due to his slow speed and inability to fish for points inside the paint or grab rebounds from the rim. He averaged a mere 0.7 points and 0.3 rebounds. and 0.3 assists in the three NBA games that he played in.

#1 Oliver Miller: 380lbs (Retired)

Oliver Miller is the heaviest player ever recorded in the league’s history. Having played nine seasons with six different teams, Miller weighed 380 lbs during his active career in the NBA. He has played for teams such as the Phoenix Suns and the Toronto Raptors. His fourth season with the Raptors is considered his career-best, averaging 12.9 points per game. Throughout his NBA career, Miller averaged 7.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 53.4% from the field.

Below is a list of the heaviest NBA players of all time, amongst active and retired players: