Let us take a look at the tallest WNBA players in history
Basketball is one of the most popular sports played all over the world. It is said that to play basketball, one needs to have a good height. To some extent, it is true that being tall gives you a significant advantage in this sport.
Like men, women too have significant participation in basketball. But are they as tall as their male counterparts?
WNBA or Women’s National Basketball League is considered as one of the best leagues for female basketball players. Are the women playing in this league tall? According to reference.com, the average height of a WNBA player is 5 feet 11 inches to 6 feet tall. However, there are some exceptions.
Let us find out the tallest WNBA players in history.
Top 10 tallest WNBA players in history
1. Sylvia Shaqueria Fowles – Height: 6’6”
| Height | 6’6” |
| Age in 2021 | 35 |
| Weight | 91kg |
| Born | 6 October 1985 |
| Country | United States |
| WNBA Team | Minnesota Lynx |
| Status | Active |
Sylvia Shaqueria Fowles is an American basketball player who enjoys a height of 6.6ft. She is the 9th tallest women basketball player.
34-year-old Fowles currently plays for the Minnesota Lynx. She joined Minnesota Lynx in 2015.
Fowles is a two-time WNBA champion (2015, 2017), two-time WNBA Finals MVP (2015, 2017), and the WNBA MVP of 2017. She has won three Olympic gold medals in 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, and 2016 Rio De Janeiro.
2. Carolyn Moos – Height: 6’6”
| Height | 6’6” |
| Age in 2021 | 43 |
| Weight | 83 kg |
| Born | 23 May 1978 |
| Country | United States |
| WNBA Team | Phoenix Mercury |
| Status | Retired |
Moos used to play basketball for the Stanford University before being drafted in the 4th round (53rd overall) of the 2001 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury. She played just three seasons in the WNBA, moving from one team to another every year.
After playing for the Mercury in 2001, she moved to the Miami Sol in 2002 and then also played for the Minnesota Lynx in 2003. She has also played for the US team and won a gold medal at the 1997 Junior Olympics in Brazil.
Interestingly, she graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Communications.
3. Kara Wolters Drinan – Height 6’7”
| Height | 6’7” |
| Age in 2021 | 45 |
| Weight | 103kg |
| Born | 15 August 1975 |
| Country | United States |
| WNBA Team | Houston Comets |
| Status | Retired |
With a height of 6ft 7inches, Drinan is the eighth tallest woman ever who came to WNBA. She had the nickname ‘Big Girl’ and it was appropriate given her features.
Hailing from the University of Connecticut, Drinan was the 3rd round pick (36th overall) of the Houston Comets at the 1999 WNBA Draft.
She is an NCAA champion (1995) and a WNBA champion (1999). Wolters also played for the U.S. women’s national basketball team which won the gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
4. Katharen Ruth “Katie” Mattera – Height: 6’7.5”
| Height | 6’7.5” |
| Age in 2021 | 38 |
| Weight | 109kg |
| Born | 17 November 1982 |
| Country | United States |
| WNBA Team | Chicago Sky (Retired) |
| Status | Active (Coach) |
Katharen Ruth “Katie” Mattera is the 7th tallest player ever to set foot in the WNBA. Mattera played college basketball at Liberty University where she became the college’s tallest player ever and the tallest ever to play in the history of the Big South Conference.
She was drafted by the Connecticut Sun with the Round 1 (8th overall pick) in the 2005 WNBA Draft. She played six WNBA seasons and was named to the 2005 WNBA Rookie Team.
She is currently an assistant women’s basketball coach at Liberty University. Interestingly, she wears size 17 (US) / 53 (EU) shoes.
5. Lindsay Corine Taylor – Height: 6’8”
| Height | 6’8” |
| Age in 2021 | 40 |
| Weight | 91kg |
| Born | 20 May 1981 |
| Country | United States |
| WNBA Team | Houston Comets |
| Status | Retired |
Lindsay Corine Taylor was the Houston Comets’ 2nd round pick (36th overall) at the 2004 WNBA Draft. She was subsequently traded to the Phoenix Mercury.
Her WNBA career was short-lived because she just played four WNBA seasons with three different teams. Nevertheless, Taylor had an illustrious professional career overseas and went on to enjoy massive success in Europe and Asia.
6. Brittney Griner – Height: 6’8”
| Height | 6’8” |
| Age in 2021 | 30 |
| Weight | 93kg |
| Born | 17 October 1990 |
| Country | United States |
| WNBA Team | Phoenix Mercury |
| Status | Active |
Brittney Yevette Griner was the Round 1, first overall pick of the 2013 WNBA Draft by Phoenix Mercury. She has a massive arm span of 86 inches and wears size 17 shoes.
Griner is the fifth tallest female basketball player in the world. She is also the 2014 WNBA champion. The seven-time WNBA All-Star has also won an Olympic gold medal in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
7. Elizabeth “Liz” Cambage – Height: 6’8”
| Height | 6’8” |
| Age in 2021 | 29 |
| Weight | 98kg |
| Born | 18 August 1991 |
| Country | Australia |
| WNBA Team | Las Vegas Aces |
| Status | Active |
Cambage was the Round 1, second overall pick of the 2011 WNBA Draft by Tulsa Shock. However, she just played one season with Tulsa.
She is the fourth tallest female basketball player in the WNBA. Cambage was the 2018 WNBA Peak Performer.
Cambage has won a bronze medal for Australia in the 2012 London Olympics.
8. Maria Alexandrovna Stepanova – Height: 6’8”
| Height | 6’8” |
| Age in 2021 | 42 |
| Weight | 85kg |
| Born | 23 Feb 1979 |
| Country | Russia |
| WNBA Team | Phoenix Mercury |
| Status | Retired |
Hailing from Russia, Maria Alexandrovna Stepanova is the third tallest female basketball player. She was the Round 1, eighth overall pick of the 1988 WNBA Draft by Phoenix Mercury.
Stepanova has also played for the Russian national team and has won two Olympic bronze medals in the 2004 Athens and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She is also a three-time Russian Female Basketball Player of the Year and a three-time FIBA Europe Women’s Player of the Year.
9. Zheng Haixia – Height: 6’8.5”
| Height | 6’8.5” |
| Age in 2021 | 54 |
| Weight | 104kg |
| Born | 7 March 1967 |
| Country | China |
| WNBA Team | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Status | Retired |
Hailing from China, Haixia was the Round 2, sixteenth overall pick of the 1997 WNBA Draft by Los Angeles Sparks.
Haixia represented China in four Olympic Games and has helped the team to win the bronze medal in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the silver medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
She joined WNBA in 1997 after retiring from the Chinese national team. Haixia played for Los Angeles Sparks from 1997 to 1998.
She is also the first Asian and the first female international player to win the 1997 Ross Perrot Sportsmanship Award.
10. Malgorzata Dydek – Height: 7’2”
| Height | 7’2” |
| Age | 37 |
| Weight | 101kg |
| Born | 28 April 1974 |
| Died | 27 May 2011 |
| Country | Poland |
| WNBA Team | Los Angeles Sparks |
Dydek is the tallest female professional basketball player in the world. She was the Round 1, 1st overall pick in the 1998 WNBA Draft by the Utah Starzz. She played a total of 323 WNBA games in 11 seasons.
She last played for the Los Angeles Sparks in 2008 before retiring to become a coach for the Northside Wizards in the Queensland Basketball League.
Unfortunately, the two-time WNBA All-Star died in 2011 after suffering a heart attack at her home in Brisbane. She was pregnant with her third child.
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