Senegalese-born Mamadou N’Diaye went to UC Irvine at 18 years old, where he became the tallest basketball player in the NCAA Division. In 2016, he was drafted and spent some time with the Golden State Warriors. He currently plays for Fuerza Regia de Monterrey in the Mexican league.
At 7ft 6in, N’Diaye is known for his enormous wingspan and is often compared to Yao Ming and Rudy Gobert. Instead of trying to emulate others, he is trying to develop his own identity and legacy as a player.
Amazon Eve – 6’8″
Erika Ervin, nicknamed “Amazon Eve,” is the tallest model in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records. She is 6 foot 8 inches tall without heels and was discovered while in Australia by the editor of Zoo Weekly and was featured on its cover.
Her unusual height and boundless confidence have also paved the way for her as a personal trainer and actress. She recently starred in the popular FX TV show American Horror Story and has two new movies coming out soon.
Holley Mangold – 415 lbs
I guess athleticism runs in the family, Holley Mangold, sister of former Jets center, Nick Mangold, is one of the biggest female Olympic weightlifters in the world. Mangold played football in high school and started lifting weights in 2008. Four years later, she qualified for the London Olympics but tore a wrist tendon before the competition and ended up placing tenth out of fourteen competitors.
She used to weigh 500 pounds but has lost a lot of weight and even participated in the reality weight loss competition “The Biggest Loser.” These days, Mangold coaches the Dayton Barbell Club in Ohio.
Randy Johnson – 6’8″
“The Big Unit” seems like a nickname that is hard to live up to, but Randy Johnson at 6ft 8in is more than equal to the task. Johnson played major league baseball for an astounding 22 seasons on six different teams, but mostly for the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks.
He is famous for being the fifth most successful left-handed baseball player of all time and for having the second-most career strikeouts (4,875) in MLB history. “The Big Unit” definitely made a big impact on professional baseball.
Usain Bolt – 6’5″
Usain Bolt, known as the fastest man in the world, has dominated the field of running for the last three Olympic Games. At 6 foot 5 inches, he towers over the competition while he outruns them. Bolt used dedication, good genes and his signature stride to break every speed record known to man and is an 11-time World Championship winner.
His three consecutive Olympic victories in Beijing, London, and Rio have inspired his home country of Jamaica and the entire world. These days, Bolt is trying his luck in a new sport, soccer.