Too Tall to Grow Old? Why NBA Centers Are Fighting the Clock to Make It Past 60
In the world of the NBA, being tall is a premium attribute. The storied history of the league is full of giants on the court, such as Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, and Shaquille O’Neal, who are all-time greats.
But a disturbing trend reveals that players who are 6 ’10 and taller are at risk of several diseases and are less likely to live past 60 years old.
According to Interbasket.net, Moses Malone (60), Darryl Dawkins (58), Dikembe Mutombo (58), Elden Campbell (57), John “Hot Rod” Williams, Roy Tarpley (50), Maute Bol (47), Mel Turpin (47), Wayman Tisdale (44), and Kevin Duckworth (44), are just some of the the league’s big men who didn’t live past 60 years old, with many succumbing to heart disease.
A study conducted by the National Library of Medicine found just how grim the mortality rate is. The tallest of the former players have historically died younger on average than their shorter peers. Medical research concluded that within” the NBA population, every additional two inches of height is associated with a 13% increase in cardiovascular mortality risk and a 10% increase in cancer mortality risk.” Also, there is a massive strain on the circulatory system, leaving taller players susceptible to conditions like cardiac hypertrophy and congestive heart failure. Cardiovascular disease accounts for approximately 18 % of deaths among former NBA players, with large men and centers facing specific cardiovascular risks.
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John Salley, a 6 ’11 former center and four-time NBA champion, spoke about the bleak future that centers face with their health on the TFU Podcast.
“The chances of a seven-footer living past 60 is 50%,” Salley explained in a resurfaced clip. “When I told the NBA this, it was 2016, and 11 of us died from congestive heart failure in that one year. It’s like the thing that’s going to kill them.”
“There’s a machine here we can get on called Soulaire, in Santa Monica. People like Diana Ross are on it, Barry Gordy, and my boy Brooklyn, who had a heart transplant,” Salley continued. “First thing he said is [that he wished] he had known about this place before [his surgery]. I had my mother there at 82. She lived until she was 96.”
In response to the deaths of Malone and Dawkins, who died around the same time from heart disease, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) enacted structural policy changes. Beginning in December 2015, they implemented mandatory health and cardiac screening programs for retired players to catch underlying issues early.
”That’s one of the things that we’re looking to benefit from is the research component,” Joe Rogowski, the players’ union director of sports medicine and research, said at the time. “We’re looking for trends. There’s never been a real study that looks at this population and looks for norms and trends. They’re bigger. They carry more weight, which leads to other factors, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.”
Ultimately, the alarming trend of NBA big men passing away prematurely underscores a stark biological reality: the human cardiovascular system is simply forced to work harder to support a frame over 6’10”. However, a tall stature does not have to be an automatic death sentence. With proactive, aggressive medical intervention, the basketball community is actively rewriting the script.
While the NBA is seeing an unprecedented surge of remarkably tall, versatile athletes like Kevin Durant, Victor Wembanyama, and Joel Embiid, developing the specialized care needed to ensure these modern giants enjoy long, healthy lives long after their playing days are over.
Although extreme height correlates with a higher statistical mortality risk, the vast majority of 7-foot NBA players live well beyond 60, especially with modern medical and training advancements.
We’ve had several cases where identified issues led to surgeries. We’ve got them plugged in with the right practitioners in their area and the right medications,” Rogowski told Boardroom in 2023. “Taking that proactive approach has been very, very important.”
“All of the teams and the NBA are very approachable when it comes to retired players and taking care of their health,” Rogowski continued. “We’re all very thankful for the groundwork they laid for where the league is today.”
