Average Height and Weight of NBA Centers (Updated 2023)
I’ve been a collegiate sports performance coach for 20 years. One thing I always felt was effective was showing guys the heights and weights of players at their position in the NBA.
It helped give many players the extra motivation needed to gain weight when they were able to compare themselves to guys at the next level.
So, this is essentially the same research I would share with players, but now I’m sharing it with you. I took the active rosters for the 2022-2023 season, almost 500 players total and broke them down by position.
For this guide, I took an average of the heights and weights of the 44 centers* across the league. In addition, just for fun, I listed the tallest, shortest, heaviest and lightest centers as well. Go ahead and impress someone today with your newfound random basketball knowledge.
*For these numbers I only used players listed specifically as a center. I left out players listed as a forward-center combo (which is another 58 players).
Average Height of an NBA Basketball Center
The average height of an NBA Basketball Center is 83.23 inches (just over 6’11” tall)
Average Weight of an NBA Basketball Center
The average weight of an NBA Basketball Center is 251.3 pounds.
Who Are The Tallest Centers in the NBA?
There are 16 centers listed at 7’0″ or taller, but only 3 are listed at 7’2″ or taller.
| Tallest Centers in the NBA | |||
| Player | Height | Position | Team |
| Boban Marjanovic | 7’4″ | Center | Rockets |
| Alex Len | 7’2″ | Center | Kings |
| Moses Brown | 7’2″ | Center | Clippers |
Two of the tallest guys in the league, Kristaps Porzingis (7’3″) and Luke Kornet (7’2″) are listed as Forward-Center combos.
Who are the Shortest Centers in the NBA?
If you assumed that all NBA Centers are around 7’0″ you’re wrong. The three shortest centers in the league are getting it done at only 6’8″.
| Shortest Centers in the NBA | |||
| Player | Height | Position | Team |
| Khem Birch | 6’8″ | Center | Raptors |
| Bismack Biyombo | 6’8″ | Center | Suns |
| Micah Potter | 6’8″ | Center | Jazz |
Who are the Heaviest Centers in the NBA?
Admittedly, I was a little surprised not to see at least one player over 300 pounds, just based on the sheer size of these guys. There are, however, 5 guys that weigh over 280 pounds.
| Heaviest Centers in the NBA | |||
| Player | Weight | Position | Team |
| Boban Marjanovic | 290 | Center | Rockets |
| Jusuf Nurkic | 290 | Center | Trail Blazers |
| Nikola Jokic | 284 | Center | Nuggets |
| Brook Lopez | 282 | Center | Bucks |
| Robin Lopez | 281 | Center | Cavs |
Who are the Lightest Centers in the NBA?
These were some of the most surprising numbers I’ve come across so far. It’s almost hard to believe that someone can be 6’11” and only weigh 215 pounds.
| Lightest Centers in the NBA | |||
| Player | Weight | Position | Team |
| Nic Claxton | 215 | Center | Nets |
| Evan Mobley | 215 | Center | Cavaliers |
| Marko Simonovic | 220 | Center | Bulls |
| Christian Koloko | 230 | Center | Raptors |
| Mo Bamba | 231 | Center | Magic |
Final Thoughts
So, what did I learn?
After seeing the numbers for Nic Claxton and Evan Mobley I had to look up some recent images for them. Then, I reached out to a few of my coaching friends who work predominantly with basketball players.
They both confirmed that they’ve worked with players close to 7’0″ tall that were indeed that light (or even lighter!).
However, after speaking with them I now think that 215 pounds may have been those guys’ weight when they entered the league but they both appear to be heavier (at least a little bit) than that now.
Finally, I also broke down the average heights and weights of all NBA players by position as well if you want to check that out.
