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Length, speed and athleticism are staples among the NBA players. Most of them possess verticality, strength and stamina. However, not all are naturally endowed with all those prototypical qualities.
Players like Victor Wembanyama who is 7-foot-4; Giannis Antetokounmpo; Kevin Durant; and others have shown a unique combination of length, athleticism and scoring which was barely seen in the past. Fans have already seen what menace Victor Wembanyama, Zion Williamson and Chet Holmgren can all do on the court.
Here is the list of the 10 biggest freaks of nature players in the league.
10 biggest NBA freaks of nature today
#10, Kristaps Porziņģis
Kristaps Porziņģis was nicknamed “Unicorn” by Kevin Durant, and KD had all the good reasons to call him so. He stands at 7-foot-3 and can be effective on both sides of the floor. Porziņģis can shoot from midrange, deep and way beyond the 3-point line with utmost ease.
The Latvia-born big man can protect the rim and also can play off the dribble. After joining the Boston Celtics, he made history by scoring 30 points in his Celtics debut.
#9, Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic might be the NBA's most talented big man. The reigning NBA Finals MVP is not a freak of nature in the sense of athleticism, but in how he maneuvers in the game. Nobody slow-footed ever before has been able to control and dominate the game as Jokic has.
At 7-foot, 270 pounds, Jokic can dictate the team’s offense, although he might look slow and sloppy. He is 28 and is already tied for fourth position with the most triple-doubles in NBA history.
#8, Chet Holmgren
Chet Holmgren can do it on both ends of the floor. He is skinny but it would be a mistake to consider him soft. In his rookie season, Holmgren is averaging 17.2 points and 2.3 blocks per game. The 21-year-old rookie stands at 7-0 and has a wingspan of 7-6.
Many NBA pundits have called him the modern version of Dirk Nowitzki. Holmgren can run off a screen and play in transition. He is a positionless player. If Victor Wembanyama and Kristaps Porziņģis are unicorns, Holmgren is not less in any sort.
#7, Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid is 7-2, 280 pounds. Yes, he doesn’t have athleticism and speed, but the Philadelphia 76ers star is a monster at both ends of the floor. Embiid has an almost perfect mid-range game and can shoot excellent from deep.
The 29-year-old Cameroon player has all kinds of moves in the post. He can outpower any defender in the paint and also hit a fadeaway with perfect beauty. He is the reigning MVP and has been the scoring champion twice.
#6, Kawhi Leonard
Nicknamed “Klaw,” Kawhi Leonard is also one of the league's best players. Despite his lingering injuries, Leonard has two NBA championships and two finals MVPs under his belt. When healthy, Kawhi is a freak on the basketball court. He can defend like one of the greatest to ever do it and score like a machine.
Leonard has one of the biggest hand sizes in the game. He has a hand size of 10 inches and a hand span of 11.25 inches. At 6-7, there is barely anybody in the game who is as good as him from the midrange. Leonard holds the ball like a normal human would hold a handball.
#5, Kevin Durant
At 7-0, no player in the league is as lethal as Kevin Durant from midrange and the 3-point line. It's true that Durant isn’t the only one of his kind, but the efficiency that he shoots the ball with is unprecedented. Durant might seem skinny and not so strong, but he is well endowed to score on any defender with or without physicality.
Since being drafted in 2007, KD has always played at a high level. Durant has played 16 seasons, averaging 27.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists. While players of his height are mostly selected for his presence on the glass, especially defensively, Durant became one of the greatest scores in NBA history.
The 2014 MVP has won two NBA championships and two finals MVPs. He has also won four scoring titles. KD doesn’t need to do much on the offensive glass because he can rise over any defender and shoot.
#4, LeBron James
LeBron James is arguably the greatest player to ever play the basketball. He is going to be 39 in December and is still a top 10 player. At an age when players take retirement and sit back home with their popcorn, LeBron is throwing windmill and alley-oop dunks.
He is 6-9 and perhaps the only player in NBA history with that kind of speed and athleticism. He has one of the highest verticals and is one of the strongest players in the league. With the speed and strength, LBJ has shown the ability to bully his way to the basket, carry his defenders on his shoulders and still score the layup.
LeBron’s greatest achievement is his longevity. He is 38 years old and averaging 24.5 ppg in his 21st season. Of the other five players who played 21 seasons, the next best in scoring average to LeBron is Vince Carter, who averaged 7.4 ppg.
LeBron is the perfect specimen of an athlete because his elite athleticism and speed still remain intact despite his 6-9 height.
#3, Giannis Antetokounmpo
It's hard to imagine that Giannis Antetokounmpo was selected 15 in the 2013 NBA draft. In his first few years, he was just a skinny guy with the ability to dunk and rise high. Today, Giannis is considered by many as one of the most dominant players in NBA history.
With the build of a Greek god and standing at 6-9, Giannis is an unstoppable force. He can overpower any defender in the paint, defend the league's best players and protect the paint as well as anybody.
He has come far to become the face of the Milwaukee Bucks and for many, the face of the league. The Greek Freak delivered a championship in 2021 and was lauded by many for his historical performance in the NBA Finals. Even Shaquille O'Neal, once a freak in the league himself, gave the two-time MVP the title of Superman.
#2, Zion Williamson
After LeBron James, Zion Williamson was the most recent greatest draft prospect, going to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019. Although he was expected to take the league by storm but that didn’t happen due to his injuries, Zion showed that he was a man among boys.
He has the muscle to overpower his opponents and has the unusual ability to fly for a 289-pound guy standing at 6-6. Zion is a smaller version of Shaq and is feathery with his feet. if he is healthy, few can stop him.
#1, Victor Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama is the most recent NBA unicorn. At 7-4, the French star player is perhaps the greatest draft prospect in history. With that height, he has a unique quality to handle the ball and shoot from midrange and deep. He can play in the post and defend from multiple positions while also switching on defense at a quick pace.
Wembanyama recently scored a career-high 38 points in his rookie season. Wemby is a hybrid player with the handles of a guard and the body of a center. As he moves ahead, he seems sure to be an unanswerable force. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine him being the face of the league one day.
