The Myth vs. Reality of Basketball’s Most Massive Footprints
Who Has the Largest Shoe Size in NBA History?
The largest reported shoe size associated with an NBA player is U.S. size 22.
That number has been attached to several of the biggest players the league has ever seen, including Shaquille O’Neal, Bob Lanier, Will Perdue, Dikembe Mutombo, and Tacko Fall.
But there is an important catch.
Shoe-size records in basketball are surprisingly difficult to standardize. A player might have an actual foot size that differs from the size of basketball shoe he wears. Manufacturers can also use different sizing systems, and historical reports sometimes fail to specify whether a number refers to a player’s measured foot, a basketball shoe, or another type of footwear.
Shaq is the clearest example. He has said that his actual shoe size is 20, but he prefers to wear size 22 because he likes extra room.
Kevin Durant provides another example. He has said that his actual size is 17, while he wears size 18 basketball shoes for comfort.
So this list uses the most defensible publicly reported shoe sizes while making the distinction between an actual size and a worn shoe size whenever the evidence allows it.
The NBA’s Size-22 Club
In 2019, Sports Illustrated reported that Tacko Fall would become only the fifth NBA player ever to wear size 22 sneakers, joining Shaquille O’Neal, Will Perdue, Bob Lanier and Dikembe Mutombo.
That makes these five players the central group in any discussion of the largest reported NBA shoe size.
1. Shaquille O’Neal
Height: 7’1″
Reported basketball shoe size: 22
Actual size reported by Shaq: 20
Shaquille O’Neal is probably the player most closely associated with size 22 shoes.
During his NBA career, his enormous Reebok sneakers became almost as recognizable as the man wearing them. Contemporary reporting identified Shaq as a size-22 basketball shoe wearer, and his size 22 shoes remain one of the most famous examples of oversized footwear in professional sports.
There is, however, an important qualification.
In a 2021 Footwear News interview, Shaq explained that his actual shoe size is 20, but he deliberately wears size 22 because he prefers having extra room.
That means “Shaq wears a size 22” is accurate, while “Shaq’s feet are definitively size 22” is too simplistic.
His case also shows why shoe-size lists should distinguish between the size of a player’s feet and the size of the shoes he chooses to wear.
2. Bob Lanier
Height: 6’10” to 6’11”
Reported shoe size: 22, disputed
Bob Lanier has one of the strangest shoe-size stories in NBA history.
The Hall of Fame center was widely known for wearing size 22 shoes. His enormous sneakers were eventually displayed in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
But the number has long been disputed.
In 1989, Converse representative Gary Stoken told The Atlanta Constitution that Lanier actually wore size 18½, arguing that the famous size-22 figure was a Korean shoe size. The NBA’s obituary for Lanier preserved the same explanation.
That does not erase the historical association with size 22, but it means Lanier’s entry needs an asterisk.
His case is particularly important because it demonstrates how apparently precise historical shoe-size records can become complicated when different sizing systems are involved.
3. Will Perdue
Height: 7’0″
Reported shoe size: 22
Will Perdue is one of the lesser-known members of the NBA’s size-22 club, but his shoe-size evidence is unusually strong.
In 1989, an Associated Press report described the Chicago Bulls center as wearing a size 22
AAAA shoe and said he was regarded as having some of the biggest feet in the NBA. The report
explained that Perdue had to turn to Johnston & Murphy for custom footwear because ordinary shoes were almost impossible to find in his size.
Several years later, The Washington Post reported that Nike’s largest basketball shoe was size 22 and that it was worn by the San Antonio Spurs’ seven-foot Will Perdue. So unlike some historical claims that simply circulate through shoe-size lists, Perdue’s size 22 has contemporary reporting behind it.
4. Dikembe Mutombo
Height: 7’2″
Reported shoe size: 22
Dikembe Mutombo also belongs in the size-22 group.
There is unusually direct evidence for his footwear size. In a FIBA account of one of Mutombo’s visits to Africa, he entered a shoe shop and told the proprietor, “I need size 22!” The largest shoes available were still six sizes too small.
His size 22 footwear also appears in documented NBA shoe records and game-worn memorabilia.
That makes Mutombo one of the strongest cases for a genuine size-22 basketball shoe among NBA players.
5. Tacko Fall
Height: 7’5″ to 7’6″
Reported shoe size: 22
Tacko Fall brought the size-22 story back into the spotlight in 2019.
At the NBA Combine, the enormous UCF center wore size 22 Nike shoes. Sports Illustrated reported that, if drafted, Fall would become only the fifth NBA player to wear size 22 sneakers, joining Shaq, Will Perdue, Bob Lanier and Dikembe Mutombo.
Fall himself has repeatedly been identified with size 22 footwear. A 2019 Boston report quoted him as saying that finding clothes and shoes in his size was difficult and identified his shoe size as 22.
Later that year, the Boston Globe photographed Fall wearing size-22 sandals, providing another contemporary example of the enormous footwear required for his feet.
Fall therefore provides one of the clearest modern examples of a player genuinely wearing size 22 footwear.
The Next Largest Reported NBA Shoe Sizes
The evidence becomes less uniform once the list moves below size 22. Some figures come from player interviews, documented footwear, or reputable reporting, while others are repeated by secondary shoe-size databases.
For that reason, these numbers should be treated as reported sizes, not as an official NBA
database.
6. Victor Wembanyama
Height: 7’4″
Reported shoe size: 20.5
Victor Wembanyama’s extraordinary height naturally raises the question of how large his feet are.
The most commonly reported figure is size 20.5. Sporting News has reported that number, tracing it to NBA Kicks, and it has been repeated in coverage of Wembanyama’s physical measurements.
There have also been conflicting reports suggesting a size 22, but the 20.5 figure has stronger support in mainstream reporting.
For that reason, 20.5 is the figure used here, rather than treating the size-22 rumor as established fact.
7. Karl-Anthony Towns
Height: 7’0″
Reported shoe size: 20
Karl-Anthony Towns has been associated with size 20 shoes since his college days.
When he arrived at Kentucky in 2014, the school’s equipment staff showed off a pair of size-20 Nike shoes, describing them as the largest shoes the program had ever ordered from Nike. Sports Illustrated reported the story at the time.
The size was not merely a recruiting-era curiosity. The Minnesota Star Tribune later reported that Towns wore size 20 sneakers, and game-worn Nike shoes attributed to Towns have also been documented with size-20 tags.
That gives Towns some of the better documented modern evidence outside the size-22 group.
8. Brook Lopez
Height: 7’1″
Reported shoe size: 20
Brook Lopez has been widely listed at size 20, placing him among the largest-footed NBA players in recent generations.
The figure appears in published comparisons of the largest shoe sizes in NBA history, alongside his twin brother Robin Lopez.
9. Robin Lopez
Height: 7’1″
Reported shoe size: 20
Robin Lopez is another seven-footer associated with size 20 footwear.
Like Brook, he has appeared in published NBA shoe-size comparisons at size 20.
Having identical height and similarly enormous reported footwear sizes makes the Lopez twins an unusual entry in any list of the NBA’s biggest shoes.
10. Rudy Gobert
Height: 7’1″
Shoe size: 20
Rudy Gobert rounds out an unusually well-documented size-20 group.
Unlike many of the figures on this list, Gobert’s number does not come from a secondary compilation. The Utah Jazz’s own account stated it directly: “Rudy Gobert wears a size 20 shoe. TWENTY.” A player-exclusive Nike sample built for Gobert has also been documented in size 20.
That makes Gobert’s entry one of the most directly sourced figures anywhere on this list, on par with the strongest team-confirmed numbers in the wider series.
His four Defensive Player of the Year awards also make him one of the most accomplished players associated with the NBA’s largest reported shoe sizes.
11. Kevin Love
Height: 6’8″
Reported shoe size: 19
Kevin Love is an interesting case because his reported shoe size is enormous relative to his listed height.
He has been reported at size 19, placing him among the largest-footed players despite standing considerably shorter than most of the other names near the top of this list. Sporting News’ historical comparison of the NBA’s largest reported shoe sizes also lists Love at 19.
12. Andre Drummond
Height: 6’11”
Reported shoe size: 19
Andre Drummond is another player associated with size 19 footwear.
At 6’11”, Drummond already has the frame expected of a traditional NBA center. His reported size 19 shoes put him close to the largest documented footwear figures in the league.
13. Yao Ming
Height: 7’6″
Reported shoe size: 18
Yao Ming stood 7’6″, making his reported size 18 shoes surprisingly modest when compared with the size-22 group.
The figure of size 18 has been widely reported in historical NBA shoe-size comparisons.
Yao’s inclusion also illustrates why height alone cannot be used to determine shoe size. He was the same listed height as Tacko Fall, yet the two have been associated with different reported footwear sizes.
Other NBA Players Reported at Size 18
Several other NBA players have been reported at approximately size 18, although the available evidence is not always as strong as the documentation for the players above.
Dwight Howard has particularly good evidence. In a 2010 SneakerNews interview, Howard was directly asked what size his foot was and answered, “I wear 18’s.”
Other published historical comparisons have listed players including DeAndre Jordan and Kevin Durant at size 18.
Durant, however, needs a special note.
Kevin Durant: Size 17 or 18?
Height: 6’11”
Actual shoe size: 17
Basketball shoes worn: 18
Durant is a perfect example of why a single number can be misleading.
In a 2018 interview with FiveThirtyEight’s Chris Herring, Durant explained that his actual shoe size is 17, but he wears size 18 shoes on the basketball court. “These are like slippers, man,” he told Herring, describing the extra room he prefers for comfort.
So listing Durant simply as “size 18” misses an important part of the story.
For this article, the more accurate description is size 17 actual, size 18 worn for basketball.
Why NBA Shoe-Size Records Are So Difficult to Verify
There is no simple official NBA database recording every player’s shoe size.
That creates several problems when trying to build an all-time list.
Actual foot size is not always the same as shoe size. Shaq says his actual size is 20 but wears size 22. Durant says his actual size is 17 but wears size 18 on court. A list that treats every reported shoe number as a direct measurement of the player’s foot will therefore produce misleading comparisons.
Shoe manufacturers use different sizing systems. Bob Lanier’s famous size-22 claim is the clearest historical warning. Converse representative Gary Stoken disputed the figure and said Lanier’s reputed size 22 was a Korean size, while giving 18½ as his shoe size. That does not mean the size-22 figure should simply be erased. It means it should be presented as a disputed historical report.
Basketball shoes and dress shoes can differ. Will Perdue’s records include both custom size-22 dress footwear and size-22 basketball shoes. This is another reason to specify what type of footwear a reported size refers to whenever the source allows it.
Some modern figures come from secondary databases. The further down an all-time shoe-size list goes, the more likely it becomes that numbers are being repeated by secondary websites rather than directly documented by players, manufacturers, teams or contemporary journalists. That is why this article separates strong documented examples from figures that are simply widely reported.
The Biggest Shoe Sizes in NBA History
| Player | Height | Reported shoe size | Evidence / qualification |
| Shaquille O’Neal | 7’1″ | 22 worn | Shaq says actual size is 20 |
| Bob Lanier | 6’10″–6’11” | 22 reported | Disputed by Converse representative |
| Will Perdue | 7’0″ | 22 | Contemporary AP and Washington Post reporting |
| Dikembe Mutombo | 7’2″ | 22 | Player statement and documented footwear |
| Tacko Fall | 7’5″–7’6″ | 22 | Contemporary reporting and player evidence |
| Victor Wembanyama | 7’4″ | 20.5 reported | Mainstream reports cite NBA Kicks |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 7’0″ | 20 | Contemporary team and media evidence |
| Brook Lopez | 7’1″ | 20 reported | Secondary historical comparisons |
| Robin Lopez | 7’1″ | 20 reported | Secondary historical comparisons |
| Rudy Gobert | 7’1″ | 20 | Confirmed directly by the Utah Jazz |
| Kevin Love | 6’8″ | 19 reported | Secondary historical comparisons |
| Andre Drummond | 6’11” | 19 reported | Secondary historical comparisons |
| Yao Ming | 7’6″ | 18 reported | Widely reported historical figure |
| Dwight Howard | 6’10” | 18 | Direct player interview |
| DeAndre Jordan | 6’11” | 18 | Consistently reported in NBA footwear coverage |
| Kevin Durant | 6’11” | 17 actual / 18 worn | Direct player statement |
So, Who Has the Largest Shoe Size in NBA History?
The largest reported NBA shoe size is 22.
At least five NBA players have been associated with size 22 footwear: Shaquille O’Neal, Bob Lanier, Will Perdue, Dikembe Mutombo and Tacko Fall. Sports Illustrated explicitly identified those five as the NBA’s size-22 group when Fall entered the league.
But there is no clean scientific basis for declaring that one of those players had the largest actual feet.
Shaq says his actual size is 20 despite wearing 22. Lanier’s size-22 figure was historically disputed. Perdue’s size 22 is supported by contemporary reports, while Mutombo and Fall have unusually direct evidence of size-22 footwear.
That distinction matters.
Size 22 is the largest well-documented shoe size associated with NBA players, but shoe-size records are not standardized enough to establish a single undisputed player with the largest actual feet.
And that may be the most interesting part of the story: some of the NBA’s biggest shoes belonged to players whose official shoe-size records are much less straightforward than the numbers make them appear.