Sun Ming Ming--7'9" Basketball Player--Stars in Japanese League

At 7'9", China's Sun Mingming is one of the few basketball players in the world who can look down on Houston Rockets star Yao Ming. Some think that Mingming may go from his current team in Japan to join Yao in the NBA.

The center for Japan's Hamamatsu Phoenix has helped his team work its way to the top of its conference. Some think he may be able to do same with an NBA team.

History, however, may prove that Mingming may struggle to take his game to the US. There have been relatively few players over 7'2" who have had productive NBA careers. Players such as Ralph Sampson, Gheorghe Muresan, Manute Bol, Shawn Bradley, and Chuck Nevitt have had disappointing NBA careers due largely to a lack of speed or injury. Even Yao Ming, arguably the most athletic 7'6" player in NBA history, has struggled with injuries. He missed much of the NBA playoffs due to a foot injury.

Mingming has already had plenty of health problems that may scare off NBA teams. Sun Mingming suffered with a pituitary gland tumor. The pituitary tumor can cause abnormal growth of body parts. It can also negatively affect his stamina and endurance.