The best 6'8 players in NBA history sit at one of the most flexible heights the league has ever produced. At 6'8" you're tall enough to switch onto big forwards, quick enough to handle the ball in transition, and long enough to disrupt passing lanes from the wing. It's the modern positionless template — and the players below built their entire careers on its versatility.
Scottie Pippen
The textbook 6'8" player. Pippen averaged 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists across 1,178 career games, made seven All-Star teams, and won six championships as the second star next to Michael Jordan. His All-Defensive selections (eight First Team) tell the story better than the box score: at 6'8" with elite lateral quickness, he could defend point guards on switches and bigger forwards in the post on the same possession. The blueprint for every modern wing-forward starts with Pippen's tape.
Tracy McGrady
The most explosive 6'8 wing of his era. McGrady won back-to-back NBA scoring titles in 2002-03 and 2003-04, made seven All-Star teams, and was a seven-time All-NBA selection. He moved like a guard, finished like a forward, and got to any spot on the floor. The 13-points-in-33-seconds game against San Antonio is the snapshot, but the more telling stat is the production: a multi-year stretch of 28+ PPG with starter-level rebounding and playmaking, all while playing the wing at 6'8".
Grant Hill
Before injuries reshaped the second half of his career, Hill was the most polished 6'8" player ever. His first six seasons in Detroit produced seven All-Star nods, five All-NBA selections, and a stretch of 25-point, 6-rebound, 5-assist averages that made him the closest thing to a 6'8" point forward the league had ever seen. The post-injury comeback in Phoenix added years of utility-wing production, but the peak — pre-2000, healthy Hill — is one of the most dominant 6'8" stretches in NBA history.
Paul George
Modern two-way star, drafted at 6'8" and built like the prototypical 3-and-D wing before that label existed. George has made the All-Star team multiple times, been named to All-NBA Third Team and Second Team across his career, and finished top-3 in DPOY voting twice. He's averaged 20+ points across most of his prime seasons with elite perimeter defense, and at 6'8" he can guard four positions on switches. The career has been star-tier without crossing into the GOAT-conversation tier — but the position-versatility ceiling is among the best ever.
Jayson Tatum
The most decorated 6'8" player of the modern era. Tatum has been an All-Star multiple times, has finished top-six in MVP voting, and won the 2024 NBA championship with the Boston Celtics. He's averaged 25+ points across most of his prime seasons with versatile two-way production. The All-NBA First Team selections, Eastern Conference Finals MVPs, and championship hardware put him in the conversation for the best modern 6'8" player full stop — and at his age, he's still adding chapters.
Pascal Siakam
Won the 2019 NBA championship with Toronto and Most Improved Player the same season — the rare combination of accolades for a 6'8" player. Siakam has been an All-Star multiple times and an All-NBA selection, with prime years averaging 22+ points with strong rebounding and playmaking. His range — guarding from point guard to power forward, scoring with both hands at the rim, hitting open threes — is the modern 6'8" archetype. The Indiana Pacers run extended his career as a true co-star.
Want to compare these forwards (and their cross-era peers) head-to-head? Try the daily Higher or Lower — career stats, career arcs, and unexpected matchups that crisscross every era.