For years, Victor Wembanyama has stood above almost everyone in the NBA, both literally and figuratively. The San Antonio Spurs superstar is listed at 7-foot-4, making him one of the tallest players the league has ever seen.

That distinction has now changed. Jamarion Sharp has become the NBA’s tallest current player after signing a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. Listed at 7-foot-5, Sharp is now officially an inch taller than Wembanyama, giving the 24-year-old center a remarkable new distinction as he prepares for a potential NBA debut.

The move adds another towering figure to a league that has long been fascinated by extraordinary size, while giving Sharp an opportunity to finally make the jump from the G League to the NBA.

Jamarion Sharp takes the tallest player crown

The Clippers announced on Monday that they had signed Jamarion Sharp to a two-way contract, immediately putting him at the top of the NBA’s height rankings.

At 7-foot-5, Sharp is listed one inch taller than Wembanyama, who had previously been the tallest current player in the league at 7-foot-4.

The distinction is a notable one for Sharp, particularly because his professional career has so far been spent almost entirely outside the NBA.

Sharp, 24, played college basketball at Western Kentucky and Ole Miss before beginning his professional journey in the G League.

He has spent the past two seasons with the Dallas Mavericks’ G League affiliate, gaining valuable experience while waiting for an opportunity to join an NBA roster.

That opportunity has now arrived in Los Angeles.

NBA’s tallest player has spent two years in G League

Although Jamarion Sharp is now officially the NBA’s tallest player, his route to the league has been far from straightforward.

Sharp played several seasons in the NCAA, representing Western Kentucky and Ole Miss. His exceptional height made him an obvious defensive presence, and he eventually continued his development in the G League.

During his most recent season, Sharp averaged 8.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.4 blocks across 14 games.

The numbers demonstrate the most obvious strength of his game: his ability to protect the basket.

His 4.4 blocks per game in that sample underline how his extraordinary size can create problems for opponents around the rim. At 7-foot-5, Sharp can alter shots simply through his positioning and reach, making him a particularly intriguing developmental prospect.

The Clippers will now have the opportunity to determine how those physical advantages translate against NBA competition.

Jamarion Sharp joins a long line of NBA giants

Sharp’s arrival also places him alongside some of the most memorable giants in basketball history.

The NBA has previously featured towering players such as Tacko Fall, Manute Bol and Gheorghe Mureșan, all of whom became known partly because of their extraordinary height.

Mureșan, listed at 7-foot-7, remains among the tallest players ever associated with the NBA, while Bol was listed at 7-foot-7 during his career.

Sharp therefore is not the tallest player basketball has ever produced, but becoming the tallest active NBA player is still a remarkable distinction.

Wembanyama’s arrival had already pushed the boundaries of what fans expected from a modern NBA center. His combination of height, length and perimeter skills has made him one of the league’s most unusual players.

Sharp offers a very different profile, with his value so far centred heavily around his interior presence and shot-blocking ability.

Can Jamarion Sharp make his NBA debut?

The next challenge for Jamarion Sharp is turning his physical gifts into a sustainable NBA career.

Signing a two-way contract does not guarantee that he will immediately become a regular part of the Clippers’ rotation. It does, however, give him a pathway to NBA action and an opportunity to prove himself at the highest level.

Sharp has spent the past two seasons developing in the G League, and the Clippers will hope that experience has prepared him for the demands of NBA basketball.

His shot-blocking numbers provide plenty of reason for optimism, but playing against NBA-calibre athletes will present an entirely different challenge.

The Clippers can afford to be patient with him, allowing him to continue developing while giving the coaching staff an opportunity to understand how best to use his unusual physical profile.

Wembanyama loses his height record, but not his impact

For Victor Wembanyama, losing the title of NBA’s tallest player is unlikely to diminish his importance to the league.

At 7-foot-4, Wembanyama remains one of the tallest players in NBA history, while his extraordinary skill set makes him far more than simply a giant presence near the basket.

Sharp’s arrival instead adds another fascinating dimension to the league’s ongoing relationship with size.

The Clippers’ new signing will now have the opportunity to turn a remarkable physical statistic into a meaningful basketball career.

For now, though, Jamarion Sharp can claim an unusual place in NBA history.

At 7-foot-5, he is officially the tallest active player in the league, moving past Wembanyama and giving basketball fans another towering figure to watch as the new season approaches.