He is towering, huge, and leggy. Many must be familiar with this name if you are a true NBA lover. We are talking about none other than Gheorghe Muresan, a gigantic name that earned massive fame in the basketball world.
Famous as “Big Ghita,” Gheorghe Muresan is a former professional basketball player.
If not this, let us remind you with probably the best specification, he is the tallest player ever to have played in the NBA.
Gheorghe has remained a two-time NBA Field Goal Percentage Leader for the years 1996 and 1997.
To boot, he has also been affiliated with Romanian and French League and pinned the Championship award in his name.
Gheorghe’s resilience has always delivered power to the team in an uncanny way. Not to mention, he is an actor, ambassador, and co-writer too.
Muresan does have a story to tell. He shares his own rollercoaster ride that has heights of joy and moments of grievances too.
But that’s yet another fact that he has embraced every rise and fall of the ride. And trust this, his ride is all about when height meets talent and skill.
Let’s bump into his ride and try to know the maximum about this giant man.
But first thing first, let’s have a quick glance at the cut-straight quick facts that will help us know him better.
Gheorghe Muresan | Quick Facts
| Full Name | Gheorghe Dumitru Mureșan |
| Birth Date | February 14, 1971 |
| Birth Place | Tritenii de Jos, SR Romania |
| Nick Name | Big Ghita |
| Religion | Not known |
| Nationality | Romanian |
| Race/ Ethnicity | White |
| Education | Babes-Bolyai University |
| Horoscope/ Zodiac Sign | Aquarius |
| Father’sName | Ion Muresan |
| Mother’sName | Marian Muresan |
| Siblings | Iliana |
| Age | 53 years old |
| Listed Height | 7’7″ (2.31 m) |
| Listed Weight | 325 lb (147 kg |
| Shoe Size | 19 (US) or 18 (UK) or 52 (EU) |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Wingspan | 2.39 m |
| Build | Athlete |
| Marital Status | Married to Liliana Muresan |
| Kids | Victor Muresan, George Muresan, Jr. |
| Position | Center |
| Profession | Former Basketball player, Ambassador, Actor, Author |
| Net Worth | around $5 million |
| Salary | Not known |
| Number | 77 |
| League | NBA, French, Romanian, |
| Playing Career | 1991- 2001 |
| Social Media | Twitter, Instagram |
| Merch | Basketball Card |
| Last Update | April, 2024 |
Gheorghe Muresan | Early Life, Family, and Education
Starting with this basic trivia, Gheorghe was born on February 14, 1971, to his parents, Ion Muresan and Marian Muresan, in Tritenii de Jos, SR Romania.
As such, there is no information revealed about his siblings. But yes, the internet sources claim, he had a sister named Iliana and a brother.
Well, the most intriguing thing about Gheorghe that has captivated many of his fan’s curiosity is his height.
His height is the outcome of a hyperactive pituitary gland. That’s another fact that his tall physique is not a sign of heredity. His parents had equally normal heights.
Gheorghe’s father stood 5 ft 9 in or 175 cm tall, whereas his mother stood 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) tall. And this point about his sky-touching height is proved here.
It all started when he was fourteen and already uniquely tall. He intended to visit a dentist who luckily turned out to be a basketball referee and hired him to play basketball.
His teeth have not grown as fast as the rest of him. Talking about his family, life was a bit hard during their stay in rural Romania.
His father worked in a factory that generated wiring for electricity. He stayed with his fam, which had four bedrooms but no electricity.
Moreover, Muresan had a small bedroom but migrated to the big one when his older brother moved out.
Well, Gheorghe did not like schools much as he was not set free. On the top, his sister Iliana spread all the school talks to their home on his naughty childish demeanor.
He was really not a disciplined guy; he used to miss doing home-works due to his sleep.
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Education
As for education, Gheorghe attended Cluj University. He completed his collegiate career there and became the national champion in 1992.
Gheorghe Muresan | Basketball Career
After graduating from college, Muresan debuted professionally in the French League for the team Pau-Orthez in 1992 for a year.
He soon became a fan favorite and also managed to take the French League Cup.
It was later year in 1993, that Gheorghe got selected by Washington Bullets in the 1993 NBA draft. He prolonged his career for seven long years in NBA until injuries wrecked him.
To talk about his best season, Gheorghe went out terrifically good for the season 1995, where he notched 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.26 blocks per game.
He was also titled the NBA’s Most Improved Player after leading the league-leading with 58.4 percent of his field goals.
For the next season, too, Gheorghe led his team in field goal percentage with a 60.4 percent average.
He signed with the New Jersey Jets and appeared for the final 31 games of his career.
And this was a wrap to his NBA career, which he accomplished with 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 1.48 blocks per game.
Well, Gheorghe had another bout with the Pau-Orthez where he led his team to grab the French League title in 2001.
He always wore the number 77 as his height was also marked as 7 feet 7 inches.
Hoping on to 2007, Gheorghe performed for Maryland Nighthawks as he easily fitted into the tallest lineup squad in the history of basketball.
This was probably only the game where he was not only the tallest person as Sun Mingming.
Sun crossed the heights, standing 7 feet 9 inches which is 2.36 m. He is a Chinese professional player and also a professional actor.
Gheorghe Muresan | Stats and Awards
Muresan has achieved some feats during his decade-long career and has proved many wrongs on his side.
Apparently, he was first well-appreciated for his height; however, he had yet to maintain his skills. Later, he portrayed his skills more than his height.
Altogether, the athlete has collected 3,020 (9.8 ppg) points during his NBA career. Similarly, Muresan has posted 1,957 (6.4 RPG) rebounds and 455 (1.5 bpg) blocks.
Some of his career awards and highlights are listed below.
- NBA Most Improved Player (1996)
- 2× NBA Field Goal Percentage Leader (1996 & 1997)
- Romanian League champion (1992)
- French League champion (2001)
- French League Cup winner (1993)
Why did the 7 feet 7 inches Gheorghe retire so early?
As per the information mentioned by hoopshype.com, Gheorghe retired due to his back surgery.
That’s yet another fact, his mind wanted to play, but his physical condition was all telling him to let it go. His body was in bad shape.
Adding up a quick, interesting fact, he said he loved playing against Michael Jordan when asked about his favorite NBA memory.
As per him, “Jordan was a tough player, and Washington Bullets were immensely good. You see, the battle was a bang.”
Gheorghe Muresan | Other Work
Moving on to his other works of life that Gheorghe has been strictly committed to. He established the Giant Basketball Academy (GBA), located in Ashburn, Virginia.
The academy is wholly and solely dedicated to boys and girls of all ages who have an urge to know basketball basics. All they have to be is driven by passion.
Gheorghe is also a member of the Washington Wizards’ marketing and public relations team, where he works as an ambassador for the team.
Not to forget, this tall and lanky guy did not even leave the acting field. He chose to rise and shine here also.
He played the main role in the 1998 feature film My Giant alongside Billy Crystal, the comedian star.
Gheorghe was featured as a Ventriloquist in the music video for the song “My Name is,” a chartbuster hit by the popular songwriter, actor, film producer, and record executive Eminem.
Likewise, he has also marked his territory of acting in commercials. He appeared for Snickers Candy Bars and was featured on the sports television network ESPN.
Other than acting, Gheorghe has also applied his hands-on writing too.
He is a co-author of two young adult fitness and health books, The Boy’s Fitness Guide and The Girl’s Fitness Guide.
Moreover, Gheorghe also participated in the first annual 3v3 UMTTR (You Matter) Basketball Tournament in 2013 to expand awareness among teenagers and older people about the ongoing teenage suicides.
It included a lot more research, prevention, and education for teenagers aged 15 to 24.
Trivia
Gheorghe stood at number 28 position in Romanian Television’s “100 Greatest Romanians of All-Time” list in 2006.
He also received the 3rd rank as the topmost athlete/sportsman later on the list.
It utterly happened just after retired gymnast and a 5-time Olympic gold medalist, Nadia Comăneci, and veteran football player Gheorghe Hagi, ranked number 9 and number 13 in particular.
Gheorghe was nicknamed “Ghita,” which translates to “Little Gheorghe” in English.
He also appeared as Paul the Shed in the comedy movie, Adventure of Serial Buddies in 2011, along with the stars like Henry Winkler, Christopher Lloyd, Beth Behrs, and Christopher McDonald.
Gheorghe’s first tv show appearance was with David Letterman in 1998; he showed up in an episode for the famous comedy music talk-show series, Late Show with David Letterman.
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Gheorghe Muresan | Personal Life
Coming to the personal aspects of his life, Gheorghe married Liliana, the shortest family member, who stood 6 feet 1 inch. The duo shares two handsome sons, George and Victor.
Previously, the Muresan family resided in Franklin Lakes, but now they have shifted to suburban Washington, D.C.
He has passed on his love of basketball to his sons. In 2016, his son, George, joined the basketball team at Georgetown and played four years with the Hoyas.
Well, George, who stands 6 feet 9 inches, did not play much, he could not average much per game, but it was clear that he was totally enjoying the game.
Being a proud father, Gheorghe Muresan made his presence amicable for his son on Senior Night, parting his face with a big wide smile.
Undergoing a surgery
Gheorghe has obviously seen a lot in his life; he has his own side of struggles too. Success did not come so easily.
After finishing his playing career at Cluj and becoming a Cluj guy, Washington Nationals hired him.
And he immediately encountered surgery in France for a hyperactive pituitary gland, which caused him to grow rapidly.
As claimed by the sources, the tumor on his pituitary gland had grown so large that it disturbed his optic nerve and somewhere risked his sight.
Thus, that surgery at least helped to reduce those tumors. In addition, Gheorghe was put through medications and daily injections.
Gheorghe Muresan | Net Worth
It must not have taken a game to get noticed, probably. He was one of a kind with his neverending height and brilliance on the court.
He made sure to take out all the advantages from the mighty height that he was blessed with. Actually, Gheorghe turned out his disorder to be one of the blessings.
There might be several chances when he was used as a mimic for the commercials, but eventually, he proved himself and got rolled with the time.
Actually, he has been making many people laugh through his hilarious commercials.
Speaking of his net worth and salary, Gheorghe must have earned quite a decent amount of money from his career.
There is also no need to remain vocal about his; we can get this simply from the works he has committed to.
To put down into words according to the online sources,
“Gheorghe Muresan has an accumulated net worth of around $5 million as of 2024.”
For his salary details, you can surely click here and get to know the details. Talking about his assets, Gheorghe owns a Chevy Blazer and his wife, a creamy Cadillac Sedan.
And there were hearsays that he had put his Potomac house on the market for $2.1 million in 2018.
Social Media Presence:
We can firmly catch him on Instagram and Twitter. Following the tallest player ever to play in NBA on Instagram and Twitter will surely be a blessing to your timeline.
So, please do the honors and feel free to follow him.
Instagram: @gmuresan77 with 5,684 followers
Twitter: @GeorgeMuresan77 with 10.6k followers
Some FAQs:
What is the shoe size of Gheorghe Muresan?
Gheorghe Muresan wears a shoe size of 19.
Can Gheorghe Muresan dunk?
Of course, Gheorghe Muresan can dunk. As an interesting fact, he can dunk without jumping.
How much is Gheorghe Muresan’s rookie card worth?
Gheorghe Muresan’s rookie card price ranges from $0.34 to $4.53.
Is Gheorghe Muresan in the goldfish cracker commercial?
Yes, Gheorghe Muresan is featured in the goldfish cracker commercial alongside Boban Marjanovic.
Who is your Gheorghe Muresan’s favorite comedian?
During one of the interviews, Gheorghe Muresan mentioned that his favorite comedian is Billy Crystal and Robbie Williams.
Who is taller Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muresan?
Both the athletes, Manute Bol and Gheorghe Murasen, are near to equal height. While Murasen stands 7 feet 7 inches tall, Bol stands 7 feet 6 inches. Thus, guess Muresan is an inch taller.
