Height comparison
Shaquille O'Neal vs Yao Ming
Yao Ming is taller than Shaquille O'Neal by 13 cm (5″).
- Shaquille O'NealBasketball player
- 7′ 1″216 cm
- Yao MingBasketball player
- 7′ 6″229 cm
The defining centre matchup of the 2000s, and the two most searched big men of the era.
The numbers
- Shaquille O'Neal
- 7′ 1″
- 216 cm · 2.16 m
- Yao Ming
- 7′ 6″
- 229 cm · 2.29 m
- Difference
- 5″
- 13 cm
- Taller
- Ming
- Yao Ming
The difference in full
Centimetres
13 cm
Feet & inches
5″
Relative
6.0%
taller than Shaquille O'Neal
How they compare with everyone else
Measured against US adults aged 20 and over, from the CDC's NHANES survey.
Shaquille O'Neal
>99th percentile
Taller than about 100% of American men.
Yao Ming
>99th percentile
Taller than about 100% of American men.
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Questions
Who is taller, Shaquille O'Neal or Yao Ming?
Yao Ming. Yao Ming is 7′ 6″ (229 cm) and Shaquille O'Neal is 7′ 1″ (216 cm), a difference of 13 cm.
What is the height difference between Shaquille O'Neal and Yao Ming?
13 cm, which is 5″ in imperial units.
How tall is Shaquille O'Neal?
Shaquille O'Neal is 7′ 1″ (216 cm, 2.16 m). Source: press and agency figures.
How tall is Yao Ming?
Yao Ming is 7′ 6″ (229 cm, 2.29 m). Source: nba roster height.
See how you measure up
The chart opens with Shaquille O'Neal and Yao Ming already lined up. Add your own height to stand between them, or bring in anyone else — every difference is calculated for you.
press and agency figures · NBA roster height. Reported heights vary between sources.How we source and calculate this → Compare any two heights →