Alexander Sizonenko
![]() Sizonenko (right) and Georg Wessels | |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union | 20 July 1959
Died | 5 January 2012 Saint Petersburg, Russia | (aged 52)
Nationality | Ukrainian |
Listed height | 7 ft 11 in (2.41 m) |
Career information | |
NBA draft | 1984: undrafted |
Playing career | 1976–1986 |
Position | Center |
Career history | |
1976–1978 | Spartak Leningrad |
1979–1986 | Stroitel Kuybyshev |
Alexander Alekseyevich Sizonenko (Ukrainian: Олександр Олексійович Сизоненко; Russian: Александр Алексеевич Сизоненко; 20 July 1959 – 5 January 2012) was a Soviet professional basketball player. Possibly the tallest person to have ever played professional basketball, he was measured by Guinness World Records at 2.39 m (7 ft 10 in) and named the world's tallest man in 1991. Sizonenko was said to have grown since this measurement was taken, although age reduced his standing height considerably. Because of his enormous growth, his mobility was increasingly impaired.
Basketball career
[edit]Sizonenko played professionally for Spartak Leningrad (1976–1978) and for Stroitel Kuybyshev (1979–1986). Sizonenko was also a member of the Soviet national team and appeared on its behalf for 12 games. While playing, Sizonenko was listed as standing at 2.41 m (7 ft 11 in).[1]
Personal life
[edit]Sizonenko was born in the city of Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian SSR. He lived in Saint Petersburg, was divorced and had a son Alexander born in 1994. In the last years of his life, he faced multiple health issues. In 2011 he was moved to a hospital in St. Petersburg, where he died on 5 January 2012. He was 52.
References
[edit]- ^ "Aleksandr Sizonenko Basketball Player Profile". EuroBasket. Retrieved 7 September 2019.