7ft 4in, 300lb giant who’s taller than Victor Wembanyama is set to take 2024 NBA Draft by storm – and could even land on Lakers with LeBron James
Last year, Victory Wembanyama sent the basketball world into a frenzy.
The 7ft 3.5in generational talent from France was viewed as the most promising NBA prospect since LeBron James back in 2003.
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The 20-year-old's silky shooting touch, ball-handling abilities and passing skills, combined with out of this world length, shot-blocking and rim-protecting abilities made him a wholly unique talent the likes of which had never been seen before.
'Alien' Wemby was selected first overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2023 NBA Draft and set the league on fire en route to a Rookie of the Year campaign.
7-footers were once a rarity in the NBA.
Now, they're more common than ever, with Zach Edey the latest giant set to grace the hallowed NBA hardwood.
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College basketball fans will already be familiar with Edey's game.
Officially listed at a gargantuan 7ft 4in, the Purdue Boilermakers star has dominated the college scene over the past few years.
The Canadian big man is the tallest player in Big Ten Conference history and was recently named the Big Ten Player of the Year for the 2023-24 season, making it the second straight year he won the award.
The 21-year-old was just the second player since 2000 to win the award in consecutive seasons, and was also named to the All-Defense team and 1st Team All-Big Ten.
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Edey, whose mother was born to Chinese immigrants in Toronto, is one of the most dominant big men in college basketball in decades.
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He won the National Player of the Year Award the last two seasons, becoming the first player to win back-to-back awards since Bill Walton in 1971 and 1972.
Last season, the 300lb center averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game for the Boilermakers en route to the Big Ten regular-season title.
Watch as this 18-year-old almost 8 foot tall Guinness World Record holder pushes to be the next star to break the NBA
Edey announced that he was opting out of the 2023 NBA Draft last season to return to Purdue for his senior season and finished his four year-stint with the school as a bona fide program legend.
The 7-footer had his home finale at Mackey Arena where he finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds in a 78-70 win over Wisconsin.
Edey became the first Big Ten player with 2,200 points and 1,200 rebounds.
After the win against the Badgers, Edey had his No.15 jersey retired with head coach Matt Painter : "He [Zach] always showed up for four years.
"He deserves everything that comes his way."
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Purdue failed to defend its Big Ten Tournament championship after losing 76-75 to Wisconsin in the semifinals but made a big run at the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Edey led the Boilermakers to the NCAA Championship game where they lost 60-75 to fellow No.1 seed UConn.
The menacing inside presence finished with 37 points and ten rebounds in a valiant but losing effort to Connecticut.
His 37 points were the third most points scored in an NCAA Men's basketball championship game - the most ever by a player on the losing team.
Edey certainly made a splash at The Big Dance in front of the countless scouts and front office execs who were tuning in to assess the talent ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft on 26-27 June.
Edey is a throwback center with great footwork who's basically unstoppable inside the paint on both ends of the floor.
However, in an era in the professional ranks where floor spacing and outside shooting are paramount, there have been question marks over Edey's ability to translate his game from college to the pros.
But, in a pretty weak draft class decidedly lacking in terms of top-end talent, Edey is widely expected to a lottery selection (top 14 picks)Â in this year's draft.
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He's already been generating interest from a number of teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz and Toronto Raptors, and thinks he can be a valuable asset to any number of teams.
"Every team needs someone to hold down the paint,†Edey told reporters at the NBA combine.
"You need someone to grab rebounds, someone to block shots and finish lobs. Not everything has to be with me having the ball in my hands and in the post-up."
"Obviously at Purdue there were a lot of post-ups, but if you really watch the game, there's plenty of ball screens, seals, hit the indirect and go back in, and that's what they run in the NBA and that's what I can bring to any team.
He may not be a 'unicorn' talent like Wembanyama, but the 7-foot giant has an undeniably unique set of skills that could be invaluable to NBA teams, much like Rudy Gobert is to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers are a particularly interesting landing spot for Edey.
They just hired a rookie head coach in JJ Redick and hold the 17th and 55th picks in this year's draft.
Anthony Davis has expressed his desire to play at power forward, leaving a center-sized hole in the purple and gold's starting unit.
Edey could potentially fill that frontcourt spot alongside Davis to form one of the most intimidating duos in all of basketball.
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Next week, fans - and Edey - will find out which NBA jersey he'll be wearing to start his professional career.
The first night of the draft will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on 26 June while second night will come from ESPN's Seaport District Studios in Manhattan on 27 June.
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