Every person experiences what is called a growth spurt, a period of time when they grow rapidly. Some people grow taller than others, and some people, like center Georghe Muresan of the Washington Wizards, tower over everyone else. At seven feet seven inches tall, Muresan is the tallest player ever to take the court in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Showing that tall is not all, Muresan has developed his basketball skills to become one of the best big men in professional basketball.

Growing up

Growing pains

Georghe (GHEE-yor-ghee-yay) Muresan was born on February 14 (Valentine's Day), 1971. He, and his three brothers and two sisters, grew up in Tritenii, a small town in the Romanian province of Transylvania. His father, Ispas, worked in a factory that made electrical wire.

Muresan was the family's youngest child, and quickly the tallest. No one else in his family is over six feet...