Alexander Sizonenko

Alexander Alekseyevich Sizonenko
Sizonenko and Georg Wessels
Born	(1959-07-27)27 July 1959 Zaporizhia, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Died	Saint Petersburg, Russia
Height	2.39 m (7 ft 10 in)

Alexander Alekseyevich Sizonenko (Ukrainian: Олександр Олексійович Сизоненко; Russian: Александр Алексеевич Сизоненко; 27 July 1959 – 5 January 2012) was a Soviet basketball player.

Sizonenko was born in the city of Zaporizhia, Ukrainian SSR. 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

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.

Personal life

He lived in Saint Petersburg, was divorced and had a son Alexander born in 1994. In 2011 he was moved to a hospital in St. Petersburg, where he died on 5 January 2012. He was 52.

Preceded by Gabriel Estêvão Monjane

Tallest Recognized Person 1991

Succeeded by Suleiman Ali Nashnush

External links

• - The Tallest Man: Alexander Sizonenko
• So lebt der längste Mensch der Welt, Jens Hartmann (German)