Chuck Nevitt’s resume is pretty impressive for an NBA athlete who played just 155 games in his career.
The 7-foot-5 giant is a former teammate of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, and even won an NBA championship in 1985 with the Los Angeles Lakers before later joining a hugely successful IT company.
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Chuck Nevitt was teammates with Michael Jordan in the 1991 seasonCredit: GETTY
Nevitt’s height makes him one of the tallest players in league history.
He sits joint-third on such a list, tied with the likes of Victor Wembanyama, who has enjoyed a growth spurt over the summer, and Canadian Sim Bhullar.
Nevitt began his NBA career as the 17th pick of the third round in the 1982 NBA draft.
He was selected by the Houston Rockets, but played just six games in his rookie season as he bounced between the Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks and free agency.
As he struggled to make any impact in the league, he eventually joined the Houston Flyers, which was an AAU team.
During his time at the Flyers, he worked at a clothing store to supplement his income.
Nevitt got his big break when, ahead of the 1984-85 season, the Lakers picked him up.
And while he only played 11 games in the regular season before being waived, the Lakers kept him around in case of an emergency, and Nevitt worked in their public relations department.
That decision proved to be wise as Nevitt rejoined the roster for the postseason, which saw the Lakers win the NBA championship.
Nevitt played a small part in that campaign as he played seven games in the postseason.
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Nevitt picked up the NBA championship with the Lakers in 1985Credit: GETTY
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Nevitt (top right) had just one season with the Lakers after leaving HoustonCredit: GETTY
Nevitt is still, to this day, the tallest player to have ever won an NBA championship.
Nevitt would remain with the Lakers for the first four games of the following season before joining the Detroit Pistons.
It was with the Pistons, he enjoyed his best stretch in the NBA as he played 83 games in three seasons.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be a regular in the NBA,” Nevitt said when reflecting on his career.
“When I was with the Pistons, there was one stretch when I played a lot.
“In one game against the (New York) Knicks, I scored twelve points, and the best part was when they had to replace Bill Cartwright because I was doing so well.
“At least I think that’s why they took him out. I still dream about being a star someday…I can at least say I dunked on Bill Cartwright. And I once blocked a shot by Dr. J.”
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Nevitt also played for the Detroit Pistons, spending three years after leaving the Lakers in 1985Credit: GETTY
Nevitt would join the Chicago Bulls during the 1991-92 season and even played four games with Michael Jordan.
He retired after the 1993-94 season and, unlike many of his ex-NBA peers, he forged a career in the white collar industry as he became an IT professional.
According to his LinkedIn, Nevitt worked as an IT analyst and support technician for various companies between 1998 and 2008.
“I am a seasoned IT professional with eleven (11) years of experience providing support for a variety of hardware and software needs in a large corporate environment,” his LinkedIn bio reads.
Nevitt now works for NetApp, an American data infrastructure company, in their Network Infrastructure department, as per his LinkedIn.
NetApp is worth $23.46 billion at the time of writing this article.
As a result of his height, it’s safe to say his colleagues may be able to guess what Nevitt did in his past life.
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