A sporting family Once a promising athletic scholar, now falling into a blood-curdling role in
a sci-fi blockbuster, the towering Robert Bobroczkyi's height is just one of the many
things that sets him apart from the herd. Hailing from a sporty family from Arad, Romania,
Bobroczkyi was perhaps always destined to use his significant height advantage on the basketball
court. Notably, both of his parents had already made a living in the sporting world,
including Romania's answer to the NBA. His father, Zsigmond Bobroczkyi, who
stands at seven feet, one inch himself, used to shoot hoops for various clubs
including West Petrom Arad and Elba Timisoara, with the former based in the family's hometown. Even more impressively, Zsigmond represented his
country on its national team. In fact, he was teammates with the ex-Washington Bullets player
Gheorghe Mureșan, who at a lofty seven feet, seven inches, became the joint-tallest player in
the history of the NBA back in the early 1990s. Robert's mother, Brunhilde Bobroczkyi,
was also pretty nifty on the court, although her talents lay in volleyball. Outgrew his father quickly With such considerably tall parents,
Bobroczkyi was never going to struggle to reach the top shelf at the supermarket.
But even so, his parents were surely still amazed when he ended up outgrowing them both
before he even reached his teenage years. The basketball star shot up past his mom at the
age of just 8, and within the span of four years, he had done the same with his dad. Unfortunately,
Robert found it hard to deal with all of the growing pains at the time. He told The
Washington Post, with "small" meaning "young," "I guess when I was small,
I focused on the negatives." "The worst thing is for sure that you always have to bend down whenever you
pass a door or something." It was only when he met his father's teammate, Gheorghe Mureșan, that he started to feel
comfortable in his own skin. He reflected, "I had to look up for the first time." Recalling one particular phone conversation
with the NBA's tallest player, he added, "We talked about never being shy,
never feeling sorry for ourselves, just accept it, be happy and live with it." No growth disorder Having watched their son tower past them
both by the age of 12, Bobroczkyi's parents were understandably concerned that he may
have some sort of growth disorder. However, the basketball player's height surprisingly
can't be explained by a medical condition. As a 14-year-old, Bobroczkyi's parents took
him to Washington's Children's National Medical Center for various tests. After a week, the
doctors ruled out that he had a disorder such as Marfan syndrome, which impacts the connective
tissue in the body and can cause heart problems, or gigantism, where the pituitary gland
releases too many growth hormones. Sadly, Bobroczkyi does have to contend with
one health issue: scoliosis. The sportsman developed the condition, which affects the
curvature of the spine, as a youngster and, as a result, has to constantly deal with pain
in his lower back. If that wasn't enough, he also has to deal with a misalignment
of his hips by a matter of inches. "Right now, focusing on developing
my body. The speed and the mobility." Beginning his basketball career It didn't take long for the basketball world
to recognize that Bobroczkyi's still-growing stature may be a major asset. In 2014,
when the Romanian was only 13 years old, he was signed by the Italian
amateur team, A.S. Stella Azzurra. However, it wasn't just his physical attributes
that impressed the team's scouts. Although they expressed concerns about his endurance and
general court mobility due to his immense height, they also pointed out his impressive
passing and midrange jumping skills. Bobroczkyi lived with a host family in Frosinone,
a small municipality roughly a 60-minute drive from Rome. There, he was able to focus on his
health with access to a rehab and physical therapy center, as well as the local soccer
team's nutritionist to help build muscle mass. He soon repaid their faith and time when he helped
guide Stella Azzurra to the national under-15 title. Pretty soon, he was also helping to put the
largely unknown Serie B team on the global map. Went viral at 13 Bobroczkyi found himself going viral in 2014
at the age of just 13 thanks to a video clip that showed off both his remarkable stature and
his skills on the court. The Romanian became the talk of the basketball world and beyond
when he was shown playing for Stella Azzurra. Although Bobroczkyi helped the team win the
national under-15 title, he was forced to miss out on most of the following season due to concerns
about his physical well-being. Indeed, far from capitalizing on all the attention, Stella Azzurra
admirably seemed more interested in protecting their prized asset. As the general manager of
its basketball academy told The New York Times, "We're not interested in basketball
right now. The top priority is his health. We've got to make sure that
five years from now not only can he play basketball but that he's
also a fairly normal person." Teased about his size Bobroczkyi's colossal height made him
an instant target while growing up, but it wasn't just schoolkids who used his
stature against him. As he revealed in his interview with The Washington Post, the basketball
player was also taunted by passing tourists. Indeed, during his time in Italy, Bobroczkyi
would often hear heckles from travelers about his size while out and about. Proving that he had
a wise head on his shoulders from a young age, the center didn't retaliate. Bobroczkyi reflected, "At the beginning, I just tried to ignore it.
But then as I grew up a bit and got more mature, I realized that just ignoring it is
not necessarily the right solution. You have to be smart about it. Not
everyone is necessarily polite, and some people have never seen such a tall
person before, so it's a normal reaction." So, whenever someone feels the need
to audibly respond to his presence, he simply chooses to smile. "You can always see the world from 7' 7'',
naturally, and you can always see it from 5' 5''." Scouted via Facebook In 2014, Bob Bossman, the head coach of Ohio's
SPIRE Institute designed to train and school the next generation of athletes, used Facebook to
contact the basketball player who was making waves across Europe for both his height and his hoop
abilities. Bossman recalled to The New York Times, "I saw he has potential. You don't get
to work with a kid like that often." After some Googling, during which
he learned that Bobroczkyi was one of Europe's tallest players, he sent
a message via Facebook inquiring about his possible availability. Much to his
surprise, Bobroczkyi messaged him back, and the pair forged a connection that would
build entirely online for the next two years. With only 30 human beings officially taller
than the Romanian in the entire world, Bossman recognized that his presence would be a valuable
marketing tool in the age of virality, while Bobroczkyi knew that a place at the well-funded
SPIRE would help with his athletic dreams. After a 2016 trip to see the institute in
person, Bobroczkyi accepted a spot, which also came with room and board worth $55,000, sports
psychology sessions, and full medical benefits. Creative workouts Of course, once the SPIRE Institute welcomed
Bobroczkyi into their program, they faced a major problem: How on earth do you train a teenager
who stands at seven feet, seven inches tall? Strength and conditioning coach
Brandon Strausser and performance director John Wallace were tasked with
devising a plan that would accommodate the Romanian's imposing frame. They
came up with 50 different exercises, including a body resistance workout which focused
more on straps and bands than traditional weights, and a stretching routine that lasted 40 minutes.
As Strausser explained to The New York Times, "As much as we can of each movement, in every
single movement category that we can think of, is literally on here. Because he needs it." Bobroczkyi seemed fully aware of this
fact, telling The Washington Post, "I have to gain at least 60 pounds. Everything
is centralized around getting big. The biggest struggle [on the court] is getting
from point A to point B. Speed." Everyday life is challenging As you'd expect from a man who stands at well
over seven feet tall, Bobroczkyi has more than his fair share of challenges while dealing with
the everyday. While most of us take being able to fit into a bed for granted, for example,
the Romanian requires a few modifications. Officials had to bring in an 8-foot bed while
Bobroczkyi was living in a dorm room at the historic Grand River Academy. Unfortunately,
when he joined his SPIRE Institute teammates in a shared house, the same bed couldn't fit
through the door. As a result, the basketball player had to use a couple of suitcases at the end
of a normal-sized bed to accommodate his frame. Then, there's the fact that most doorways
are way too low, flights can be agonizing, and his clothes need to be custom made. In
fact, Bobroczkyi's shirts are a whopping XXXXXL! "Clothes-wise. I have some — like the jeans —
you can't find them so they're custom made." Even a family sightseeing trip in Washington D.C.
proved to be difficult, with the sportsman having to constantly crouch down every time they took
the Metro. Luckily, Bobroczkyi appears to take all the obstacles in his stride, telling The
New York Times, "You have to get used to it." Academically strong There's more to Bobroczkyi's talents
than his size and skills on the court. According to those who know
him, he's one smart cookie. Not only is he a straight-A student, he can also
speak his native Romanian, as well as English, Italian, and Hungarian. So what does he like to
do when his head isn't buried in his books? Well, Bobroczkyi is a keen gamer, with
NBA 2K as a particular favorite. "I used to be a legend in Black Ops 2." He also enjoys watching horror movies,
used YouTube to teach himself how to play the piano, and is a bit
of a sci-fi geek as well. It was likely due to his academic prowess that he
accepted an offer to play for the men's basketball team at Rochester Christian University. No
one was more delighted by this development than his coach at SPIRE, Dawud Abdur-Rahkman.
As the coach told SPIRE's official website, "Robert is a rockstar. In my 25 years of coaching, I've never seen someone with such a sweet
and pure stroke. When he's in the paint, he cannot be stopped, period. He could be one
of the greatest basketball stories ever told." 4,500 calories daily To gain the muscle mass needed for
a career in the NBA, Bobroczkyi was put on the kind of diet plan that would
make most people feel bloated just by looking at it. During his stint at SPIRE
Institute, the Romanian was advised by the nearby Cleveland Clinic to consume a
whopping 4,500 calories every single day! SPIRE hoped to increase Bobroczkyi's weight
by at least one pound every month. According to The New York Times, the Romanian consumed
a feast of turkey tetrazzini, breaded chicken, and green beans followed by not just
one but two portions of rice pudding. At least that was a little more varied than
what he was required to eat during his time in Italy. Thanks to a little help from the
National Institutes of Health, Stella Azzurra's team devised a meal schedule which, perhaps
unsurprisingly, was dominated by pasta. In fact, poor Bobroczkyi's daily consumption of
the stuff amounted to two whole pounds! Dreams of going pro Speaking with The Washington Post, Bobroczkyi expressed his dream of gracing
a professional court. He explained, "If I make it, my whole country would
be proud. Everyone would know me, and it would be a reason to be proud." Unfortunately, unlike several of his
classmates, including Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball, the Romanian has
yet to fulfill this particular hoop dream. It certainly hasn't been for the want of trying, though. Many of his fellow teammates
at SPIRE believed he had what it took to make it into the big league. As
one testified to The New York Times, "He's so skilled for his height. I've never
seen a guy that can shoot threes like him, especially the college three already." Bobroczkyi's promising sporting career
was no doubt disrupted by the pandemic. As COVID-19 started to spread across the
world, the center returned to his homeland to spend time with his family. He made his
way back to Rochester Christian University's men's basketball team for the next school
year, and it seems that the player has been keeping busy between his basketball
schedule and extracurricular activities. Appearing in Alien: Romulus In 2024, Bobroczkyi followed in the footsteps
of serial retiree Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Shaquille O'Neal when he swapped the
basketball court for the big screen. Unlike his predecessors, however, the Romanian was
more interested in inducing scares than laughs. Indeed, Bobroczkyi appeared in the terrifying
finale of Alien: Romulus, Fede Álvarez's long-awaited seventh installment of the sci-fi
horror franchise that launched Sigourney Weaver onto the A-list and introduced the immortal
tagline, "In space, no one can hear you scream." Of course, the sportsman was required
to sport so many prosthetics that even his own family is unlikely to have recognized him. Without giving too much away, Bobroczkyi
pops up as the horrifying human-Xenomorph hybrid that we see toward the end of the film
that takes place between the events of 1979's Ridley Scott-directed Alien and James Cameron's
1986 follow-up Aliens. Could this be the start of a glittering new career for the seven-foot,
seven-inch multi-talent? Only time will tell.