Sixteen year old Brandon Marshall at a local park basketball court in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk A 16-year-old British lad is being hailed as ...
Sixteen year old Brandon Marshall at a local park basketball court in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
A 16-year-old British lad is being hailed as the tallest teen in the world as he stands at an incredible seven feet and four inches.
And to top it all lofty Brandon Marshall – who doctors say is still growing – has just fulfilled his sporting dream and been picked for the Welsh national basketball team.
Brandon’s mum Lynne Quelch, 49, said: ‘I can’t believe he’s still growing.
‘It is crazy, walking down the road with Brandon.
‘People stop him, asking for photos with him.
‘To be honest I don’t know what height he is going to reach.
‘He is so shy as well bless him, he is so introvert.
‘When people notice his height, he says “oh here we go again, yes I am tall, yes I am Britain’s tallest teenager”.’
Brandon Marshall age 16 with his sister Zoe Nunnage, 25, who is 5ft 6ins
Brandon, of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, hit the headlines last year when he grew to 6ft 11inches to become Britain’s tallest teenager.
But he has now grown an extra five inches in less than a year and is believed to be the tallest teen in the world.
The former record holder Broc Brown, an American who stands 7ft 8inches tall, turned 20, last year.
Brandon said: ‘I was normal size up until the age of nine.
‘I then had a big growth spurt.
‘I was about 6ft when I was about 13 and I started to grow a lot more by then.
‘When I was in year nine I got to 6ft 7inchs and in year 10 I got to 7ft.
‘Shoes have always been a problem because I will never be able to find them and they are really expensive.’
Brandon, who trains three times a week with national league team Bury Bulldogs, has now been selected for the Wales National Basketball team – as his mother is Welsh.
He is currently training for his first professional match and will be jetting off to Lithuania next month.
The teenager was able to slam dunk – slamming a basketball through ten foot high hoop while hanging on the edge – at the age of 13. Brandon, who also has size 17 feet, is still completing his GCSE’s and is currently looking for basketball academies where he will be able to complete his A-levels.
Lynne said: ‘All the good colleges that have good basketball academies attached to them are all fighting over him as to who will get him. He absolutely loves it.
‘He already now plays for Wales and he has just done his first training last weekend with the Welsh international team.’
Brandon with his sister Zoe and niece Isobelle Griffin, four
Brandon is currently under the genetics team at Addenbrooke’s hospital as they want to investigate into why he is reaching these dramatic heights.
The hospital tested Brandon for Marfan syndrome – a genetic disorder of connective issues – but it was negative.
People with Marfan tend to be tall, thin, with long arms, legs, fingers, and toes.
Lynne said: ‘They want to look into why he is as tall as he is and they still haven’t got an answer to that.
‘They said about four months ago he will only grow about 5cms but he has killed that and he is still going.
‘They were doing test for Marfan syndrome which would make sense as to why his hands are so large and he is as destructive as he is.
‘All his tests results have come back inconclusive, which means he hasn’t got it because it would be a definitive yes or no and so they are a bit baffled.
‘I think he has just got a mixture of large genes in him.’
Brandon is the middle child amongst his siblings.
His 30-year-old brother, Zak reaches a height of 6ft 4in and his 25-year-old sister, Zoe is 5ft 6in.
His younger brother Jordan, 12, who has cerebral palsy is at an average height for his age. Brandon’s mum is 5ft 11in and his father is 6ft 10in.
Paul Sturgess from the UK currently holds the title for Britain’s tallest man at a height of 7ft 7in. And, Robert Pershing Wadlow from the United States currently holds the title for the world’s tallest man 8 ft 11in.
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