The tallest you could be is 6’2" and those guys would be centers. Why should men not be able to play professional basketball simply because they are not freakishly tall? There are all kinds of men out there that are as good as Jordan, Johnson, Bird, LeBron, Curry, Kobe, etc.
Because it doesn’t matter how good they are when they are confronted with a bunch of guys just as good except they are a meter taller and have a wing span like a fucking condor. Those will simply be better at the game.
Arguing this, I realized you could answer your question by replacing “average height men” with “women” and you know right away why.