New Rule Means NBA Players Can No Longer Lie About Their Height
NBA players lie about their height all the time.
The Wall Street Journal once dedicated an entire article to this phenomenon.
Usually, they tack on a couple extra inches.
J.J. Barea isn’t actually 6-feet tall, for example, nor is Kevin Love 6-foot-10. Yet they’re listed as such by official NBA sources.
And this has been going on for years. Charles Barkley was closer to 6-foot-4 than 6-foot-6, but the round mound of rebound was listed as the latter.
In certain cases, players will actually claim to be shorter than they really are. Kevin Durant is notoriously listed at 6-foot-9 despite clear evidence he towers over 7 feet. His reason? He believes 6-foot-9 to be the ideal height for a small forward, his preferred position.
For years, the league had no process of verifying the heights of different players, so the public simply had to go off whatever the team listed on their roster. And that figure was usually whatever the player wanted it to be, tape measures be damned.
But that’s all about to change. Per a report from Marc Stein, NBA teams are now required to certify and submit the precise height and age for every player within the first week of training camp:
NBA teams were notified this week that they must certify and submit the precise height and age for every player within the first week of training camp, league sources tell @NYTSports
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 26, 2019
For years some players have been listed as taller — and some shorter — than they really are. The league clearly wants to change that.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 26, 2019
Height will be measured with players’ shoes OFF, I’m told. Player weight will not be sought because that number fluctuates so often …
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 26, 2019
Now, we wait to see who’s been fudging their numbers the most.
Photo Credit: Brian Rothmuller/Getty Images
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New Rule Means NBA Players Can No Longer Lie About Their Height
NBA players lie about their height all the time.
The Wall Street Journal once dedicated an entire article to this phenomenon.
Usually, they tack on a couple extra inches.
J.J. Barea isn’t actually 6-feet tall, for example, nor is Kevin Love 6-foot-10. Yet they’re listed as such by official NBA sources.
And this has been going on for years. Charles Barkley was closer to 6-foot-4 than 6-foot-6, but the round mound of rebound was listed as the latter.
In certain cases, players will actually claim to be shorter than they really are. Kevin Durant is notoriously listed at 6-foot-9 despite clear evidence he towers over 7 feet. His reason? He believes 6-foot-9 to be the ideal height for a small forward, his preferred position.
For years, the league had no process of verifying the heights of different players, so the public simply had to go off whatever the team listed on their roster. And that figure was usually whatever the player wanted it to be, tape measures be damned.
But that’s all about to change. Per a report from Marc Stein, NBA teams are now required to certify and submit the precise height and age for every player within the first week of training camp:
NBA teams were notified this week that they must certify and submit the precise height and age for every player within the first week of training camp, league sources tell @NYTSports
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 26, 2019
For years some players have been listed as taller — and some shorter — than they really are. The league clearly wants to change that.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 26, 2019
Height will be measured with players’ shoes OFF, I’m told. Player weight will not be sought because that number fluctuates so often …
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 26, 2019
Now, we wait to see who’s been fudging their numbers the most.
Photo Credit: Brian Rothmuller/Getty Images
READ MORE: