Marc Stein: “NBA teams were notified this week that they must certify and submit precise height and age for every play within the first week of training camp league sources tell New York Times Sports… For years some players have been listed as taller –– and some shorter –– than they really are. The league clearly wants to change that. Height will be measured with players’ shoes OFF, I’m told. Player weight will not be sought because that number fluctuates so often.”
Notable NBA insider Marc Stein, formerly of ESPN and now with the New York Times is reporting the NBA is implementing sweeping changes with how teams present the height of their players in media guides and websites, as the actual height of players has long been a running joke around the sport.
Most NBA fans believe the height listed on websites is the exact height of the player but those measurements are actually the height of the player with shoes ON and rounded up.
The age-old hoodwink has obviously been around pro and amateur sports for years, with players often getting one or two inches and 10-15 pounds tacked onto their build. The NBA is now looking to stop the often laughable deception.
With the average age of the league decreasing every year, you’re bound to see a handful of teenage players experiencing growth spurts as their bodies mature in the league, but some players have notably been displaying inaccurate heights for years.
Kevin Durant has been listed at 6’9” his entire career, but even Durant admits that he’s actually 7’0” tall and was using the shorter listing to not be stereotyped as a typical slow-footed and unathletic seven-foot big man.
Dallas Mavericks point guard J.J. Barea is billed at 6’0” on every media guide and website, yet Barea confessed that he’s actually 5’10”.
Allen Iverson has always been listed at 6’0” as well, even though people have argued for years that he was well under six feet tall.
Look for plenty of players to be exposed when rosters are finalized in the coming weeks before the season’s late October premiere.