One of the unspoken facts about the NBA has always been that players are almost never actually the height and/or weight they’re listed at.
However, for the 2019-20 NBA season, the league decided to crack down on this by requesting real heights, a change that affected LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Last season, the listed heights of those three players would have a fan believe that James was a 6’8″ tank who allegedly weighed upwards of 280 pounds. Those listed heights would also have a fan believing that Howard and Davis were close to seven feet, at the height of a true center.
Ss it turns out, none of those things are true. James is actually taller than he was listed while Davis and Howard are both over an inch shorter than their listed heights, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic:
The NBA has installed new rules for teams to verify official player heights, now without shoes.
Here are the new heights for Dwight Howard, Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, according to our NBA Insider @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/Zj6B6rt8pF
— Stadium (@Stadium) October 18, 2019
While this means close to nothing for their styles of play and what type of success the Lakers can actually have this season, it is an interesting anecdote. The fact that Howard, who at one time was one of the NBA’s most dominant centers, was under 6’10” this whole time actually adds to what he did as a player.
James being taller than listed makes his weight seem like a much smaller issue. The story of how much James weighs was always a point of discussion in relation to his height, but him being taller actually allows for some extra weight. And like Howard, Davis being under 6’10” increases just how impressive his dominance is.
Heights of NBA players really doesn’t make any difference as to how great someone can be, but it is a point of discussion to kill time as the league and fans await the start of one of its most exciting seasons in recent memory. Luckily, when Oct. 22 rolls around, that wait will finally be over.