It is almost a given that one should be taller than average to be a basketball player. Though many argue that the height doesn’t matter, it should be noted that only 25 players in the history of NBA have been listed as 5′ 9″ or shorter.
Recently, Sports Illustrated made a piece about 7-foot NBA players. It was estimated that 70% of Americans who are of age between 20 years and 40 years are at least 7 feet tall. Using this information with the data from the NBA, we can see that around 20 American players are 7 feet or taller in the NBA.
Computing these data further, it is easy to conclude that if you are at least 7 feet tall, there is a 28% chance you can make it as an NBA player in America.
Over the last three decades, the average height of a basketball player has been 6’7″ but the trend has significantly changed as far as the distribution is concerned. Gleaning from the NBA roaster survey of 2018-19, we can see that an average point guard is 6’3″ (1.93 m), shooting guard 6’3″ (1.91 m) or 6’7″ (2.01 m), small forward 6’5″ (1.98 m) or 6’10” (2.08 m), power forward 6’7″ (2.03) or 6’11 (2.01m), and center 6’9″ (2.10 m) or 6’11” (1.1082 m).
According to a report by Andy Mollo –StatCrunch, there is a positive relationship between an individual’s height and foot size, meaning that people with large feet are most often taller than people with small feet. With that in mind, it is safe to assume that NBA players’ shoes are all large in sizes since the players are averagely tall.
Let’s find out if this hypothesis is correct by looking at shoe sizes of 7 NBA players.
7 NBA Players With Big Feet.
- Shaquille O’Neil – Size 22 shoe
- Bob Lanier – Size 20 shoe
- Brook and Robin Lopez – Size 20 shoe
- JaVale McGee – Size 18 shoe
- Deandre Jordan – Size 18 shoe
- Dwyane Wade – Size 15 shoe
- Lebron James – Size 15 shoe
LeBron James
LeBron James is a professional NBA player currently with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. He was recruited at a young age by St. Vincent-St. Mary High School to play for their basketball team. LeBron James went on to score 2,657 points, 892 rebounds, and 523 assists during his time at the school. James has a combination of crucial skills needed for a successful basketball career, including court vision, athleticism, and size.
Fun facts about LeBron James
- He made the cover of Sports Illustrated while still a junior
- Talking of covers, he was the first Africa-American man to make the cover of Vogue
- LeBron is married to his high school sweetheart
His favorite playing shoes
LeBron James was quoted saying his favorite playing shoes are Zoom Generation 1, the Solider 1, the LeBron 7, and the LeBron 8.
Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Wade or D-Wade was born in 1982 in Illinois, Chicago. He joined Miami Heat in 2003, winning the NBA championships three times (2006, 2012, and 2013).
Fun facts about Dwyane Wade
- Dwyane is a charity person and contributes 10$ of his salary to a good course.
- He has married two times in his life; the first one was in 2002.
- He started his basketball career as a point guard
His favorite playing shoes
Dwyane has his signature playing shoes called Jordan Fly Wade
DeAndre Jordan
Born Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr., he is currently playing for Brooklyn Nets of NBA. He holds the record of the best career field goal percentage in NBA. DeAndre has also played for New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, and Los Angeles Clippers.
Fun Facts about DeAndre Jordan
- DeAndre Jordan is one of the three NBA players to have recorded 10 dunks in a single game. The others are Shaq and Dwight Howard. Not a bad company huh.
- DeAndre’s mentor and career advisor are Blake Griffin, despite Blake being younger than him.
- In 2016, DeAndre Jordan held the record for the NBA longest active consecutive games (360 games), which ended because he was diagnosed with mild pneumonia.
DeAndre’s favorite playing shoes
Jordan’s favorite playing shows are Nike Kyrie 5 and Nike Hyperdunk 2017.
JaVale McGee
Born on January 19, 1988, in Flint, Michigan. He has won the NBA championship two times consecutively with the Golden State Warriors. His natural playing position is college was small forward. McGee started his professional career with the Washington Wizards in 2008 after being drafted 18th overall. Since then, has played for Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Lakers.
Fun facts about J McGee
- He is the all-time leader in postseason field goal percentage for the Warriors.
- He is a cat lover, with his pet called Raja
JaVale’s favorite playing shoes
JaVale’s wears shoe size 18 feet and his favorite playing sneaker is the Hyperdunk X
Robin and Brook Lopez
Brook and Robin Lopez are twins who play professional basketball NBA league. They were born on April 1, 1988, in North Hollywood, California. The twins are currently representing the Milwaukee Bucks, but their career paths took off in different directions before they reunited. Robin Lopez was the 15th pick for Phoenix Suns during the 2008 NBA draft. On the other hand, Brook Lopez was selected 10th by the Nets during the same NBA draft of 2008. Robin went on to play for New Orleans, Portland Trail Blazers, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, before signing for Milwaukee Bucks. On the other hand, Brook spent almost ten seasons with New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, a year with Los Angeles Lakers, then Milwaukee Bucks.
Fun facts about the Lopez Twins
- Robin was inspired by Magic Johnson to get into basketball
- Brook was inspired by his older brothers Alex and Chris to play basketball
- Brook can sing the karaoke
Robin and Brook Lope favorite shoes
Robin wears Damian Lillard and Crazy Explosive while Brook’s favorite shoes are from Adidas’s Pro Bounce line.
Bob Lanier
Bob Lanier is a retired NBA professional player who played for Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons in the NBA league. In high school, Lanier was already so huge that he would wear men’s clothes in school, something that made him feel awkward and out of place.
Lanier missed out on grammar school basketball team, and as if that was not enough, his school coach told him that his oversized feet of size 11
These rejections led to him joining a Boy’s Club and worked out to become fitter. He kept on practicing basketball. The following year, he was persuaded by his coach who was also his biology teacher to try again basketball team. In his first year, Lanier averaged a massive 21.5 points per game and made the All-City team. In his senior year, he increased his average to 25 points per game, a feat that earned him All-Western New York State Honors.
Fun facts about Bob Lanier
- He has the second hugest shoes in NBA history, donning size 22
- He is among the five players to register 40 points, 5 blocks, and 20 rebounds and one of the two players (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the other player) to have achieved that feat on multiple occasions.
- Despite his early struggles, he was selected overall 1st in the NBA Draft of 1970.
Lanier’s favorite shoes
Bob Lanier wears size 22 shoes and was the largest in by any player in NBA history until a certain bloke came around, who is also the number one in this list.
Shaquille O’Neal
Shaq was born in Newark, New Jersey on March 6, 1972. He dominated the NB for many years and became one of the greatest the sport has ever seen. Shaq retired in 2011 after winning the NBA championship four times, playing for six franchises including the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, and Orlando Magic.
In his first rookie season, he finished top ten in scoring, blocks, rebounding, and shooting charts. Shaq was never great in free-throwing, thus he focused on getting his points mostly on the power slam. But soon afterward, many NBA centers learned his tactics and resorted to fouling him instead of giving him a free shot. In his first week in the league, Shaq became the first player ever to be named “Player of the Week.”
When signing for Los Angeles Lakers, he put pen to paper on the biggest contract in National Basketball Association history worth $120 million for seven years. The following year, he won a gold medal with United States’ Dream Team at the Olympic Games held in Atlanta, Georgia.
Fun facts about the Shaq
- He graduated with a doctoral degree
- He thrived at many things but at a three-pointer, as he made just one in his entire career.
- His feud with Kobe Bryant during their times together with Lakers resulted to him being traded to Miami Heats.
Shaq’s Favorite playing shoes
Shaq wears size shoe 22, the biggest in NBA history, together with Bob Lanier. Some of his favorite playing shoes include Reebok Shaq Attack 4 IV, Retro Shaq Hypnosis, and PSA DNA JSA AUTO COA.
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