Last week, The New York Times reported that the NBA will start verifying the heights and ages of players starting next season. Since then, some of the “true” heights of players have been released, and there are a few players that are shorter than expected, like New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft measured in a 6’6″ under the league’s new rules, which require a player to measured without shoes. Prior to this measurement, it was believed that Williamson was 6’7″.
So, instead of being undersized for a power forward, he’s now undersized for a small forward. In fact, Williamson might actually be the same height as Lonzo Ball.
Ball has gone on record and said he’s 6’7″, but that’s probably his height in shoes. Without shoes, Ball is probably closer to 6’6″. Ball is listed at 6’6″ by NBA.com.
So, the question is: Are Ball and Williamson the same height?
It’s tough to say definitely, but a picture of them next to each other at media suggests that Williamson has less than an inch on his teammate.
That shouldn’t be a huge problem for Williamson, who has the strength to avoid getting backed down in the post by most forwards, but it could be an issue against shooting bigs.
If nothing else, it’s a fun factoid to have on hand as the season gets underway.
.jpg?w=600)
