One of the benefits is his ability to corral and slam home lob passes that are high and might be off target. The other end would be even more interesting. In recent seasons, Warriors high-scoring All-Star Kevin Durant has become more determined to use his 7-5 wingspan to make more of an impact on defence. Praise came quickly. But several NBA players pop off the chart because of their long arms. Look at John Stocktons arms or Avery Johnsons arms and theyre very long, and their hands are very big. He had the skills of Larry Bird and Pete Maravich. When youre that big, you cant hide much. Eight Questions Ahead of The Mandalorian Season 3, From Grogus Force prowess to Dins and Bo-Katans Darksaber designs to Gideons future, here are the key considerations ahead of Mandos long-awaited return, LeBrons Injury Ends the Lakers Surge Before It Could Even Begin, Just when it seemed like things were clicking into place for Los Angeles, LeBron James suffered a foot injury that will sideline him for the most important stretch of the Lakers season. Rob Slater on November 5, 2015. But several NBA players pop off the chart because of their long arms. Look at John Stocktons arms or Avery Johnsons arms and theyre very long, and their hands are very big. "There's a lot of guys, Draymond (Green) is the same way, small, undersized power forward but can guard plenty of guys because of his length. Before he got to the NBA, McGee wasn't even aware of his wingspan. The Sixth Man award almost always goes to the NBAs highest-scoring bench player. In fairness, though, ONeal absolutely could be the sort of force worthy of a steady diet of post entries. Heights are barefeet estimates, derived from quotations, official websites, agency resumes, in person encounters with actors at conventions and pictures/films. It cant buy happiness, and I just want to be happy., Many who knew Walton, including Wooden himself, felt the young center was too susceptible to fringe ideas. He played more than 70 games only once in 14 seasonsin the 1985-86 season, when he made 80 appearances as a reserve for the Celtics, winning Sixth Man of the Year on one of the greatest teams of all time. Give It the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar. Fortunately for Portland, Waltons skills spoke louder than his tongue. Its no coincidence that Jazz center Rudy Gobert, who stands 7-1 and led the NBA in blocks last season, has the longest wingspan in the league at 7 feet, 9 inches. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Warriors 7-foot center JaVale McGee went through only a handful of pre-draft workouts for NBA teams, hardly a prized prospect after a career at Nevada. A lot of basketball players dont, though, they have wider wingspans. it maybe is Bill a little closer and gaining more height, there's other shots they look closer in team photos, or just general photos. But when you have the great game of basketball with all the ultimate winners of the genetic lottery its not how high you jump, its where you are and when you jump.. Neither knew their wingspans then, and they still dont. In his 58 regular-season appearances, Walton averaged 18.9 ppg, 13.2 rpg, 5.0 apg and 2.52 bpg. Any time you think youre too small to make a difference in the world youve never spent the night alone in bed with a mosquito. Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is nicknamed the Greek Freak in part because he stands 6-11 with a 7-3 wingspan and giant hands. At his peak he averaged 18.6/14.4/3.6 with 52% shooting and was the best player on a championship team. Wingspan. Whats legacy, anyway? 2x NCAA Champion. The explosive Russell Westbrook is 6-3, with a wingspan of 6-8, which helps him be one of the best rebounding guards in history. People followed him on Twitter. Raised in France, Gobert kept growing from ages 15-19. Before he got to the NBA, McGee wasnt even aware of his wingspan. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. It's no coincidence that Jazz center Rudy Gobert, who. Then, in February,. Any time you think youre too small to make a difference in the world youve never spent the night alone in bed with a mosquito. They can control the basketball, they can do things with it. One of the benefits is his ability to corral and slam home lob passes that are high and might be off target. Walton is the same type of player. West only stood 6'2 which would make his wingspan 9.5% greater than his height. "Every asset that a player has might make up for something else. Weve seen him block guys at the rim and also get his hands on some basketballs off the dribble.. How Tall Is Bill Walton? The average man has a wingspan about 2 inches more than his height. I think its something that makes a big difference, especially defensively, he said. Walton is in the Hall of Fame, but he never had his arms measured end to end. Both Walton and the Clippers improved over the next two years. Divac was pretty spry for a giant, ably running the floor to create for others or to finish plays as the trailer, and he used his length and instincts to be a disruptive defender, averaging about 3.5 stocks (steals plus blocks) per 36 minutes during his Lakers tenure. John Mayer on Walton's mentorship. He had the athleticism of Kareem, and he could shoot the 3-point shot. Things didnt improve in Portland, as ankle and foot injuries (along with two separate broken wrists) cost him 78 games over his first two seasons. The outspoken Free, among other San Diego teammates, accused Walton of being a malingerer. It feels kind of hard to divorce Walton from the era in which he playedfollowing the Grateful Dead to protesting the Vietnam War to rolling with radical activists associated with the Symbionese Liberation Army. Yeah, I found that out once I bought my first suit, the 6-foot-5 McMillan, a 12-year pro now coaching the Pacers, said with a chuckle, realizing his arms stretched more than 3 feet each. The only thing Im supposed to know is how to put the ball through the hoop. He was right then; he blocked four or more shots four times in his first six NBA games, led the league in blocks three times, and still tops the all-time leaderboard in swats nearly 20 years after his retirement. If were going to wonder how Wilt Chamberlain would look in the 2020 NBA, we must also consider what the present might hold for Wilt Chamberneezy. Money doesnt mean anything to me. But Waltons history of injury didnt keep the Portland Trail Blazers from making the gangly ex-Bruin the No. Thats kind of a rule of thumb. "It's nothing that I heard about until I got to the league, or right before I got into the league, they're like, 'We'd like to measure your wingspan.' If somebodys short, hopefully theyre quick. Its much more important than your height, Kerr said. Hakeem likely couldve become a passable 3-point shooter with enough commitment. Theres a lot of guys, Draymond (Green) is the same way, small, undersized power forward but can guard plenty of guys because of his length. The former MVP has adapted and evolved to become an excellent conductor of Phillys offense. At one time, they were long enough, and I can still put my own shoes and socks on, he quipped. TV Schedule Home Bio Walton Gallery Wooden News Speaking Grateful Dead Duane Roth Best of Recently Book List Latest News TV Schedule PDF Now, Im not saying that, if you plopped him into todays NBA, Memo would suddenly become the sort of 7-foot Steph you could build an offense around. Its nothing that I heard about until I got to the league, or right before I got into the league, theyre like, Wed like to measure your wingspan. They dont really bring it up to us about that in college or high school.. When it comes to Arizona, he prefers to refer to the Wildcats as "the kitties." He wanted to be winning. Its much more important than your height, Kerr said. Something went wrong. In the book Basketball: A Love Story, Olajuwon describes the first time he saw an NBA game. When he was healthy, Walton had few peers. At 7-foot-1 with a reported 7-foot-8 wingspan and 9-foot-6 standing reach, having starred at both 250 pounds as a lithe rookie and a muscular 300-plus pounds during his latter years with the. Some of the best players Kerr faced had incredible reach. Walton is a 3 time All-America College Player and winner of the Sullivan Award for the United States Best Amateur Athlete of 1973. While at UCLA in the early 70s, he was arrested during an anti-Vietnam War rally, publicly criticized Richard Nixon and the FBI, and reportedly flirted with leaving basketball to pursue spiritual enlightenment. What if he stayed healthy? At one time, they were long enough, and I can still put my own shoes and socks on, he quipped. Its nothing that I heard about until I got to the league, or right before I got into the league, theyre like, Wed like to measure your wingspan. They dont really bring it up to us about that in college or high school.. Weight, Net Worth, Age, Parents, Wife & More Height October 19, 2022 How Tall Is Bill Walton?- Bill Walton is an American sportscaster and former professional retired basketball player. Meg and Spanners also discuss Aston Martins positive press focusing on Fernando Alonso and touch on Ferraris consistent performance. That reaction underlines another reason Id love to see him now: Hed be an unbelievably alluring subject for modern media coveragea larger-than-life character whose outsize public figure would be rivaled only by his raw-nerve sensitivity. (Im thinking of Channing Frye, but by all means, insert your preferred end-of-the-rotation stretch big here.) Finally, there is Johnny Kerr, who was . If somebodys short, hopefully theyre quick. You look at size of hands, wingspans. Some of the best players Kerr faced had incredible reach. The irony was not lost on many in the media, who 15 years earlier had grown to dislike the ornery version of the man who was now their compatriot. Its also worth noting what led to the blossoming of Wilts playmaking in the late 60s: He reportedly wanted to dispel the notion that he was a selfish player. In Loose Balls, Terry Plutos iconic oral history of the ABA, former ABA commissioner Mike Storen recalls that in negotiations over trying to get Walton to come to the counterculture league, Waltons representative made it clear that the two wanted Bill to be the highest-paid professional athlete in the history of mankind, and to be on a great team surrounded by a lot of talent so that the responsibility for winning and losing does not fall directly on Bill. Again: He might fit in just fine today.). One of them was fellow Time Machine All-Star Andrei Kirilenko, who was also one of just two players in NBA history with multiple 5x5 gamesat least five points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocksto his credit. He acquired Walton by sending popular forward Cedric Maxwell to the Clippers along with a first-round draft pick. Even if we set aside his infamous bedroom claimswhich, of course, we most certainly would notWilt still would be an object of unbridled fascination today. Walton was even more spectacular in 1977-78 that is, as long as he was healthy. . But the biggest question about Harden remainsand it wont be answered until the playoffs. At one time, they were long enough, and I can still put my own shoes and socks on, he quipped. You make up a lot of ground. Despite the late-season injury, Walton earned the NBA MVP award. But several NBA players pop off the chart because of their long arms. And he was cocky, even to the Trail Blazers coaching staff. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. That is not the case for young players. In his first and only All-Star Game appearance (he was selected in 1977 but could not play because of injury), Walton recorded 15 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes of play. But several NBA players pop off the chart because of their long arms. Weirdly, though, I can see the older Vlade nestling snugly into the ecosystems of good present-day teams that emphasize passing and defend smartlyoffering, say, a rough approximation of what Marc Gasol gave the Raptors last season? In an ESPN feature published earlier this year about the evolution of NBA big men, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said that if his notorious envelope-pushing team had ONeal on the roster, I would give him the ball 1,000 times, is my guess. Once he got it, keeping him from getting to the rimand from putting his man inside itwould be an awfully tall order, and would likely result in even more trips to the line for someone who averaged nearly 10 attempts per 36 minutes for his career. He has been going with a center by committee based on matchups. Playing the Philadelphia 76ers for the title, Portland dug out of a 0-2 hole and prevailed in six, a feat accomplished only once before by the 1969 Celtics against the Lakers. Basketball was a sport where under optimal conditions a great player with considerable ego disciplined himself and became unselfish. (Walton had his share of ego too. He played without pain for the first time in years, and he seemed happier than ever. He has been going with a center by committee based on matchups. Combine that with what would assuredly be a significantly curtailed workload in the age of load managementWilt averaged an absurd 45.8 minutes per game for his careerand youll get fewer mythological stat lines. I was born tall, he said. Newell told The Atlantic that the one knock on Sabonis was that, because the opposition Sabonis meets inside Russia is not challenging to him, he sometimes gets lazy. Look at John Stocktons arms or Avery Johnsons arms and theyre very long, and their hands are very big. We got a brief glimpse at something like that about a decade agolest we forget, Shaq averaged 18-and-8 alongside Steve Nash for the Slightly Longer Than Seven Seconds Suns in 2008-09but by then, he was 36 and heavier, with more than 45,000 regular and postseason minutes on his body. OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Not until Nate McMillan began being fitted for custom-made suits a few years into his NBA career three decades ago did he understand just how far his arms reached. Warriors 7-foot center JaVale McGee went through only a handful of pre-draft workouts for NBA teams, hardly a prized prospect after a career at Nevada. Weve already covered point guard, shooting guard, small forward, and power forward.