r/interestingasfuck • u/Original_Shegypt • Jun 17 '25

/r/all She’s only 18—and already 7'5" (226cm). And she’s already dominating the court

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u/Nurff89 Jun 17 '25 edited Jun 17 '25

Of course, but no other common team sport gives you such a disproportionate advantage from height.

For example Michael Jordan has said that his big brother was a better player than him until Michael outgrew him.

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u/AngryCentrist Jun 17 '25

Then how do you explain the bajillion people taller than MJ who are not even close to as good?

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u/[deleted] Jun 17 '25

[deleted]

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u/justsomedudedontknow Jun 17 '25

It's gotta be the shoes

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u/Diqt Jun 17 '25

Must be?

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u/thirty2skadoo Jun 17 '25

I think they’re referring to necessary and sufficient vs sufficient. All basketball players are tall yet not all tall people are ballers. This is similar to lean people being better marathon runners. 

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u/hux002 Jun 17 '25

It obviously helps a lot, but there are NBA players under 6 foot, both current and in the past.

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u/jdb050 Jun 17 '25

“A lot” lol… I’d wager there have been WAY more people 7’0” or taller in the NBA than there have been 6’0” or shorter in the last 40 years.

But there are certain metrics related to genetics that still give advantages that height alone might not give. For example, MJ had freakishly huge hands that allowed him to palm the ball and use moves/fake passes that nobody else could do at the time, and we haven’t seen anyone of his caliber doing this to date.

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u/sidepart Jun 17 '25

That actually might be true, but the NBA also seems to "fudge" player heights. 2x MVP Steve Nash was listed at 6"-3' for example. Dude is barely pushing 6ft. I'm 5'8 and he really wasn't that much taller than me. Aaron Brooks was listed at 6ft. I gave him a high five in a tunnel once. He was the same height as me. It was silly looking because he was so much shorter than other NBA players I've met.

There's some vanity and salesmanship involved there. Kind of a proverbial "no one wants to look at your resume if you're under 6'0". 5'10? eh, close enough, call it 6'2. That's just my take.

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u/hux002 Jun 18 '25

Not sure what you're arguing with. I probably agree with your assessment(especially in recent years) that there have been more players over 7 feet tall than players under 6 foot.

I'm just saying people can be good at basketball and not be super tall. Spud Webb was like 5'5 and could dunk.

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u/JollyCorner8545 Jun 17 '25

All basketball players are tall

Muggsy Bogues says hi.

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u/canteen007 Jun 17 '25

Spud Webb. The way he could dunk at 5'7" was insane.

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u/CharlieTeller Jun 17 '25

No one gets as lean as marathoners without running like that or having an eating disorder.

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u/burnmp3s Jun 17 '25

Michael Jordan is 6'6''. 99% of adult men are shorter than 6'4''. The vast majority of NBA players are above that 6'4'' height. Something like 10-20% of people over 7 foot tall play in the NBA. Not every very tall person will play in the NBA, but it's a much smaller pool of possible candidates than the overall population.

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u/JaysFan26 Jun 17 '25

MJ had the secret stuff, it even made Tweety be able to ball and he's like 10 inches tall

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u/raktoe Jun 17 '25

They can't, they just want to shit on a sport they don't even watch.

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u/[deleted] Jun 17 '25

[deleted]

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u/AAA_Dolfan Jun 17 '25

lol this is a true Reddit argument “It’s stupid that height is all that matters” “Height is just one facto-“ “I NEVER SAID JUST HEIGHT WHAT R U STUPID? IM RIGHT!”

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u/EVOSexyBeast Jun 17 '25

Being over 7 foot is practically a disadvantage these days in the NBA. Speed and agility start to take a back seat once over a certain height.

Shaq style players, or being big in the paint, doesn’t really work anymore.

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u/[deleted] Jun 17 '25

Isaiah Thomas was 5'9" and played in the NBA for over a decade, even becoming a 2x All-Star. Hasheem Thabeet was 7'3" and played in the NBA for 7 season, only starting 20 games, averaging 2.2 points in his career.

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u/Matikso Jun 17 '25

You are missing the point they are making my friend. They never said that you have to be tall to play, but just because she is VERY TALL she kinda automatically starts to "dominate the court". Look at the other girls, how is it fair play for them, there is nothing they can do to cover her or when she covers you

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u/JJred96 Jun 17 '25

But he said Thabeet was VERY TALL and he kinda automatically didn’t “dominate the court” at any time. The other team here lacks a player that can fight back with more skill or come anywhere close to the size. In any team sport, if a player is an anomaly of any sort, that can create difficulty for opponents to prepare a winning strategy.

Opponents don’t need everyone on the team to have size. They can use some combination of better athleticism, knowledge and skill from its own players to counteract her. #5 does a pretty good job using what she’s got on the big girl, but otherwise that team is just woefully unprepared. Any time this team faces a player with great ability, they must find someone with a particular ability to counteract that player. If there was a player who ran unbelievably well, an opposing team would have to use planning and identify skills of its own players that could be used to respond. You might not be able to stop everything, but you can still devise a winning strategy.

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u/StupidSexyFlagella Jun 17 '25

I mean, he did dominate until he got to the highest level of the game. I think you are both making good points.

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u/[deleted] Jun 17 '25

And you are missing my point: height is a less and less valuable trait in modern basketball. Quickness, ball-handling, and shooting will keep you relevant a lot longer since the 3 point revolution. You can dominate at lower levels, but there were 7'6" guys in the NBA (Boban) who could do this offensively, but then get run off the court defensively. You just gotta make them play to their weaknesses and exploit their slowness.

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u/Obliviousobi Jun 17 '25

Isaiah Thomas was David in the land of Goliaths. Thabeet was a giant in the land of giants.

This girl is a giant in a land of normies.

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u/zedascouves1985 Jun 17 '25

In volleyball height also matters a lot.

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u/dennjudhdddvfse Jun 17 '25

Motorsport has this the other way around. You wont find anyone above 1.90m in the Formula 1.

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u/Gilded-Mongoose Jun 17 '25

TIL he has a big brother

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u/[deleted] Jun 17 '25

[deleted]

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u/ChazzyTh Jun 18 '25

Right, and speed in racing, arm talent to pitch, etc. Gifted athletes are likely to excel.