Wembanyama's height remains a mystery! NBA official data keeps changing; Spurs coach responds humorously

On October 16 Beijing time, The Athletic wrote about an interesting question: what is Wembanyama’s true height? The full report follows —

We really have no clear idea how tall Wembanyama actually is.

This Spurs phenom seems taller than every player in the current NBA league. Yet, there has always been doubt about his precise height; and judging by eye alone on this serious basketball matter, the 21-year-old might still be growing.

NBA player height data isn’t always reliable

Official height listings of players are not as trustworthy as many believe.

For years, Durant’s official height during his Thunder days was listed as 2.06 meters, but many thought he was closer to 2.13 meters. It wasn’t until two years ago that his official height was finally updated to 2.11 meters.

In 2011, when Michael Beasley was with the Timberwolves, a reporter asked him in the locker room, “Is Durant really only 2.06 meters?” Beasley, also officially 2.06 meters tall and known for his candidness, replied, “If Durant is 2.06, then I’m at most 1.96.” The reporter wasn’t sure if Beasley had actually done the math, but this clearly hinted that Durant’s real height might be closer to 2.16 meters.

Wembanyama’s height data keeps fluctuating

During Wembanyama’s first two NBA seasons, his height data changed as frequently as a boxer cutting weight before a fight and then gaining it back with carbs. At the draft, he was listed at 2.26 meters; in his rookie season, it was 2.24 meters; in his sophomore year, it dropped to 2.21 meters; now, entering his third season, it’s back to 2.24 meters. But just this week, his height was updated again to 2.26 meters.

So, how tall is Wembanyama really? The Athletic used a classic Q&A style to search for clues online.

What do you think Wembanyama’s real height is? I believe he’s at least 2.26 meters, and I’m not willing to accept any “shorter” figure than that.

Why does knowing his height matter? Actually, it doesn’t have much practical significance, but that’s exactly why the discussion is so entertaining. Players or teams “misreporting” heights is part of NBA’s fun culture. We wonder if Isaiah Thomas is really 1.75 meters or if he stood on tiptoes during measurement; and when a big man doesn’t want to be listed too tall, it gets even more interesting.

The late legendary coach Phil Sanders once joked that Kevin Garnett didn’t want to be listed as a 7-footer, so he teased that “Garnett is 6 feet 13 inches” (about 2.21 meters, a playful way to imply he’s taller than 7 feet).

What are others saying about Wembanyama’s height? In early May this year, we found an interesting photo in The Bounce segment: Stephen Curry (NBA Rookie of the Year) alongside other Spurs players who won the same award, including Wembanyama, Tim Duncan, and David Robinson. But nobody paid attention to Curry’s highlight moment — because the height difference between Wembanyama and the other two big men was just too extreme.

The height gap between Wembanyama and Robinson and Duncan is so absurd it almost looks like he was photoshopped into the picture.

At the draft combine, Curry wore shoes in this photo, so we can assume his official height with shoes is 1.98 meters. Robinson’s official career height was 2.16 meters, Duncan’s was 2.11 meters. Of course, not everyone is standing perfectly straight in the photo, and casual postures can cause visual distortion; plus Robinson is now 60 and Duncan nearly 50, so they may have shrunk 1 to 2 inches (about 2.5 to 5 cm). But even considering that, look at the height difference between Wembanyama and the others! Could he really be the officially listed 2.21 meters? That’s impossible!

Why is the Spurs’ height data inconsistent?

As mentioned before, when Wembanyama first joined the league, his official height was 2.24 meters, but I didn’t believe it then. What’s more confusing is that although he clearly towers over other big men listed as 2.16 meters, the Spurs later changed his height to 2.21 meters. Watching him on the court, it’s easy to think he’s much taller than the official listing. But maybe because he’s so much taller than us “ordinary people,” it causes a visual illusion.

Then we should compare him to a true “giant”! Boban Marjanović — the former NBA big man who stands 2.24 meters and appeared in “John Wick 3” — recently mentioned on an ESPN show that when standing in front of Wembanyama, he has to “look up at him.”

ESPN reporter VanHoose even believes Wembanyama’s height might have reached 2.31 meters. If that’s true, the photo with the Spurs’ “best rookie quartet” makes perfect sense.

Height data “shrunk” within 24 hours?

Let’s talk about how the Spurs list this big man’s height.

Earlier this week, people were amazed that the Spurs listed Wembanyama’s height as 2.26 meters. Mavericks player LeVert also revealed at media day that his height grew from 2.16 to 2.18 meters. It’s not uncommon for young players in their late teens or early twenties to keep growing. But shortly after, Wembanyama’s height data changed again.

The Athletic obtained evidence (a screenshot from the NBA official site) showing that at 9:45 AM local time on October 14, Wembanyama’s height was still listed as 7 feet 5 inches (2.26 meters).

By 11:37 AM on October 15, his official height had reverted to 7 feet 4 inches (2.24 meters).

Either Wembanyama “shrunk” 2 centimeters within 24 hours — which would be worrying from many perspectives — or his height data has been repeatedly altered, possibly because he doesn’t want the public to think he’s taller than 2.24 meters.

How can we find out Wembanyama’s true height? After practice, reporters asked Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson this question.

“No one can really stand close enough to him to compare heights, so it’s all just guessing. I have no idea,” he said, “I’d have to stand on a chair and use a tape measure to know for sure, but I can confirm he’s taller than me— anyway, he’s definitely over 7 feet.”