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Good Potential Or Will Small Hands Hold Me Back?


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Here are the hand sizes, measured both ways, from a NBA Combine two years ago. It is very interesting. Quite frankly, the size of the hands seems smaller than I would have figured. Mark Felix really does have big hands!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2011/news/story?id=6569647

Very surprising to me as well. I wonder what Shaq's measure? Do you know how they are measuring - do they do it the same way we do? I see the way most of these guys palm a b-ball and their hands certainly "look" much bigger than those measurements would make me think - width numbers seem out of proportion to length comparing them to most grip guys numbers I have seen. Looking at the Body "fact" pct column on that chart - if that is body "fat" percentage - I simply don't buy those numbers - pro BBs use every trick in the book to get to sub 5% and at that level struggle to get thru a few minute posing routine without cramping up (I know they are dehydrated too but) - what do you think? Is that actually BF% as we look at things? The standing reach numbers are interesting as are the "ape index" numbers.

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I found this because someone told me the average hand span of a NBA player was 12 inches. That seemed high, so I fished around on the Internet and found this, which for "NBA guys", as we said, seems low. But maybe they are not.

Watching Aaron Rodgers "pump fake" with the football the other day made me think about this again. That is not something that can be done to the extent that a few of the Quarterbacks do without the monster hands. At least the way some of those guys go at it with the ball..

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Yao Ming:
Height: 7-5.75 (7-5 October 2002, 7'5.75 September 2004)
Wingspan: 7-5
Standing Reach: 9-6.25 (3/4 inch shoe adjusted)
Hand Length:10"
Playing Weight:
296 - early career
310 - mid career
276 - 2010 FIBA
Shoes: U.S. size 18

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:
Height: 7-1.88 (7-1.375 UCLA, 7-1.625 Bucks training camp, 7-1.88 Bucks training camp yr 2)
Wingspan: 7-5
Playing Weight:
225lbs - rookie
231lbs - 2nd season
235lbs - early career
240lbs - mid career
267lbs - late career
Shoes: U.S. size 16

Wilt Chamberlain:
Height: 7-1.06 (6-11.5 age 17, 7-1.06 age 23)
Wingspan: 7-8
Standing Reach: 9-6 (No adjustment needed - played in Chuck Taylors)
Hand Length: 9.5"
Hand Spread: 11.5"
Playing Weight:
258 - rookie
265 - 3rd season
292 - 5th season
275 - mid career
285 - mid-late career
300 - late career
320 - maximum (overweight at training camp of 5th season)
Shoes: U.S. size 15

Shaquille O'Neal:
Height: 7-0.88 (At age 21, 7-0.63 NBA draft measurement 1, 7-0.88 draft measurement 2)
Wingspan: 7-7
Standing Reach: 9-4 (1 inch shoe adjusted)
Hand Length: 11"
Hand Spread: 9"
Playing Weight:
280 - Freshman LSU Season
285 - Sophomore LSU Season
294 - Final LSU Season
301 - 1992 draft measurement 1
303 - 1992 draft measurement 2
315 - early career
325 - early-mid career
350 - mid-late career
368 - maximum (out of shape after an injury)
Shoes: U.S. size 22

Tyson Chandler:
Height: 6-11.5 (2001 draft age 19)
Wingspan: 7-3
Standing Reach: 9-1 (1 inch shoe adjusted)
Playing Weight:
224 - 2001 draft measurement
235 - early/mid career weight
240 - mid career (up to this point) weight
Shoes: U.S. size 18

Javale McGee:
Height: 6-11 (2008 draft age 20)
Wingspan: 7-6
Standing Reach: 9-5.5 (1 inch shoe adjusted)
Playing Weight:
228 - 2008 initial pre-draft measurement
237 - 2008 second pre-draft measurement
241 - 2008 NBA draft measurement
252 - current weight
Shoes: U.S. size 18

Bill Russell:
Height: 6-9.63 (6-9.63 at age 21, Junior NCAA Season 1955)
Wingspan:7-4
Hand Length:10.5"
Playing Weight:
215 - rookie
222 - early career
230 - late career
240 - final season
Shoes: U.S. size 14

Dwight Howard:
Height: 6-9 (2004 draft at age 19)
Wingspan: 7-4.5
Standing Reach: 9-2.25 (1.25 inch shoes adjusted)
Playing Weight:
240 - 2004 draft measurement
265 - 3rd season weight
280 - 7th season weight
Shoes: U.S. size 18
______________________________________

- Center / Power Forwards -

Elvin Hayes:
Height: 6-9.5 (6-8.5 UCLA age 19, 6-9.5 UCLA age 21)
Wingspan:7-2
Playing Weight:
240 - Junior NCAA season
235 - early NBA career
240 - majority of NBA career
Shoes: U.S. size 16
______________________________________

- Power Forwards -

Kevin Love:
Height: 6-7.75 (2008 draft age 20)
Wingspan: 6-11.25
Standing Reach: 8-8.75 (1.25 inch shoe adjusted)
Playing Weight:
255 - 2008 draft measurement
260 - 2nd season weight
265 - 3rd season weight
235 - 4th season weight
Shoes: U.S. size 19
______________________________________

- Small Forwards -

Lebron James:
Height: 6-7.25 (2003 draft at age 18)
Wingspan: 7-0.25
Standing Reach: 8-9.5 (3/4 inch shoe adjusted)
Hand Length: 9"
Hand Spread: 9.25"
Playing Weight:
245 - 2003 draft measurement
266 - 7th season weight
262 - 8th season weight
Shoes: U.S. size 15

Kahwi Leonard:
Height: 6-6 (2011 draft age 20)
Wingspan: 7-3
Standing Reach: 8-9 (1 inch shoe adjusted)
Hand Length: 9.75"
Hand Spread: 11.25"
Playing Weight:
227 - 2011 NBA draft measurement
225 - current (rookie season) weight
______________________________________

- Shooting Guards -

Michael Jordan:
Height: 6-4.88 (1992 U.S. Olympics at age 29)
Wingspan: 6-11.5
Standing Reach: 8-9.25 ( 3/4 inch shoe adjusted)
Hand Length: 9.75"
Hand Spread: 11.375"
Playing Weight:
195 - rookie
198 - early-career
205 - 1st 3peat
216 - 2nd 3peat
223 - Washington Wizards
Shoes: U.S. size 13

Kobe Bryant:
Height: 6-4.75
Wingspan: 6-11
Standing Reach: 8-9 (1 inch shoe adjusted)
Hand Length: 9.125"
Playing Weight:
174 - rookie
215 - 6th season weight
230 - 8th season weight
225 - 10th season weight
205 - 11th – (to current) season weight
Shoes: U.S. size 14

Jerry West:
Height: ~6-4.125 (Recruited to WVU at 6-2.5 age 18, "just over" 6-4 at age 23)
Wingspan:6-9
Playing Weight:
174 - rookie
180 - mid-career
185 - late-career

Dwyane Wade:
Height: 6-3.75 (2003 draft at age 21)
Wingspan: 6-10.75
Standing Reach: 8-5 (1 inch shoe adjusted)
Playing Weight:
210 - 2003 draft measurement
235 - 7th season weight
231 - 8th season weight
Shoes: U.S. size 13
_____________________________________

- Point Guards -

Kyrie Irving:
Height: 6-1.75 (At age 19, 2011 NBA draft)
Wingspan: 6-4
Standing Reach: 8-1.25 (1.75 inch shoe adjusted)
Hand Length: 8.25"
Hand Spread: 9.25"
Playing Weight:
191 - 2011 draft measurement

More draft data:
www.draftexpress.com/measurements

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Now I know this question has no real answer - but how big a hand does it take to palm a basketball? I have a 7 5/8" long hand and I can sort of palm one. I can't hold it well enough to move, run and jump with the ball for example. Back in HS I could dunk but had to do it two handed or carry it on my wrist on the way up. I think spread has as much to do with this as much as length though - maybe more. I just looked up pictures of Shaq's hand and - well it's pretty huge!

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My dad shook hands with Dr. J once. He said the size of this guy's hands was just unbelievable. He describes it as a claw that came out and just enveloped your whole hand. His fingers were so long that he wasn't just shaking your hand, he was shaking your wrist too.

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One of my Uncles met Andre the Giant back in the 80s once and said his hands were astonishing. I remember hearing a rumor that he could pass a hard boiled egg through some of his rings.

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