You make up a lot of ground. If your wingspan is more than your height, thats kind of abnormal. My generation is trying to straighten it out. Center Bill Walton played 10 seasons for 3 teams. But several NBA players pop off the chart because of their long arms. 1 Pick, and QB Movement Updates With Jeff Darlington. They don't really bring it up to us about that in college or high school.". 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. What We Learned From Testing, and a Bahrain GP Preview, Succession Hall of Fame: Which Side Are You On?. But several NBA players pop off the chart because of their long arms. Its much more important than your height, Kerr said. He didnt often hear the term wingspan, finally understanding how special his measurement is when he got to the NBA. Chamberlain essentially wrote the scoring record books of his era, using his physical dominance to overpower nearly every opponent he faced. Wingspan is one detail Warriors coach Steve Kerr takes seriously and might consider when deciding on lineups and rotations for the defending champions. In fairness, though, ONeal absolutely could be the sort of force worthy of a steady diet of post entries. During his prime as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers in the mid-1970s a prime that lasted a mere three years Walton drew comparisons to such players as Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell. The operation worked. But several NBA players pop off the chart because of their long arms. Finally, there is Johnny Kerr, who was . 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. Yet each visit he made, among the first things measured was his wingspan, 7-6. Weve seen him block guys at the rim and also get his hands on some basketballs off the dribble.. At age 32 and with his comeback drawing to an inevitable end, Walton wanted more than just to be playing. 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 defense. This is not intended to be a definitive, inarguable list, or a scientifically rigorous exercise. Weve seen him block guys at the rim and also get his hands on some basketballs off the dribble.. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax He could pass and run the floor, dribble. It was Burleson's tremendous wingspan clearing out underneath the basket that allowed Monte Towe and David Thompson to work their magic. I am not even joking; he did this during a Michigan State vs. North Carolina basketball game back in 2017. Defense 94. He led the league in both rebounding and blocked shots, averaging 14.4 and 3.25, respectively. Celebrity Fan Photos and Agency Pictures of stars are to their respective owners. Raised in France, Gobert kept growing from ages 15-19. He returned for the Blazers postseason opener, but despite a pain-killing injection before Game 2, he couldnt continue past halftime; subsequent X-rays revealed a broken navicular bone. Waltons combative relationship with the press further sullied his image. Chamberlains monstrous numbers would surely come down in a modern context, if for no other reason than he wouldnt have as many chances to pile them up. Barton joins the Raptors after he was waived by the Wizards on Feb. 21. 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. Every asset that a player has might make up for something else. Wellat the risk of disrespecting a stand-up dude for the second time in the space of one columnlets ask David Robinson, against whom Sabonis held his own when the Soviet Union nearly knocked off Team USA in the gold-medal game of the 1986 FIBA World Championship, and when the USSR did defeat the Americans in the semifinals of the 1988 Summer Olympics (despite Sabonis playing shortly after recovering from his first Achilles rupture): Legendary big-man coach and talent evaluator Pete Newell told Sam Toperoff of The Atlantic Monthly in 1986 that he thought Sabonis could conceivably become the greatest player in the game and he would have taken the Lithuanian over Patrick Ewing in the 1985 draft if he had played for an American team. A contemporary Walton would be free to act as the rising tide to lift all boats, to invert the offense and sling the ball around to the open man, and to hunt playmaking opportunities at least as often as he did his own shot. Portland won 11 more games in 1974-75 than in the previous year but failed to live up to its potential, largely because of Waltons health troubles. He has been going with a center by committee based on matchups. Youre able to deflect the pass or block shots.. Walton is the same type of player. 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. His arms are long and he can block shots. He is very tall with 6 feet and 11 inches height and his total body weight is 95 kg. 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. Height 6'11" (210cm) Wingspan 7'3" (220cm) Weight 210 lbs (95 kg) Team Portland Trail Blazers. In fact, some of them might have translated even better to todays leagueand might have been even more enjoyable to watch in the 2020 NBA than they were in their heyday. The average man has a wingspan about 2 inches more than his height. A lot of basketball players dont, though, they have wider wingspans. In his best yearthe 2006-07 campaign, when he earned his first and only All-Star nodOkur averaged 18 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, shooting 38.4 percent from 3-point range on 4.2 attempts per game. Yet each visit he made, among the first things measured was his wingspan, 7-6. 1 overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft. And now, we move from Hakeem to the man he once nearly played one-on-one for $1 million put up by Taco Bell in an event promoted by Donald Trump, in what sounds like a stirring round of Some Bullshit Mad Libs but is actually a thing that almost happened: Career (1,207 games, 1992-2011): 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.6 steals, 2.3 blocks per game, 58.2% FG, 4.5% 3FG, 52.7% FT. The Trail Blazers lost the series in six games and the services of Walton forever. Fortunately for Portland, Waltons skills spoke louder than his tongue. NFL Player Damar Hamlin in Critical Condition after Collapsing on Field, Legendary Designer Vivienne Westwood Dies Aged 81, 10 Female IAS Officers who can inspire us. Any time you think you're too small to make a difference in the world you've never spent the night alone in bed with a mosquito. Plus, a Salt Lake City Recap. Give It the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar. 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. Walton played in 55 games in 1983-84 and 67 in 1984-85, while the Clippers won 30 and 31 games, respectively. Mehmet Okur (2002-12): At the risk of veering too close to the territory of scraping-the-barrel Twitter highlight videos about how this player in 2004 WAS A PROBLEM, there was absolutely a minute there where the Turkish shooter was somebody you didnt really want to see on the perimeter late in a tight game: The 6-foot-11, 250-pound Okur was a perfect pick-and-pop partner for Deron Williams in Utaha legitimate 3-point threat who could pull opposing centers away from the paint to create more room for D-Will drives, Carlos Boozer and Paul Millsap post-ups, or whatever weird shit Andrei Kirilenko wanted to try. A two-time NBA champion, Bill Walton could do it all -- and often did -- throughout an injury-plagued career. Before he got to the NBA, McGee wasn't even aware of his wingspan. Coaches marvel at players with long arms, figuring they will more easily grab rebounds, block shots, steal passes and shoot over defenders. But the damage was done: Hed only play 169 games between 1979 and 1985. But several NBA players pop off the chart because of their long arms. He had the skills of Larry Bird and Pete Maravich. We should have carried out a plan in the early 1980s to kidnap him and bring him back right then., Or, even better: popped him into a tricked-out DeLorean, sent him to 2020, and found out what it might look like if Kristaps Porzingis passed like White Chocolate, or if you pressed fast-forward on Nikola Jokic. In 1991, Walton won a Sports Emmy for best live television sports telecast and was named one of the top 50 sports broadcasters of all-time by the American Sportscaster Association in 2009. 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.. Some of the best players Kerr faced had incredible reach. 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. Free (later World B. In 2012, he became a college basketball analyst for Pac-12 games on ESPN. Some of the best players Kerr faced had incredible reach. 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.. But several NBA players pop off the chart because of their long arms. Walton won 1 MVP Award, was selected to play in 2 All-Star Games, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1993. ), People dont understand that when he was younger, Sabonis was a perimeter player and he played facing the basket, longtime NBA coach George Karl, who had gotten an up-close look at him during two stints coaching in Europe, told Abrams. Wilt Chamberlain was a great offensive player, Dr. Jack Ramsay, Waltons coach in Portland, told Sport magazine. A lot of basketball players dont, though, they have wider wingspans. Here was a man who once claimed to have bested a mountain lion in single combat. That is not the case for young players. Id never had a player say anything like that to me before. But he had never coached Bill Walton. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Raised in France, Gobert kept growing from ages 15-19. 3x NCAA All-Tourney. Its legit. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Thats kind of a rule of thumb. He was named to both the All-NBA Second Team and the NBA All-Defensive First Team. I would bring my length, I would bring my athleticness. How Tall Is Bill Walton? 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. Most of us have the same wingspan as our height. Waltons career-long struggle with injury and pain began even before he achieved fame at UCLA. Happy Birthday Bill Walton: An Ode to the Tallest Deadhead. Walton inducted himself About Us Those are my five, but theres always room for more time travelers, so lets hit a few honorable mentions: Vlade Divac (1989-2005): Bigs who can pass, forever and ever, amen. . Every game was a challenge, and he didnt let any of us forget that.. The other end would be even more interesting. 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. In the following 1977-78 season, Walton played 58 games in which he averaged career-high 18.9 points, 13.2 rebounds, five assists and 2.5 blocks. > Archive 75: Bill Walton| 75 Stories: Bill Walton. Then, in February, after a 113-92 trouncing of Philadelphia, Walton was forced to the sideline with an injured left foot. But dozens of injuries, most infamously a chronically broken bone in his left foot, robbed Walton of the storybook career that seemed sure to be his. CelebHeights.com Rob Paul 2004-2023. 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. He acquired Walton by sending popular forward Cedric Maxwell to the Clippers along with a first-round draft pick. When youre that big, you cant hide much. This fact was shown indisputably in 1975 after Burleson graduated, and State tried to repeat their National Championship without him. Weve seen him block guys at the rim and also get his hands on some basketballs off the dribble.. 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. Its possible. 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. Yet each visit he made, among the first things measured was his wingspan, 7-6. In todays game, though, with post-up play largely marginalized as teams look to work from the perimeter and attack defenses in space, would Chamberlain still be a high-volume source of offense? 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