Okay, so, I saw this thing online about the longest wingspan in the NBA, and it got me thinking. I mean, 8 feet 6 inches? That’s just wild. The guy, Manute Bol, was a giant, 7 foot 6 inches tall, playing in the NBA for, like, 12 years, from 1985 to 1997, and he was on six different teams. I decided to dig in a little deeper, because who wouldn’t want to know more about that, right?
So, I started with a simple search. I typed in “longest wingspan NBA” and boom, there it was. Manute Bol. It turns out his wingspan is officially the longest in NBA history. But here’s the thing that blew my mind—this record’s been around since before they started keeping detailed records at the draft combine. We’re talking old school here, back in the day when they probably just used a tape measure.
I kept digging. I scrolled through a bunch of articles, looked at some old photos of Bol, and even watched a few grainy highlight reels. It’s crazy to see him play. The guy was like a human spider on the court, swatting away shots, grabbing rebounds. But that record held up for so long and I can’t imagine a guy with that wingspan, it’s insane.
Getting a Bit More into It
Then, I found out that since they officially started measuring wingspans at the draft combine, around 2000, the longest one belongs to this new guy, Mo Bamba, who is going to the Orlando Magic. So, Manute Bol still has the unofficial record, but this Bamba kid is the official champ in the modern era. It makes sense, I guess. They have all these fancy ways to measure things now, with lasers and stuff, so it’s probably more accurate.
Little Things I Noticed
- I noticed that wingspan isn’t everything. You gotta have the skills too, right?
- I read about Keon Johnson, a guard for the Trail Blazers. He had the highest vertical leap at 48 inches last year in the draft combine. That’s also crazy.
- I realized how much the game has changed. There’s more data, more analysis, and it just got me wondering what other crazy physical feats are out there in the NBA.
So, that’s my little journey into the world of NBA wingspans. It started with a simple question and ended up with me learning a bunch of random facts. Who knew arms could be so interesting? I just feel like I’ve become a bit of an armchair expert on this, and I can’t wait to impress my friends with my newfound knowledge the next time we watch a game.
