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Biyombo has been playing center for Charlotte over the course of the past 3 years, and at 6’9, is one of the smaller centers in the league, but the wingspan more than makes up for the height deficiency. To put that into perspective that is only one inch shorter than Shaq's wingspan. Biyombo stands 6’8, but has a wingspan that stretches out to 7’6. The reason the Bobcats took a risk on this extremely raw player was due to his freakish wingspan. He was a raw athlete out of the Democratic Republic of Congo, having only picked up the sport at the age of 16. The following top 15 will look at the most impressive wingspans in NBA history.īismack Biyombo was selected 7th overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Charlotte Bobcats at the tender age of 18. Then you have a player like Dwyane Wade who is 6’5, but has a wingspan of 6’10. Take for instance Yao Ming, who stood an impressive 7’6, but his wingspan was actually smaller than his height at 7’5 inches. Great height does not necessarily equate elite wingspan. An elite wingspan is considered as a measurement that is 6.5% greater than the player’s height. Great wingspan measurements comes from players of all heights.
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On the offensive side, superior wingspan allows a shooter to have less shots contested, as he can get the ball further away from a defender. Whether it be to reach for a block, getting into passing lanes, or poking balls away, extra length is a determining factor for a great defender. Take a look at the great defenders in the NBA, and the one common thread you will find in all of them is an impressive wingspan. Wingspan is a key measurement because it allows a player of a lesser stature to compete with players who may be physically taller than them. The average NBA player will have a wingspan 4 inches greater than his height.
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The average modern human being is said to have a wingspan 2 inches greater than his height. Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian man depicts the ideal human as having a wingspan equal to his height, but this was based off a human that was 5’5. A person’s wingspan is the measurement from the tips of one finger to the other. When they mention length, they are not talking about a player's height, but more so his wingspan. You will often hear basketball pundits state that a player has great length.
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