Are Shorter Arms Still A Barrier To An NBA Career?

BusinessSportsMoneyAre Shorter Arms Still A Barrier To An NBA Career?ByBeau Dure,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Beau Dure is a sports journalist and author of several soccer books.Follow AuthorMay 26, 2026, 02:05pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.John Blackwell celebrates his game-winning buzzer-beater for Wisconsin against Minnesota in January.Getty ImagesWhy did former Wisconsin guard John Blackwell remove his name from NBA Draft consideration and stick with his plan of transferring to Duke? The decision could have been driven by getting feedback suggesting he would not be an early pick, and perhaps it was affected by whatever he can earn through Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) compensation and direct payments in this new era of college basketball. But there was one set of numbers that would -- and in a year or so, probably will -- make Blackwell an unusual NBA player.Those numbers: Wingspan vs. height. Everyone knows basketball players tend to be taller. The average NBA player is 6-foot-7. The average American male is 5-foot-9. (Fun fact: The average man in the Netherlands is over 6 feet, yet Stathead’s NBA database only lists 10 players born in that country, most notably the “Dunking Dutchman” -- 7-foot-4 Rik Smits. Four of the other nine players were also 7-footers, while two more stood 6-foot-11.)Stathead’s database finds that only 29 players who stood 5-foot-9 or shorter have played in the NBA. From the 2004-05 season onwards, only eight players of average or shorter height have debuted in the league. Another average: For the average human, the ratio of wingspan to height is roughly 1:1. Having long arms would clearly be an advantage in basketball, helping players rack up rebounds, blocks and steals. But surely having long arms would just be a by-product of being tall, right? A 6-foot-9 player with a 6-foot-9 wingspan wou...