How tall is Ming Yao - Page 4

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Average Guess (262 Votes)
7ft 5.96in (228.5cm)
Viper said on 11/May/07
I have no idea
Alex said on 11/May/07
Viper, your parents are very similar to mine. Well my dad was 6'0-6'1 at his tallest when he was younger. same height as I am now. Today he's almost 52 and no more than 5'11, can look a bit shorter sometimes due to bad posture. My mom is 5'2.5. Who in your family did you take after to be 6'3 1/2?
Viper said on 10/May/07
My dad is 6-0 and mom 5-3.
Arjun said on 10/May/07
Yeah Viper , Costner grew big time too, apparently 11 inches from 5'2" to 6'1". I read that he could'nt reach the pedals of his car because his legs were too short.
I think that only those who have late-growth genes (and/or tall genes) somewhere in the family tree can get late growth. It would be a bigtime genetic error if Rodman did'nt grow past the 5'11" he was before his growth spurt. Viper, if you examine your family tree you'll more than likely find someone with a similar pattern of late growth. How tall are your parents BTW?
Viper said on 9/May/07
What about Kevin Costner, saying he was 5-2 at the end of high school but then grew to over 6-0!!!
Arjun said on 9/May/07
Rodman grew 8 - 9 inches when he was 18 (but some sites say 19 or 20). Anyway, that is a major late growth spurt. He was a late developer , and his entire family was tall: Mom around 6', Sisters over 6', and Dad around 6'7" (his current height) so it was expected that he would grow to around 6'7" eventually.
Viper said on 8/May/07
I have no idea. Just genetic guess.
TheJerk said on 8/May/07
Viper man, any tricks to increasing your height after 22? Did you do anything to encorage growth? Help a guy out man.
Alex said on 8/May/07
That is interesting to grow at 23 again. Most are done by 21.
I just turned 23 and I wonder if I'll grow a bit more. I doubt it though.
Viper said on 8/May/07
Dennis Rodman grew big time in his 20s. Keep in mind I do look very young for my age as well.
lillo thomas said on 8/May/07
viper that odd you grow 2 inches after 23 and apparently still growing at 26 years old.
Arjun said on 7/May/07
Wow, Viper , you grew 2 inches after age 23!!! You might very well reach 6'4" too by the time you stop growing ......
Viper said on 7/May/07
Arjun, I thought you were an "older" poster, lol. Im 26 and I was still growing ever so slightly the last time I measured myself at 6-3 1/4 in the past 6 months. I was 6-1 at the end of High School at 18. Was measured at the doctor's office no less. Didnt grow again till I was 23 or so.
Arjun said on 7/May/07
Derek, it depends on when you had your major growth spurt (fastest rate of growth per year - like 3-4 inches/yr) If you are 2 years past that (which it sounds like since you have only grown 1/2" in the past year) then I think you may well get another inch , but not more. It's impossible to predict 100% though, anything could happen, you could grow 3 inches after 19 like Jason, or you may not grow any more.
Derek said on 6/May/07
I'm turning 19 in July and since my 18th birthday, I've grown around 1/2". My dad is 6'3 1/2" and my mom was recently measured at 5'4". My dad stopped growing at 13 and developed early while I didn't. I have grown past my 18th birthday, which I didn't expect. I'm not sure if I'll grow any more, but I'm 6'1" now and comfortable with my height. If I do indeed grow any more, will it be a small amount or can I expect a few more inches?
Arjun said on 6/May/07
Wow Jason. No growth at all for 5 years since age 13 and then 4 inches!!! That's really unusual, but cool all the same. You might very well reach a full 6'4" by the time you stop growing, it seems. As for me, I'll be happy to get a 1/4" more to reach a full evening 5'8", but who knows .... ultimately we don't really have much control over our height, it will grow to what it is programmed to ;)
Oh yeah, and you said that your feet are still growing a little too. Mine stopped by 16 or so, but my armspan increased a whole inch after 16, more than my height did, wonder what that could mean.....
Jason said on 5/May/07
You're only 19 Arjun??? F*uck ... I imagined you were my age. I was 5'11 1/4'' when I turned 18 as I said and 6'0 1/2'' when I was your age. I was an early bloomer and late bloomer actually (if you can fathom that one lol); I hit 5'11 1/4'' (181cm) at 13 then didn't grow again until 18. Maybe you'll grow some more - I had no idea when I was 17-18 that I would, I hadn't grown a mm since I was 13 so thought that was it.
Jason said on 5/May/07
Yeah, I measure myself. Definitely still growing, though only slightly (I have been all through my 20s - I was only 5'11 1/4'' when I turned 18 as I've said before). My feet are too and I'm still ''filling out''. I guess weird growth patterns just run in my family. Anyway, my point was someone like Yao Ming, even though just genetically tall, could definitely still be growing. When you're that tall, all bets are off...
Arjun said on 4/May/07
Jason,it's cool that you're still growing at 26. You said recently that you are 6'3" and change now. Pardon me, but I have to ask you a barrage of questions ;)
How much did you grow in total between 18 and 26? And how much more do you think you'll get from now? Do you think that you will hit a full 6'4"??? Were you a late grower i.e. did you have your adolescent growth spurt later than most guys do (most guys have it at around 13-14)?
Seriously , you guys are lucky to be growing this late. Alex, even you have grown 4 cm since 17. I'm younger than all of you (only 19) but I was about 5'7 1/2" evening height at 16, and these days closing in on 5'7 3/4" evening height.
So barely 1/4" in 3 years for me :(
Alex said on 4/May/07
The average in the US I read was 5'9.5 then 5'10 at different places. I think it may be closer to 5'10 though.
Alex said on 4/May/07
Jason, thats odd that you're still growing at 26. Have you been measuring yourself to make sure? I just turned 23 in April and maybe I may get another 1/2 inch by 25. I've only grown 1.5 inches since I turned 17.
Jason said on 4/May/07
Not at all, I just turned 26 & I'm still growing -- my brother is also & he turns 24 this month. Viper is too I believe and he's 27. You actually don't have to be a pituitary giant to grow at a very late age. Unusual but it happens. My Mum was the complete opposite and stopped growing completely (at 5'7'') at 10 years old.
Arjun said on 4/May/07
Jason, Yao is going to be 27 this September, and he's not a pituitary giant. I think we can safely say that he is not growing any more.
Duhon said on 3/May/07
Average height in the US is sort hard to compare especially with reference to other countries that are more homogenous in composition. The average height of a white and black american man is 5'10". However the average height of a hispanic male is 5'6". thus the overall average height in the general public is brought down somewhat especially with the growing hispanic population.
Jason said on 3/May/07
I would say no less than 7'5 1/2''. He could still be growing, too...

I've also heard about the 7'4'' comment. Come to think of it, I think I even read where he said it. He probably was 7'4'' and change when he first came into the NBA.
TheJerk said on 3/May/07
The average height for men in China is now 5-7 I've read.
Viper said on 3/May/07
The average height is 5-9 in the US, not 5-10.
LV said on 12/Apr/07
5'11" guy- you are wrong! The average male in the US is around 5'10" and we are one of the taller countries. I would guess the average Chinese male is around 5'6" or 5'7".
5'11 guy said on 9/Apr/07
The average Beijing Chinese is around 5'11, actually. I would know since I have loads of Chinese friends.

Check out Ziboy.com. Plenty of pics of Europeans/Americans and north Chinese standing side-by-side. The average height is the same.
immoral_animal said on 4/Apr/07
Shawn Bradley is hardly an authority on anything Basketball. But, if he had an opinion on how to marry 6 pre-teen brides, I'd defer to him for sure.

Yao is prolly at least 7'5.5", or straight-up 7'6".

Click Here

Also, this person (like all Chinese and Koreans) should be listed under "Y"; his family name is Yao, not his given name, Ming.
Alex said on 4/Apr/07
I think Yao needs to be listed back at 7'6.
Mike said on 31/Mar/07
George Muresan used to live either in my town or near it because during baseball practice we'd always see him playing with kids (his?) at the playground past the outfield. He was ENORMOUS, he looked like some sort of tall skinny alien from far away.
Mike1667 said on 26/Mar/07
Yao was listed at 7'5" when he came to the NBA, how he's listed as 7'6". 7'5" is probably close, and he certainly looks it when compared to other players.
asfasf said on 20/Mar/07
i repeat, when i saw both on the court, bradley and yao look like the same height, though yao with his huge head, can be a bit tall than him, but bradley never looked to me any taller than him. Muresan is definitively taller than them
Anonymous said on 16/Mar/07
Actually I saw Yao's pre-draft stuff he was measured at 7'5 7'6 1/4 with shoes.
wolverinejoe80 said on 13/Mar/07
i'm not saying yao is taller. i'm just saying that i wanna see more pics between those two because sometimes pictures can be deceiving. kinda like that pic which bradley looks taller than muresan but in reality muresan is probably taller than bradley. also new sun ming ming pics which you can see sun's shoulder level is clearly 2+inch higher than muresan, but they head level is about the same.
Arjun said on 13/Mar/07
wolverinejoe80, is Yao " 7'7" " then?????
I still say 7'5.5" max.
Cheers,
Arjun
wolverinejoe80 said on 12/Mar/07
we can never know if yao is shorter than bradley. 2 pictures can't tell who's taller or not.

when i saw them played together, yao appeared to be taller. even announcers said yao seem to be taller.

all of these are just assumption. i would need at least 10 more pics of yao and bradley together to decide who is taller. but not just 2. and it was taken long time ago and many people claim that yao grew about 1/2 inch more.
Duhon said on 12/Mar/07
Yao never said he was 7-4". he's at least 7'5.5 as he was measured in the pre-drafts.
Anonymous said on 12/Mar/07
How is that evidence? Yao at most is 7'5.5. Defintley shorter than bradley.
Arjun said on 12/Mar/07
Did'nt Yao also once state that he was only 7'4" barefoot??? Although I think that's too low, 7'5" is probably about right. Yao 7'4" barefoot would mean that both Shaq and Mutombo would be no more than 6'11".
Cheers,
Arjun
Burgos said on 5/Mar/07
Duncan is 6'10" 1/2 without shoes whis is about 2.10 m
Arjun said on 4/Mar/07
If Duncan is 6'10"(which I think he is around), then Yao LOOKS 7'4" in that photo, as Duncan just about reaches his eye level. Even with Yao's huge head, his eyes can't be 7.5 or 8 inches down from his skull top - I would say about 6 inches in his case.
Cheers,
Arjun
LV said on 1/Mar/07
I agree asfasf, look on Yahoo! pictures of the two of them holding the championship trophy, Duncan is only 1" shorter and DRob is a legit 7'1".
asfasf said on 28/Feb/07
guys, duncan ever looked to me 1 inch less than david robinson listed at 7'1 some year ago. so...
if his not a legit 7 footer barefoo, he is so with shoes on for sure
Arjun said on 26/Feb/07
LV, in that picture Duncan looks only 6" shorter than Yao, as he's upto Yao's eye level (5" for a normal man, 6" for a huge forehead like Yao's). So Yao only looks 7'4" if Duncan is 6'10"??? Something ain't right.
Cheers,
Arjun
asfasf said on 26/Feb/07
why ppl thinks garnett is taller than tim? never seen in any photo or in the court or in advertisings this difference in height, maybe tim got one cm on kevin, so kevin 211cm and tim 212cm in shoes
Anonymous said on 25/Feb/07
Garnett is taller than Dirk. Dirk is no more than 6'11 although I think he looks 7 feet on the court too. Duncan is 6'10-6'11. What people forget is Duncan could have grown in his early twenties too....6'10 isn't exactly average height!
LV said on 25/Feb/07
Still doesn't explain why he is also taller than Okur and Stoudemire. The picture wasn't taken at an angle. I do agree that they are staggered and not standing in a straight line. Duncan, Dirk, and Stoudemire are all stanind futher in front of Yao and Duncan is the tallest.
Viper said on 25/Feb/07
Well, for one thing it looks like Garnett is standing a little further back from everyone else. Garnett is no taller than 6-11 and could be under that. Nowitski is strange. This guy physically looks 7-0 on the court. But in pictures he looks shorter.
JT said on 24/Feb/07
LV, if you look carefully, the All-Star photo with Yao is taken from an angle to the players' right, so it favors those on the right (or the left side of pics). You can see how the bench is not completely level. Duncan is slightly closer to the camera, which is why he looks taller than KG and Dirk when both are a bit taller (possibly one inch).
LV said on 24/Feb/07
Viper, look at the All-Star picture below and then tell me Tim Duncan is 6'10". If he's 6'10", then Garnett and Nowitzki are both 6'10" or slightly shorter. Also, he's taller than the supposed 6'11" Okur. He looks 6'11" next to David Robinson in the picture I saw on Yahoo! pictures of them holding the championship trophy.
Viper said on 24/Feb/07
LV, Boozer is 6-8. Yet I thought he did look 6-9 when I saw him in person in 2000. He clearly has over 2 inches on Carmello. Funny thing is Carmello can look taller than 6-6 sometimes. Tim Duncan is 6-10. He was listed at that height in college. I doubt he has grown since. Physically he looks the same as he did in college.
LV said on 23/Feb/07
Pete, when did I say anything about moving someone's shoulders up? Bradley's is clearly taller (Click Here) at the top's of their heads.
LV said on 23/Feb/07
But Pete, my point is that Duncan is listed at 6'10"...it makes no sense. And Bradley is taller. He said it himself.
Viper said on 23/Feb/07
Wow, since when did Rob lower yao's height to 7-5?
pete said on 23/Feb/07
LV, imho u can't considerer anybody "taller" if he moves his shoulder up, bradley clearly do that but in the top of the head there isn't neither an inch or cm of difference. They are in the same range of height 7'6'.
Iam agree with about TD's height he's the only full 7 footer there, dirk and garnett i'd say 6 feet 11 1/2 inchs
Duhon said on 23/Feb/07
Arjun, the new measurements were still done when yao was first drafted he was 21-22 i believe. as for the debate of people growing into their early twenties, when dealing with people over 7'3" i beleive the normal principles of even natural growth are kind of thrown out the window. there are cases of men still growing in their early twenties and at 7'5" already, is it hard to believe one more inch of growth is not possible? (were also discounting the fact that its possible he only actually grew a half an inch from 7'5 1/2 to 7'6")
LV said on 22/Feb/07
There is a picture of Yao and Shawn Bradley back-to-back on Yahoo! pictures. Bradley is clearly 1 inch taller. Also, that All-Star picture is eye-opening, Carmelo is clearly only 6'6" (nowhere near the 6'9" Boozer maybe its the dress shoes) and Duncan looks 7' (I drew a line in Paint and he's slightly taller than the 7' Dirk) next to Okur (supposed 6'11") and Stoudemire (supposed 6'10").
Arjun said on 21/Feb/07
Duhon, while it is certainly possible that Yao grew, it is also very possible that he did'nt. At his height, the morning-evening variance alone could account for 2 cm or so variance between measurements. I personally think that he is still 7'5" - 7'5 1/2" at best, and has always been so since he was like 19-20. At 26, being a genetic, non-gigantism giant and looking quite manly(i.e. non-eunochoid) he ain't growing any more, I can assure you (as if he is'nt tall enough already LOL)
Cheers,
Arjun
asfasf said on 21/Feb/07
Click Here
carmelo antony seems 6'6' compared to yao why nba listed him at 6'8'? he's tall as kobe
Duhon said on 16/Feb/07
The assumption refers to the fact they assumed he grew as opposed to the original 7'5" measurement being incorrect. They actually measured him at 7'6" there's no assumption about that. as for ben wallace yes he's listed at 6'9" but nobody has ever come out officially saying he was measured at exactly 6'9". guys 6'6"-6'9" people dont care as much they can fudge. anybody over 7'3" people want exact measurements becuase they get really curious.
Anonymous said on 15/Feb/07
It says "the assumption" They could be lying aswell...Ben Wallace is listed at 6'9! Bradley is taller than Yao anyone with eyes can see that.
Duhon said on 13/Feb/07
For everyone who keeps debating whether yao grew an inch, it has been confirmed by Rockets coaching staff he did, read here:Click Here
Masato said on 11/Feb/07
Put yao ming back up to 7'6'' casue he is that height
228 cm.
vegas said on 9/Feb/07
yao and bradley are the exact same height in rex's photo, though they would need to take off their shoes to confirm this as yao's soles look bigger to me
Arjun said on 6/Feb/07
Dave, it's possible Yao grew an inch, but it's not absolutely confirmed. Measurements vary according to the time of day even for an average height man by about 2 cm from morning to evening. So for someone as gigantic as Yao, probably 3 cm or more.
Cheers,
Arjun
Dave said on 5/Feb/07
Yao must be the same height as Bradley now, I say 7'6 is right for both of them
Anonymous said on 2/Feb/07
Are you kidding me Bradley's eyes and head are higher than Yao's. Hahaha Yao taller than Bradley and Muresan. You gotta be kidding.

for height in NBA history Bradley, Bol and Muresan are all taller than Yao.
asfasf said on 29/Jan/07
Click Here
look bradley beside muresan...yao is taller than them
Viper said on 27/Jan/07
Wolverine, why do you think Kenny George is 1 inch taller than his listed height?
Arjun said on 27/Jan/07
Shaq looks 5 inches shorter than Yao, not more, in most photos. He's always past Yao's eye level by a good 1-2cm (and no hair advantage for him), and Yao probably has 14 cm (5.5") from his skull top to eye level, as his head is probably 29 cm (11.5") long.
Cheers,
Arjun
supes78 said on 26/Jan/07
This guys is so tall that it's really hard to make a distinction between 7'5" or 7'6". There aren't that many people of comparable height to compare him to in photos.
Gonzalo said on 25/Jan/07
From that last pic I see a four inch difference
Anonymous said on 23/Jan/07
Yeah but Shaq isn't standing straight at all but Yao is. shaq is leaning to his right a lot.
asfasf said on 22/Jan/07
have u never seen the difference between shaq and yao in nba games? is atleast 5 inchs!!
Gonzalo said on 19/Jan/07
Bradley is taller. But Yao is a much better player
asfasf said on 19/Jan/07
cmon guys look the photo beside mutombo if yao is only 7'5 mutombo is only 6'11/7'0 that's not possible, i can assure yao got the same height of bradley (barefoot) bradley is tiny man and slounch his body, but yao compared with him not. But he got the same height iam sure of that
Duhon said on 18/Jan/07
Proof yao grew an inch since his 2002 draft measurements:

Click Here
Arjun said on 18/Jan/07
In the photo of Yao and Bradley back to back, I don't even see an inch difference in the top's of their hair. The difference in their hair tops is around 1 cm , no more. If Yao's hair is bigger than Bradley's (say 1/2" bigger), only then is the difference an inch. If Yao's hair is not bigger than Bradley's, then Yao is max 1 cm shorter. As for the difference in eye levels - having your eyes higher up than another person does'nt make you taller. Yao has a longer forehead than Bradley.
Cheers,
Arjun
asfasf said on 18/Jan/07
why downgrade his height? isn't possible only 226cm, 228cm is more accurate!
CoolJ said on 17/Jan/07
Ok Viper, so choose to ignore all the compelling evidence back in '05 at the bottom of this page. Yao was still in his very early 20s at that point.. and its not crazy to think he may have grown an inch. Look at him next to Mutombo and Shaq.. He friggin dwarfs them.
Viper said on 16/Jan/07
CoolJ, measurements from 4 years ago still pulls a lot more weight than somebodys "opinion" from today.
Anonymous said on 16/Jan/07
He has maybe 4 inches on Shaq. Shaq is atleast 7'1.
CoolJ said on 16/Jan/07
I'm believing Yao is at 7'6" barefoot these days.. I think we have a several month-long argument back in the day when Rob even stated he thought Yao might be slightly above 7'6".. Now people are pulling out measurements from 4 years ago and we're suddenly OK with that?
TomScott said on 15/Jan/07
Why all the discussion? Yao was measured officially at barefoot 7'5" at the pre-draft camp.

Click Here
asfasf said on 15/Jan/07
in that photo bradley straight his neck, yao not. in nba's games when yao and bradley played 1v1 they were at same height. I think he is about 7'6'
Duhon said on 12/Jan/07
Well shaq is 7'1" in shoes at least. also about yao "claiming" to be so and so. if anything yao is pretty self-conscience about his height you can tell by his demeanor and in some interviews. he'd be that last person to brag or exagerate.
Arjun said on 12/Jan/07
Dave: It's hard to tell exactly, but Yao is'nt quite 6 inches taller than Shaq if you discount Yao's hair, more 5 - 5.5 inches. Shaq reaches a little past Yao's eye level, probably upto his eyebrows. Now Yao's head may be big, but I doubt there is 6 inches to his EYEBROWS, MAYBE 6 inches to his eye level, but more like 5 - 5.25 inches to his eyebrows.
Cheers,
Arjun
Dave said on 10/Jan/07
yao is a definitely 7'6, he has at least 6 inches on Shaq, so if Shaq isn't under 7ft then Yao can't be under 7'6 for sure. That photo which shows Bradley taller by an inch was taken a while back and at that time Yao was listed as 7'5 anyway and has since grown to 7'6, I think that if there was a measure up now Yao would be the same height or maybe taller.
Arjun said on 1/Jan/07
Jake, Yao's got a longer forehead than Bradley, and bigger hair to boot. Bradley's eye level looks around the normal 5 inches down from skull top, while Yao's could be almost 6 inches. So even tho their eye levels are like almost 2 inches apart, their skull tops are'nt that much apart, and their hair tops are even closer. Yet I would say that Bradley has a good inch on Yao in this pic if you discount hair.
Cheers,
Arjun
Observer said on 27/Dec/06
Very impressive these guys, you look like a dwarf next to them...
About Jake's picture you can see that Yao Ming is lighly leant, on this one he looks taller than Bradley :
Click Here

But I think they are quite the same height, you know at this level... :D
JT said on 24/Dec/06
Jake, not sure when that photo of Yao with Bradley was taken. I've heard that Yao has grown a bit more since entering the NBA and could be close to 7'6" now. Also, Yao doesn't look like he's standing as tall as he can in that pic with Bradley, who is a legit 7'6". I read that Bradley and Bol stood back to back and 7'7" Bol edged him out by a bit.

Pat Croce, former owner of the 76'ers who signed Bradley to a $44 million contract, said that the best thing about Bradley is that he gave the team photo a nice pyramid shape.
G-Smoke said on 11/Dec/06
Wouldn't be great if we can see all of the NBA giants? But for a center i would like to see their stats on defense. So i ca say who's the best giant for NBA.
Arjun said on 7/Dec/06
Cantstop25: I'd say more like 5" difference , not 6", Mutombo is leaning in and still upto Yao's ear, if he stood straighter he would be like a cm above Yao's ear, and I doubt that there is any more than 5.25" from Yao's skull top to top of ear. There is a pic of Yao standing beside a measuring scale, and while he is'nt standing completely straight, surely his head is ; ( and you can see that the top of his HAIR is around 7'5 1/2", and the top of his ear around 7'0", and his head is'nt tilted at all. Minus 1/2" for hair (his hair is short and thick, so it definitely sticks up atleast a 1/2" if not more) and you have just about 5" from top of skull to tip of ear for him. Surprising , is'nt it, that even though Yao is so tall, his cranium is'nt much bigger than that of an average man (who has around 4" - 4.5" to top of ear) Definitely not any more than 5.25" to the top of his ear. And Mutombo WOULD be around a cm above Yao's ear if he stood straighter. So no more than 5", according to me.
Cheers,
Arjun
Stretch said on 3/Dec/06
I'm certain Yao is every bit 7' 6" bare foot. There are two photos of him, one alongside center Dikembe Motumbo (7' 2") and another publicity still with the tallest WNBA player, 7' 2" Margo Dydek. He absolutely towers over her.
Derek said on 23/Nov/06
I thought prior to the 2002 draft, Yao was measured at 7'5 3/4". Regardless, he's way too tall to judge. I'd just like to mention Leandro Barbosa of the Phoenix Suns grew over the off-season. To all you guys in your early 20s, you can still grow.
Viper652 said on 22/Nov/06
On ESPN last night they said Yao was 7-5.
Alex said on 19/Nov/06
I forgot he thought Yao was 7'8. But a guy who is really 7'5-7'6 can easily get away with 7'8. When you're that tall its easy.
Alex said on 16/Nov/06
Yao has gotta be at least 7'5 barefoot though. He was measured that in the draft I remember reading that in the paper or something.
lillo thomas said on 16/Nov/06
according to the pic below with motombo yao ming looks 3 or 4 inches taller.
so he must be barefoot between 7'4 and 7'5
lillo thomas said on 15/Nov/06
mutumbo isnt 7'2 . almost all if not all nba players heights are in shoes.
he is must be between 7 foot and 7'1 .
Alex said on 14/Nov/06
Mutumbo is really only about 7'1 but that makes Yao look 7'5-7'5.5.
Alex said on 13/Nov/06
In most pics Yao is 5 inches taller than Shaq. Yao may just well be 7'5, but at that height you can easily pass for 7'6 plus.
kene said on 15/Sep/06
most american beleive yao ming 229tall.. according to an china interview of yao: he told the media his atual height barefoot was only 223cm(7ft4)thats true..
Jordan said on 8/Sep/06
His height allows him to weigh 310--he's almost reaching Shaq who recently lost weight and is down to 325.
Alex said on 4/Sep/06
7'5 at least for Yao, but didn't someone say that his 7'6 listing is barefoot because he wanted to be listed barefoot. It wouldn't suprise me at all if he was 7'6 barefoot but no more than that though. But you know 7'4, 7'5, 7'6 etc, in that height range its tough to tell the difference unless you're that height yourself.

For me at 6'0 1/4 its a bit tough for me to get a very good estimate of guys 6'8 and more.
Viper652 said on 29/Aug/06
Eurobasket says Ming is 7-5. These heights are in centimeters and pretty accurate. Here is a list of the tallest basketball players in the world. It looks like a few are over 8-0? Click Here
DMX said on 25/Aug/06
LOL, dave. Sun Ming Ming is not going to be in the NBA. He's a freak and moves like a paraplegic turtle.
dave said on 1/Aug/06
Yao is taller than Bradley and I estimate him to be now fully grown at a touch underneath 7'7, maybe 7'6 3/4.
But enter the new chinese monster in the name of Sung Ming Ming at close to 7'9 and now nearly 400lb, Seeing this guy is beyond belief and looks like Yao's days are numbered.
Jake said on 31/Jul/06
He is definantly an shorter than 7'6" Shawn Bradley. Give him 7'5".
I_am said on 13/Jul/06
Carroll Dawson who is the Rockets general manager has said NUMEROUS times that Yao is around 7-5 3/4 or 7-6 barefoot.

In fact if you would watch Rockets games on Fox Sports or local channel 51 you would know this long ago as it is often brought up.

Apparently his height sometimes varies from 7-5 3/4 to 7-6.

Also to the 226 cm listing in China, you should know he was measured for that in 1999, which was the height used in 2004 Olympics because he could not attane the measuring since he was in Dallas.

In 2000 he was able to attend the Olympic measuring and mesured 227 cm or 7-5 1/2 at age 19

Numerous listings on the internet of the 2.27 m 2000 listing as well as 7-6 listing from that time in US Sports articles.

Hia NBA draft listing is a draft listing not a measurement. He was not measured for the draft combine when he was in China, just like Andrea Bargnani was not measured for the draft combine when he was in Italy.

This is not rocket science people.
Bendy said on 18/Jun/06
Click Here

I managed to edit that photo to show it in inch divisions, in that pic he doesnt look like hes standing straight and is just a hair under 7'6" in shoes, so if he was standing straight hes prob about 7-6" 1/4 in shoes, which makes him about 7'5" barefoot, I'm not sure how old that pic is, so if its 2-3yrs ago, he prob could be about 7'6" barefoot nowadays.
Viper652 said on 8/Jun/06
Yao probably is 7-5 barefoot, 7-6 in shoes.
Ozzy said on 2/Jun/06
-Just curious: give me a CLEAR REFERENCE where it is stated that the 7'6 measurement is without shoes, haven't seen one yet, just that van gundy said they measured him at 7'6, not saying anything about shoes.
- And: no matter what you believe PLEASE don't talk about proof, as far as i'm concerened, there's no such thing in this forum.
- nba.com now has Yao at 7'5 again...
- Yao's head is big, but no way it is 20"
- 2004 Olympics: Yao: 226cm
- If, JJ, it is as you say (by the way, are you using several nicknames?) possible that nba players are ashamed of their heights... i won't even go into it that much, that's just silly: "oh, i'm to tall at 7' feet, i'll just say 6'10 and people won't think of me as tall"... haha. if yao was taller than 7'6 the rockets would certainly use it.. remember? they had the advertisment on their web site saying: "He has grown"... don't seem as they are trying to downgrade him...
- Yao is just tall, as bradley he does not have growth disorder, which means his growth period would be normal (on average men stop growing significantly at around 20 and women a couple of years earlier if they don't suffer from any disease, however it is not unusual for men to grow fractions of an inch, maybe up to 0.25" from they've "stopped" an till the age of 26...
- I use pau gasol as reference, because i belive european measurements are more reliable. Also Brand said about the rumors that he was just 6'6: I'm 6'8 in socks, they wanted to be sure when measuring me becuase of the rumors that i was shorter". Makes sense when using pics.
- I believe Yao is somewhat shorter than bradley.
almost 40 and no girlfriend said on 16/May/06
i agree with you coolJ that you can't take people's word for it but shaq and duncan have to be very careful about what they say because anything they say gets published in the papers...
CoolJ said on 13/May/06
Lone:

So if I say you're 6'10.. that means you're 6'10?? Hmm interesting.. Now all I have to do is convince everyone to say I'm 6'5..and BAM I grew a s***load over night!
30 something and no girlfriend said on 11/May/06
yeh anonymous I guess you wish very much that's true isn't it?? you sicko.
Anonymous said on 11/May/06
hes f***in gay!
hahshshshshshs 101 said on 8/May/06
this is so stupid please will you tell me yao mings first name and last?
Lone said on 24/Apr/06
no, the rockets said, unofficially, that Yao was 7-8, so did O'Neal and Duncan. When they asked O'Neal about his game against Yao where Yao outscored him by a lot, O'Neal responded, "he's 7-7, he's supposed to do that".

During Yao's second all star game, Duncan wanted Yao to jump on the opening tip, when asked why, Duncan said, "well he's 7-8, so he should be jumping instead of me" (Yao deferred to Duncan).
CoolJ said on 24/Apr/06
Massimo: Sing lives in his own dream world where everything he says is correct. Kinda like King Midas except his words are golden, not his touch.
sing said on 18/Apr/06
ming is taller than bradley, without a question, especially now, since Yao has grown taller to 7-7.
CoolJ said on 17/Apr/06
Sing.. Yao's hair doesn't count.. Bradley's is closer.
sing said on 14/Apr/06
well CoolJ if that's true shouldn't Bradley's head be closer to the stands because the camera man is shooting up on the side of Bradley (the left side), the fact that Yao's head is closer proves he's actually taller.

Nowadays obviously Yao is much taller since he has grown since then. In that pic I would say Yao is about 7-6 1/2", Yao is over 7-7 now.
CoolJ said on 14/Apr/06
Yao's head is closer to the stands because the photographer isn't perpendicular with that straight line as is blatantly obvious when you look at the half-court line.. He's off to the left (from our vantagepoint) thus creating this illusion you keep referring to.

Bradley is taller.
Jason said on 13/Apr/06
Those pics didn't load for me when I tried refereshing the page either, Sing. Ah well, I'll have to see what other pics show up here. What's the word on Yao's growth? Is he still growing?
CoolJ said on 7/Apr/06
Click Here
Alex said on 6/Apr/06
Those pics aren't good to judge really. Yao to me does look a legit 7'6 guy though.
CoolJ said on 6/Apr/06
Here we go again with the bad pictures... The pics with Bradley show nothing as they are in b-ball stances.. not standing straight up...

Surely no one here is stupid to believe those claims.

Sing said on 3/Apr/06
I remember this pic from a while back. The people who took the photo specifically said Yao had to "hump down" because he was much taller than the stick, i.e. much taller than 7-6. Also note the wide stance and extended arms. Definitely 7-6+ barefeet.
weekly said on 3/Apr/06
Click Here
I'd give him 7-6 (in shoes).
Sing said on 31/Mar/06
Yeh, sure, only it can't verified because Leonid refuses to be measured. There is a lot of stuff written about this Leonid guy, bottom line, he refuses to be measured, which can only lead to 1 conclusion: he's not 8 feet and not the world's tallest man.

THERE IS ONLY 1 OFFICIALLY MEASURED AND UNIVERSALLY RECOGNIZED WORLD'S TALLEST MAN ACCORDING TO GUINNESS BOOK, XISHUN BAO OF CHINA, measured at 7-8.95", NOW THAT'S PRECISE!!!
LOL said on 30/Mar/06
Dude tallest person in the world lives in Ukraine. His name is Leonid Stadnik. At 8'4"
CoolJ said on 30/Mar/06
Uhh.. I dont understand what you want me to say. Of course XiShun Bao is taller if he's measured at 7'8.95 because Yao is only 7'6" max.
Jason said on 30/Mar/06
Sing, neither of those two photos of Yao you posted load for me. Can you try some others - or the same pics from a different site?
Sing Iz Da Man said on 30/Mar/06
Click Here

Here's an article, with slideshow, of currently the world's tallest living man according to Guinness Book of World Records. Xishun Bao of China was measured at 7-8.95 inches. Asked if he was taller than Yao Ming, he responded I am certainly taller than him!

CoolJ, any comments?
Sing Iz Da Man said on 30/Mar/06
CoolJ if you have nothing productive to contribute, then you should just shut up. We know you are a Yao-hater, now you are a Mutombo hater too?
Yao is at the very shortest 7-6 barefeet and the only reason people try to say he's shorter is because they are jealous of a 7-6 Chinese phenom dominating the center position in the NBA. But times are changing. Another Chinese, Xiang Liu, is the current world record holder in the 110 meter hurdles, the only athlete of non-African descent to break the 13 second barrier in this short sprint. Another Asian, Koji Ito, is the only person of non-African descent to have run 10.00 in the 100 meter dash. The fastest Caucasian was Matt Shirvington of Australia, dubbed "fastest White man on earth", who ran a 10.03.
Leung said on 28/Mar/06
The quote from Shawn Bradley was amusing, he comes across as a kid trying to impress with his height but I guess height was the only thing Bradley had going for him. The only basketball skill Bradley had was to stand under the goal and wave his long skinny arms in the attempt to block some shots. On the other hand Yao Ming is gifted basketballer who is having a solid season this year averaging 22 points & 10 boards per game.
CoolJ said on 28/Mar/06
Mutombo isn't a real 7'2"... Sing go back home, not again man....
Jason said on 21/Mar/06
Mutombo was joking? I remember Ewing specifically saying he's 6'9'' ... but a solid/strong 6'9'' or whatever.
Tyler said on 20/Mar/06
I met Yao. Wow. I'm 6 feet tall, and he was definetly more then a foot and a half taller then me. 7 feet 5/6 sounds right.
Forveer_69 said on 8/Mar/06
Ewing is not 6-9 Mutombo was JOKING he even said "I was joking"

Ewing is 6-11 barefoot according to his draft measurements.
Jason said on 8/Mar/06
Good pic, Mask. Yeah, Yao looks about 7'4 1/2'' there if Ewing is the 6'9 1/2'' he says he is. 7'4 1/2'' has been my estimation of Yao's real height for ages. My estimate for Mutombo is 7'0 1/2''. Yao has said before he's 7'4'' BTW.
sal said on 15/Feb/06
I liked this website photo page...
http://img521.imageshack.us/my.php?image=shaqisbig8ti.jpg
a few of the players are standing behind and in front of others so it alter's the truth a little, but other than that really good stuff...
Forever_69 said on 29/Jan/06
To all the people who think nba.com's player profile is updated think again. The 7-5 listing is old, he was measured at 7-5 3/4 with no shoes before he was drafted, which gets listed at 7-5. No not all heights are listed in shoes, it is the player's choice of being listed in shoes or not, any extra height gets rounded down.

Yao was then measured at 7-6 during his rookie year (again without shoes) the height HAS BEEN UPDATED.

The people running nba.com were simply too lazy to change his main page info (newsflash they haven't changed any info on 99 percent of the league's players - they are too lazy)

however the bio data pages do get updated as well as the team rosters ( on occasion) and the MOST OFTEN UPDATED are the game data pages.

See for yourselfs and keepn in mind that is 7-6 without shoes, and he may have still been growing a bit when that measurement was taken.

http://www.nba.com/rockets/roster/

7-6 310

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/yao_ming/printable_player_files.html

Yao Ming 7-6 310

http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/notes.pdf

7-6 310

For some odd reason many people feel the need to insist Yao is "only" 7-4 or 7-5 (with shoes on), but he IS at least 7-6 (without shoes on).

TheMan said on 4/Jan/06
He can't be 7,8 or anything because why woudlent he try for the worlds tallest living or atleast try even if he wasnt sure. IMO he's probably 7,6 based on that. He's height has also probably been boosted for publicity aswell he's probably 7,4 or something much lower than we think after all we wouldent tell he'd dwarf all of us.
CoolJ said on 17/Dec/05
Jason: You'd be better off measuring yourself wearing each shoe.. and then comparing the difference.

I've seen about 3 pairs of shoes over size 20... all in the same store at one time..
Jason said on 17/Dec/05
I've never once seen shoes over size 20 (and only one pair of 20s at that) and I've spent a lot of time in my life hunting around for big shoes. A size 22 is gonna add more than an extra 0.25'' to say an average size 10 shoe, I've noticed just visually that my size shoes alone have a larger sole than average size shoes and there's no way Shaq's soles are the same size as mine lol. I'll bust out a tape measure later today and measure the height of my soles against another family member's average size shoes to get one example.
CoolJ said on 17/Dec/05
Saw them at an outlet store.. I believe they were Nikes or Reeboks.. and they were def over Size 20.. The sole may have had an extra 1/4" inch... but thats it.
Jason said on 17/Dec/05
Where/when did you check out a pair of size 22 (or there abouts) shoes? What kind were they?
CoolJ said on 16/Dec/05
I've checked out a pair of shoes that size before... the sole height difference is negligible.. Come on.. the guy is huge.. His 6'11.5" comment IF it was ever made.. was probably from High School.. I'm still convinced the guy is over 7'
Jason said on 16/Dec/05
In regards to that pic, you're not taking into account that Shaq wears size 22 shoes. I wear size 15s and my size shoes have a slightly taller sole than average size shoes. Shaq's dwarf even mine so the effect is going to be substantial and would indeed put him at just about the 7'2'' you have him at in shoes, while being slightly under the 7'0'' mark in bare feet.
Jason said on 16/Dec/05
With all the exaggeration and hear say with heights of NBA basketballers it's impossible to tell who's what height with complete certainty from comparing them to each other. Shaq looks in the 6'11 1/2'' - 7'0'' range. If he says he's 6'11 1/2'' ... ok. You can post all the pics in the world but the man knows his own height better than you or I do.
CoolJ said on 15/Dec/05
Well Jason, if its good enough for you.. then I'm glad. Some things are good enough for some people while its not for others.

Like I said start with Amare who has been measured.. go to Duncan.. etc etc. You will end up realizing there is more than 3" between Amare and Shaq.

Compare Shaq to Kobe.. if Shaq is 6'11.5.. I'd hate to see what kind of measurement you come up with for Kobe.

I have another picture to post later where Shaq appears to have about 4" on "(6'11)" Jermaine O'Neal
Jason said on 15/Dec/05
Wade is a little bit further back in that pic and obviously size 22 shoes give a little bit more height than size 13s or 14s. And you can't go on measurements 100% of the time. I remember Brandon Hunter, to name one example, was supposedly measured bare foot @ 6'6 1/2'' when it's common knowledge he is simply not that height. How do you know for sure Kevin Garnett is the height you claim? There's heights all over the place for him. At any rate, Shaq has always maintained he's 6'11 1/2'' and it's good enough for me. You don't get anymore accurate than that and I see no reason at all to disbelieve him.
CoolJ said on 14/Dec/05
http://www.geocities.com/jcs83md/Shaq-Wade.jpg

I had to alter the lines just a SMIDGE to adjust in their varying stances.. but its clear to see that Wade (Measured 6'3 3/4" barefoot) is eclipsed in height by at least 9" by Shaq.
CoolJ said on 14/Dec/05
Jason.. After comparing countless pictures.. its hard to justify the separation between b-ball stars..

Start w/ Amare Stoudamire.. who was measured at 6'8.5 .. Compare him to Duncan.. compare him to Garnett, then compare him to Shaq..

Once you do all of that, you will realize Shaq is over 7'.. because KG is nearly 7' himself.. with Shaq having nearly 2" on him... There's no way Shaq is under 7' ..

I realize most people on this site try to drag people down.. but in some circumstances its really not true.
Jason said on 14/Dec/05
6'11 1/2'' sounds right to me. What makes you think he's a bit over 7'0''?
CoolJ said on 14/Dec/05
Shaq's BS.. He's a bit over 7'.. Kobe on the other hand is about 6'4.5 - 6'5
Viper652 said on 12/Dec/05
Mask, Shaq has said that he is 6-11.5
Gramps said on 29/Nov/05
nba dude: Thanks for clearing that up!
nba dude said on 29/Nov/05
kobe is 6'7
Anonymous said on 20/Nov/05
no kobe is 6'6 lebron is 6'8
kurt said on 19/Nov/05
ok kg is actully 7'0+ and duncan only around 6'10 and yoah is 7'6 and so is bradley...but zydrunas ilgauskas is 7'3+ and shaq is 7'1
Anshelm said on 14/Nov/05
Agree with J.
CoolJ said on 11/Nov/05
mask

I agree with most of those heights. I'm not sure McGrady is quite 6'8 and I Believe LeBron is a little over 6'7"

Also, Garnett is a bit taller than 6'11.. I noticed your conversion is off.

Other than that they look good.
J. said on 10/Nov/05
I'm watching the Heat play the Rockets as I type. The announcer goes "Yao's 7'9"! I think that's an exgaration (sp.) but he's listed as 7'5" on the offical NBA site ...since when do they downgrade? Ming's so freaking tall that he can pass for 7'10" if he wanted but I think 7'5" and some change is more likely.
mask said on 10/Nov/05
You guys maybe forget that almost all nba heights are "with shoes" heights so you must you must consiser these heights less 3-4 cm.According to myself the following are some famous nba player's heights that are "quite" accurate:
1-Tim Duncan 209 cm(6'10")
2-Tracy McGrady 203 cm(6'8")
3-Vince Carter 196 cm(6'5")
4-Dirk Nowitzki 211 cm(6'11")
5-Kevin Garnett 212 cm(6'11")
6-Yao Ming 228 cm(7'6")
7-Shaquille O'Neal 214 cm(7'1")
8-Amar
CoolJ said on 21/Oct/05
Dan: Not quite. Yao probably does have 3-4 inches or so on Sabonis. He's about 7'6", but nothing more.
Sal said on 2/Oct/05
If Shawn Bradley said Yao isn't as tall as him, I would believe him... but when was this quote made... researching Wadlow on this site, they said that he had grown in death... i don't know if rigermortous had set in and straitened him up a bit, but apparently these giants just keep growing... it wouldn't surprise me if Yao grew a bit while in the league...
Anonymous said on 26/Sep/05
Yao only 7-4?

I am sorry but that is RIDICULOUs, it is well dcoumented fact he is exactly 7-6 even barefoot.
786 said on 24/Sep/05
This seems accurate enough
http://www.internationalbasketball.com/tall.html

Yao is not bigger than 7-6, more like 7-4 without shoes and hair going with tha picture. So 7-5 with shoes seems right.
CoolJ said on 22/Sep/05
Gee, looks like the giants webpage updated their stuff ;)
Still Sick of This (Cycklops) said on 14/Sep/05
WHERE in that link does it say the NBA officially rounds players down? There's a bunch of stuff about Yao Ming's height but NOTHING to support what you said.

The attitude isn't going away until you stop lying.

And if you continue, you should probably be Banned from this site.
Sick of this. said on 7/Sep/05
Sing Jr., whoever you are...once again you're blatantly lying.

The NBA DOES NOT and DID NOT EVER have a policy of officially rounding players down. Post a LINK instead of making up e-mails. But I doubt you will, because that is NOT the NBA's policy.
JCS said on 28/Aug/05
Yes, 7'6. Exactly as I thought. Sing Jr has a better head on his shoulders than his father does :)

Sing Jr said on 27/Aug/05
Ok email Jonathen Feigen at the Houston Chronicle. This guy has the scoop and you people should accept it.

He states clearly in email,

Is Yao 7-5 or 7-6? I asked...........

"Yao was measured by the NBA before being drafted at 7-5 1/2 (2.27m) barefoot, and 7-6 3/4 with shoes on, prior to being drafted. Players can choose to be either listed in height with shoes, or without shoes. Yao chose to be listed without shoes, because in China they list him at 7-5 (2.26m).

However, that is an old measurement. The NBA rounds all heights down, so when Yao decided to be listed at barefoot height, he was rounded down to 7-5 even. His shoe height was then also deducted by half an inch.

The Rockets as part of their "Be a part of something BIG" campain listed Yao at 7-6 instead, which would be his actual NBA height, as almost all players are listed with shoe height, and the 7-6 3/4 would be rounded down to 7-6 even.

Towards the end of last year when the Rockets were playing the Mavs on an ESPn game I overheard the ESPN reporters asking Jeff Van Gundy if Yao was 7-5 or 7-6, as they had already asked the Mavs how tall Shawn Bradley was, and wanted to compare the two to the heights given.

The Mavs had told them Bradley was "really 7-6 even without shoes, even though Bradley is listed officially at 7-5 3/4 without shoes, he grew 1/4 after his draft measuring". I heard Jeff Van Gundy telling the ESPN reporters that he last measured Yao near the end of Yao's rookie season, and that he got 7-5 3/4, but that in Yao's rookie year he got 7-6 even when he measured him".

Van Gundy told them you know, "these measurements aren't exact for guys this big, especially depending on what time of day you measure them."
CoolJ said on 27/Aug/05
Something tells me they just took Manute's height at 7'7".. no bother measuring someone who has had the same listed height for decades. That wingspan is pretty unbelievable though. Nevertheless.. most people have a wingspan greater than their height. I'm 173cm and my wingspan is 177cm. Manute at 231cm could very well have a wingspan of 239cm or greater.
CoolJ said on 24/Aug/05
all I know is Celebrity Boxing CLAIMED Bol's wingspan was 8'6"

One thing is for sure.. Yao's wingspan is 7'5" - Vertical Reach of 9'9"ish.. Manute has an inch on Yao and he can reach above the rim easily (10ft+). Its close.. but Manute is definitely up there in wingspan.
CoolJ said on 24/Aug/05
Did you know on Celebrity Boxing 2, they reported Manute Bol at 7'7" 240 with a wingspan of 102" (8'6")
CoolJ said on 23/Aug/05
Hey guy.. I didnt dispute his wingspan being 7'10.. I disputed the fact that it was supposedly larger than Manute's..
zas said on 21/Aug/05
It's a mistake. Manute Bol has a gigantic wingspan (7'10), not muresan.
CoolJ said on 20/Aug/05
I think that page is someone's brain child from this page.. Theres no WAY Muresan's wingspan was/is larger than Bol's
CoolJ said on 20/Aug/05
So which one of you made that freewebs page ;)
Sing said on 20/Aug/05
They probably made a mistake while updating the player pages. I am sure it will be corrected soon.

The most ridiculous thing is Pavel Podlokozin is listed as 7-5, but he's only 7-3.5, if that, as measured by the NBA. When he stood next to Bradley, he looked a number of inches shorter, around 3-4.
JCS said on 14/Aug/05
Sing, Just a hair over 6 3/8"

He's not 7'8 guy. You're the only one in existence who thinks that.

Sing said on 14/Aug/05
Remeasure your nose to crown of head distance, it had to be more than 6". You are probably only measuring to your hairline, but I am talking the very top of your head.

Yao's 7-8.
JCS said on 14/Aug/05
To clarify as I saw my 2nd to last post was inaccurate.

I think Dirk is around 6'10.5" and Yao is about 7'6" - 7.5" difference
JCS said on 14/Aug/05
I drew the line a shade over Garnett's head because he is standing a smidgeon back from Yao. I was trying to get everyone on a fair playing field. I may have drew Yao's line too high now that I look at it.

My head from the bottom of my nose to the top is about 6.25-6.5".

There's no sense in arguing with you.. Trying to proclaim he's 7'6 1/2" or even 7'7" would be worth it.. but over 7'8" not a chance..
JCS said on 12/Aug/05
Sing.. There lies your problem!!! Dirk is not 7'!! Dirk only comes up to Yao's neck?? Are you SERIOUS... Dirk comes up to the bottom of Yao's nose!!! Don't be a fool.


http://www.geocities.com/jcs83md/2005allstars-b.jpg

YOU YOURSELF said KG is 6'9.5 .. He's Taller than DIRK in the picture guy, so that is not at all possible! What is Dirk then? 6'8.5? And Duncan is what? under 6'8??? If KG is 6'9.5 .. Then Yao is only 7'3.5" or so.. NOT POSSIBLE

Your whole logic is screwed beyond belief!

Dirk is more like 6'10.5-6'11" - KG is about 6'11.5" and Yao is about 7'6" .. In that picture he actually looks to be me to be a shade under 7'6"

Pictures don't lie, but you do.

Jason said on 12/Aug/05
JCS - I know, but you can't even trust independant measured heights 100%. Brandon Hunter, for example, was ''measured'' at 6'6 1/2'' bare foot at one camp in 2003 and it's common knowledge he isn't quite that tall.
jorge said on 11/Aug/05
Yao Ming is without doubt 7-6 . Look this picture:
http://www.yaoming.net/showimage.aspx?imgname=/images/gallery/oncourt/yaodribble1.jpg.
Sabonis is 7-3, Yao is 3 inches taller.
JCS said on 11/Aug/05
I've analyzed quite a few heights.. These are my mid-point numbers

I've got LeBron 6'7 1/4, Amare 6'8 3/4, Tim Duncan 6'10, Jermaine O'Neal 6'10 1/4, Garnett 6'11 3/8, Shaq 7'0 5/8, Zydrunas 7'1 1/2, Yao 7'6


Variations up to 1/2" are expected... of course, we can lose 1" throughout the day due to the effects of gravity on our spines.
JCS said on 11/Aug/05
Jorge, Muresan was definitely 7'7 as well.
JCS said on 11/Aug/05
We really need some password validation here.. the last JCS that posted was actually not me.

Thanks Cycklops, I dont have an over fascination with height, I just hate people who wont accept other arguments and are convinced they are right.. especially when I know they are wrong.

Jason - Only problem there is that there really is about 5.5" between Shaq and Yao.. but theres something like 3.5" between Amare and Shaq.. Amare was measured at 6'8.5" barefeet. So as you can see.. SOMEONE has to be taller.. and Amare was the one that was recently measured, and I believe he's even grown a smidge.
Amare - 6'9" / Shaq - 7'0.5" / Yao - 7'6"

Sing, Those pics are horrible.. once again for the 100th time.

Jason said on 11/Aug/05
I'll take Shaq at his word when he says he's 6'11 1/2'' ... I mean, he's said it several times over the years now, so I think he must know.

When did Yao say he's 7'4''? I don't really know how tall he is now, but there's an old listing for him at 225cm, which is around 7'4 1/2''.
jorge said on 10/Aug/05
manute bol is 7-7, and bradley , yao ming and muresan are 7-6
JCS said on 10/Aug/05
Sorry, you haven't convinced me. One strange thing though.. look at Yao's shoe.. Doesnt it look like hes standing on something? Either that or he has a large heel in that shoe. To be honest thats not the best picture, they're shooting up from the floor.

Yao SAID Bradley is taller in Nov '03. Why is this a discussion? http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/blinebury/2221843


Sing said on 10/Aug/05
http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/details_pop.aspx?iid=1770943&cdi=0
http://sports.espn.go.com/media/nba/2002/1121/photo/yao_i.jpg
http://www.nba.com/allaccess/allstar_yaollery.html?curPhoto=7
http://www.nba.com/allaccess/allstar_yaollery.html?curPhoto=9
http://www.nba.com/allaccess/allstar_yaollery.html?curPhoto=10
http://www.nba.com/media/rockets/yao021121-2.jpg

Before I lose them again to Yao 7-7's long ramblings. CoolJ, all pics that prove Yao to be taller are poor pics to you. You are fighting a losing battle, give up please.
Sing said on 10/Aug/05
CoolJ, Yao's knees are bent much MORE??? Look at the pic again man, both of Yao's knees are bent whereas for Bradley one of his knees is almost straight. Thanks for posting a direct link for the pic though.
Yao 7-7 why don't you analyze these pics since you seem to enjoy doing that. I think these pics show Yao to be taller not by 1/2", but around 2".

http://www.dallasnews.com/img/photo/06-05/bradley11.jpg
http://sports.espn.go.com/media/nba/2002/1121/photo/yao_i.jpg
Sing said on 9/Aug/05
Like I said, I can sort of accept they are the same height, but Yao shorter? Come on! Want more proof Yao's 7-8? Go the link below on Shawn Bradley, click on photos to the right of the article, take a look at the 11th photo, and tell me please, who is taller???

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/062305dnspobradley.37bbf902.html
Sing said on 9/Aug/05
Yao is taller without a doubt, with or without a curved spine on Bradley's part. In the 2 of the 3 photos we have of Yao and Bradley standing next to each other, Yao is taller.
JCS said on 9/Aug/05
Sing, If they both stand up tall.. Bradley is taller, no question. But if what someone proposed before is true, about Bradley having a curved spine then perhaps his posture isnt what it should be under normal circumstances so I believe Yao may look taller in some instances.

I do not believe that is the case in those pictures though. Bradley's torso may have been straight in your picture, but his legs probably werent.

Sing said on 9/Aug/05
I will respect the NBA's putting both Yao and Bradley at 7-6, same height. But your claim that Yao is SHORTER than Bradley is absolutely unacceptable. JCS, are you a Shawn Bradley Gold Star Fan club member???
Stop posting pics where Yao is leaning backward with head to one side, come on! At least in my half body pic, Bradley was standing STRAIGHT.
JCS said on 9/Aug/05
You're saying stay with the topic?? What topic was I on SING. PAY ATTENTION, its your only hope since you've now stooped to the people where you're calling people dumb because you have no better argument.

Ok Sing. Lets think about it, you once before proposed that Yao is 8.5" taller than Shaq..

Look at this photo.

http://www.yaoming.net/showimage.aspx?imgname=/images/gallery/offcourt/yao_as04_shaq2.jpg

Thats as good of a perspective you are going to get on a photo... I mean you do like photos from the waist up right? The only thing that benefits is perspective, because you can get a full ahead shot of people. Now, keep in mind, these guys are standing up straight posing, not in a basketball playing position like the one Yao and Bradley are in, in your ridiculous photo.

Now, if both stand straight up.. The top of Shaq's head is probably at Yao's eyebrows.. near his eye level.

If your proposed heights are true, that would mean Yao's head, from the top to his eyebrows is 8.5" - COME ON, That is simply NOT possible. That would make the height of his head OVER 1 1/2 FEET. It is not plausible Sing.

Now, if I am right in saying Yao is about 7'6" and Shaq is about 7'0.5" .. that makes Yao's head from the top, to near his eye level, at about 5.5". Giving him a more realistic head height of about 1 foot.

That is definitely a better possibility and one you cannot ignore. Face it, there is not 8.5" between these two. Why is that important?? Because it totally trashes your opinion of at least one of these guys.

I dont NEED to ramble on, the editor sees the point, and everyone else does that s not in Yao's gold star fan club.

He is 7'6" and no taller.
Sing said on 8/Aug/05
Come on, stay with the topic. All of your numbers are estimates, ok, don't even try to tell anybody that your estimates are precise measurements or else you are fooling yourself into thinking that everybody is as dumb as you are.

In both full body pic and the pic I posted, Yao's is taller. The ONLY PIC WHERE YAO APPEARS SLIGHTLY SHORTER WAS THE ONE WHERE HE WAS SLOUCHING, but even then he is slightly taller at the top of the head.

If you can't see that, then I'm sorry but you are dummmbbbb.
JCS said on 8/Aug/05
Sing, you're just trying to piss people off now. Give it a rest.

ANY PICTURE where you can see the entire body is better than one where you can see them from the waist up especially if they are playing basketball.. Come on

If you like waist up pictures, lets use this one
http://www.yaoming.net/showimage.aspx?imgname=/images/gallery/offcourt/yao_as04_shaq2.jpg

YOU Think Shaq is 6'11.5", if that's the case.. Yao is about 7'4.5" But I have concluded he's 7'0.5-7'0.75" which makes Yao between 7'5.5" and 7'6"

Come on Sing, lets hear that this picture is any less credible then yours with Bradley and Yao from the waist up??
Sing said on 8/Aug/05
I think Yao is leaning over, probably to catch a pass, so the height difference won't be that great. Bradley is standing straight. Yao's 2 inches taller. The point is, this is the only accurate photo of the 2 we have. The others are shot with bias in mind.
CoolJ said on 7/Aug/05
Nothing more annoying than senseless bias. You must have some serious visual anomalies to think that Sing.

Do us ALL a favor and get your eyes checked.. make sure your monitor is on a level surface too.

Cycklops said on 6/Aug/05
In my opinion, in both full body photos of Yao and Bradley...it is clear, blatant and obvious that Bradley has .5 to a full inch on Yao.

And according to BOTH Yao and Bradley, Bradley is taller.
Sing said on 5/Aug/05
http://sports.espn.go.com/media/nba/2002/1121/photo/yao_i.jpg
The article was written in 2003 about Yao's first game against Dallas. He has grown since then. Like I said, Yao doesn't like to be the tallest, as is obvious in all the photos. But the photo above proves that he is way taller than Bradley. I know you can't see the legs, but still...

7-8 barefoot for Yao.
CoolJ said on 4/Aug/05
Sorry, Madame Tussaud's article states it has him at 7.5" = 7'6" .. and they tend to use pretty accurate heights.. but remember he has shoes on in his wax figure.
CoolJ said on 4/Aug/05
sami.

You have hearsay. I have pre-draft measurements.. I'll take my measurements over your "friend"
CoolJ said on 4/Aug/05
Anonymous.. That is incorrect. LeBron was measured at 6'7.25.. why is he listed at 6'8? Amare was measured at 6'8.5 .. why is he listed at 6'10?

Duncan isn't even 7' in shoes.. why is he listed at 7'?

Madame Tussaud has Yao at 7'5.. albeit in 2003 http://www.madame-tussauds.com.hk/eng/news_2003_3009.asp

I'm pretty sure they said they measured him at 7'5.75"
sami said on 4/Aug/05
coolj,you said pavel podkolzin is 7'3.5"(2.22 cn)well you wrong i have a friend that was grew up with pavel in novosibrsk and they are both very good friends so check out this-pavel is 20 and a half years old and before two years he was diagnosed with hg-(gigantism) which treated well.he wear 21 4e shoe size! he is now 7'4.5"(2.25 cm) almost 7'6" with shoes on and his weight 130 kg! he is very very big and tall
JCS said on 3/Aug/05
Just for discussion purposes I analyzed a few other photos and got these measurements

Shaq - 7'0.75" (7'2" in shoes)
Zydrunas - 7'1.5" (7'2.75" in shoes)
Kevin Garnett - 6'11.5" (7'0.75" in shoes)
Jermaine O'Neal - 6'10.5" (6'11.75" in shoes)

I may look into Kobe Bryant as photos I've recently viewed make him appear much shorter than his listed 6'6"
Massimo said on 2/Aug/05
Although I think it was not polite or intelligent of Sing to call me "idiot" for a discussion about heights, I have to admit that Yao looks very tall in those pictures with Mutombo. They are, in my book, the best pictures we have seen so far . For a comparison between Yao and Shaq, or Shaq and Mutombo I think this picture can be useful.

http://www.yaoming.net/showimage.aspx?imgname=/images/gallery/offcourt/yao_as04_shaq2.jpg
Cycklops said on 2/Aug/05
Rob, thank you for bumping Yao down to 7'6". That's his height.
Sing said on 2/Aug/05
CoolJ your link doesn't work. I am going to comment on Yao's wingspan yet but logically speaking, even if his wingspan is the same as his height, he should still reach much higher than 9-7. I would say at least 9-10.

I think Mutombo is a legit 7-2. Granted in looking at these pics it's hard to say exactly how tall Yao is, but I would say the range should be 7-6 to 7-8+ barefoot, 7-7.5 to 7-10 with shoes. Still, he's taller than Bradley, no doubt about that.

http://sports.espn.go.com/media/nba/2002/1121/photo/yao_i.jpg
http://www.nba.com/media/rockets/yao021121-2.jpg
Sing said on 2/Aug/05
So the NBA is right after all. Thanks.
CoolJ said on 2/Aug/05
Rob,

I'm doubting Dikembe is 7'2 barefeet.. but maybe in his shoes.. so it looks like Yao is roughly 7'6.

Hey Sing, here's one for you http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/details_pop.aspx?iid=51419324&cdi=0

Draw some straight lines in that photo. Yao's height is actually more than his wingspan.
JCS said on 2/Aug/05
Rob,

I'm glad we got Extremely similar results.. If Dikembe is really 7'1.25 .. I think I can buy Yao being 7'6".. but no more. Then again, how tall is Dikembe really??

I think we should place him back to 7'6 until there is better evidence.. and I'm not sure it gets better than what we have now.
sami said on 2/Aug/05
yao ming is 24 years old so i doubt if he grow in the last years and he has no gigantism or disorder grew so he is 2.29cm=7'6 barefoot no more
JCS said on 1/Aug/05
By the way, I based the pixel/inch conversion on Dikembe being 7'2" in shoes. The smaller Dikembe is.. the smaller the difference between them. The larger Dikembe is.. the larger that difference is.

Dikembe MAY NOT be over 7'2" in shoes.. but he may be marginally taller.. Nonetheless. this should put the rumor to rest that Yao is OVER 7'6 1/2" If anything, he is shorter.
CoolJ said on 1/Aug/05
Rob,

I guess now we need to figure out how tall Mutumbo is!!!
NBA said on 1/Aug/05
Editor,

They indeed measured him at 7'5 3/4" - Dont you think this site's height should reflect that measurement?? 7'6 at the most... if we are to round up?
CoolJ said on 1/Aug/05
Mr. Sing.

You know very well those listed heights feature the b-ball players w/ shoes. Stop trying to fool people.
Sing said on 1/Aug/05
http://sports.espn.go.com/media/nba/2002/1121/photo/yao_i.jpg

No solid evidence he's above 7-5? Try listings at NBA.com, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and pretty much every major media out there all list him at 7-6 at least. How about the photo above of Yao standing next to 7-6 Bradley?

Massimo, I am sorry but you are an idiot. There is overwhelming evidence that he's at least 7-6 and yet you stupidly hold on to the idea that he's only 7-5.

I think Yao currently is at least 7-7.5, probably more like over 7-8 barefoot.
Massimo said on 30/Jul/05
I think we all have no doubt that Yao Ming is taller than 6' feet! I guess you meant 7' feet. I wonder what it's like to meet in the street a guy that tall...Scary ? I'm 5'6", he is almost 2 feet taller than me. I may be wrong but I think he is no taller than 7'5" barefoot. I have seen no clear evidence he is taller than that so far. I would pay to see him standing next to the famous bouncer Calvin Lane who is listed at 7'5" 1/2. I have seen Calvin next to Shaq and he makes Shaq look thiny (Calvin is much taller and bigger). Andre' would have looked like his little son. Ciao.
Sing said on 28/Jul/05
http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/details_pop.aspx?iid=1770943&cdi=0
http://sports.espn.go.com/media/nba/2002/1121/photo/yao_i.jpg
http://www.nba.com/allaccess/allstar_yaollery.html?curPhoto=7
http://www.nba.com/allaccess/allstar_yaollery.html?curPhoto=9
http://www.nba.com/allaccess/allstar_yaollery.html?curPhoto=10
http://www.nba.com/media/rockets/yao021121-2.jpg
Well I say there is at LEAST 8 inches, and though there is no way I can prove it, there is no way YOU CAN DISPROVE IT either. So there...
JCS said on 28/Jul/05
http://emol.org/film/archives/yearoftheyao/yao_1755657large.jpg

There is not 8.5" between these two.. Sorry Sing, your logic is flawed.
JCS said on 28/Jul/05
Sing, you are absolutely ridiculous. There is no way that there is 8.5 inches between Shaq and Yao.. And there is no way Yao has 2" on Bradley.

You really make someone want to reach through the computer screen and throttle you for these claims.

You use the absolute WORST images to try to prove your points.
http://www.nba.com/media/rockets/yao021121-2.jpg

By the way, Bradley is taller there.. And even if it was CLOSE, there is no way Yao has 2" ON HIM. GET REAL!!

JCS said on 27/Jul/05
Correction, 7'0.5 for Shaq
Sing said on 27/Jul/05
Here's the stance:
KG = 6-10.5
Shaq = 6-11.5
Yao = 7-8
Bradley = 7-6
KG wasn't standing straight in that photo, so I think the difference between him and Shaq is only 1 inch.

So you there are only 5 inches separating Shaq and Yao? Ok, take a photo with someone 5 inches taller than you, and compare it to the photo below between Yao and Shaq, and then slap yourself upside of the head for being stupid alright?
http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/details_pop.aspx?iid=1770943&cdi=0

Yao and Bradley, Yao is MUCH taller. 7-8 for Yao, 7-6 Bradley.
http://sports.espn.go.com/media/nba/2002/1121/photo/yao_i.jpg
http://www.nba.com/media/rockets/yao021121-2.jpg
JCS said on 27/Jul/05
Sing. If KG was 7'1.. then that would make Shaq about 7'3.. which would definitely hurt your case that you've tried to argue 100 times that Shaq is only 6'11.5".

Would you take an overall stance that makes sense and stick with it.. please?

There is clearly 1.5-2" between KG and Shaq. There is roughly 5" between Shaq and Yao.

6'10 3/4 - KG | 7'0.5 for KG | 7'5.5 for Yao
CoolJ said on 27/Jul/05
Sing, the only problem is.. Garnett is not 7'1.. more like 6'11.

Sing, that first picture is VERY poor.. and the second two are mediocre.. still there is not THAT much of a difference between them.
Sing said on 27/Jul/05
http://www.nba.com/allaccess/allstar_yaollery.html?curPhoto=7
http://www.nba.com/allaccess/allstar_yaollery.html?curPhoto=9
http://www.nba.com/allaccess/allstar_yaollery.html?curPhoto=10
If K. Garnett is 7-1 as some claim, then looking at the photos above, you don't think Yao could be 7-10???

A comment on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, he was a great player but he definitely wasn't 7-3 something. How do I know? There was a picture of Kareen standing next to 7-4 Mark Eaton on the cover of Sports Illustrated not long before he retired and Mark was much bigger, and taller than Kareem. So he couldn't have been 7-3ish. I would say 7-2 is probably accurate.
Sing said on 27/Jul/05
http://sports.espn.go.com/media/nba/2002/1121/photo/yao_i.jpg
http://www.nba.com/media/rockets/yao021121-2.jpg
You can try asking Yao himself at his website Yaoming.net by registering as a member. He personally responds to the fan mail.
In the 2 rather "candid" photos above, Yao does appear taller than Bradley.
Viper452 said on 27/Jul/05
I wouldnt trust 8 foot ladders. The 6 foot ladders seem to be 5-10 to 5-11 in real height.
Viper452 said on 27/Jul/05
Seriously, I question you guys sanity to be writing 4 paragraphs about this guys height. Get a grip. Hes a Giant thats around 7-5 or 7-6.
Sing said on 27/Jul/05
http://sports.espn.go.com/media/nba/2002/1121/photo/yao_i.jpg
http://www.nba.com/media/rockets/yao021121-2.jpg
Unlikely but not impossible, that's why I posted 2 pics. In both photos Yao appears obviously taller, in the second one you can see their legs. Both pics were taken in 2002 soon after Yao arrived in the US, so Yao is much taller now.
CoolJ said on 26/Jul/05
Your claims would make a lot more sense if you weren't referring to photos like this: http://www.nba.com/media/rockets/yao030221.jpg As "FACTUAL EVIDENCE"

You guys crack me up. I'm not arguing to anyone who refers to this photo as PROOF that either guy is taller.

More hearsay.. More wackjob angles.. and you choose to ignore the actual full-ahead photos. Now Garnett is almost 7'3 in shoes..according to one guy and Dirk is almost 7'2 barefoot... PLEASE.. If this is true.. Shaq is the one that is 7'5.. and maybe Yao is 8 FEET TALL!!

Rob, can you instill some reality into these guys before this whole page goes to hell.
Sing said on 26/Jul/05
Your pic is at a horrible angle. Yao hunched over, Bradley cranking up his neck and back, tilted angle, etc. etc. My photo is way better. Yao was at least standing somewhat straight. Bradley is not farther from the camera, they were standing back to back. Yao's hair is negligible, he has a big head which makes his hair look bigger but the height of his hair is not more than Bradley's, it's probably less.

http://www.nba.com/rockets/photogallery/RocketsMavs_Photo_Gallery_11-59382-34.html
Sing said on 26/Jul/05
BS, I know you like the second photo because Yao is virtually hunching over whereas Bradley is cranking up his neck. So I guess we are at a stalemate.

I am still trying to look for that photo that somebody posted here of Yao standing next to Bradley while playing ball in which Yao was indisputably taller. Until then, YAO IS TALLER!! Lol.
CoolJ said on 26/Jul/05
Not to mention Sing.. in that picture you posted. Yao is CLEARLY closer to the camera... You have to look at both sides of the coin.. If you ignore the fact Yao is closer to the camera, and the fact he has at least an inch of hair on top of his head.. YES He is taller..

But a person's hair doesn't add to their height. Therefore, Bradley is legimately taller.
Sing said on 26/Jul/05
CoolJ, you are the out of control one. The game announcers, Houston coaching staff, Jeff Van Gundy, TD, Shaq, NBA website, ESPN, NY Times, Sports Illustrated (should I continue?) all say Yao is at least 7-6, and same height as Bradley at the very least. Yet you still refuse to believe these sources and won't give him even 7-6, are you out of your mind???

In the only 2 photos where Yao stands next to Bradley, Yao is obviously taller in 1 photo (see below), and in the other which you reall like, Yao is slouching big time whereas Bradley is cranking up his neck and yet Yao is STILL taller at the top of the head. Come on!

http://www.nba.com/rockets/photogallery/RocketsMavs_Photo_Gallery_11-59382-34.html

LOOK AT THE PHOTO CAREFULLY, AND TELL ME, HONESTLY, WBO'S TALLER??? LOOK AT THE TOP OF THEIR HEADS, WHOSE HEAD IS CLOSER TO THE ROW OF SEATS NEAR THE TOP OF THE PHOTO???

I am going to post the photo above to death until all you Yao doubters are converted.
CoolJ said on 26/Jul/05
Sing, you are out of control man.. 7'8 and change?

Since when is Tim Duncan the best judge of height when he's listed at 7' and probably isnt even 6'10. How good a judge of height is Shaq says he's 6'11.5 but has about 2" over Garnett. Let's start from here: http://www.geocities.com/jcs83md/YaoKG.jpg

WE know Amare is at least 6'8.5 because.. that was his draft height -- Now check out Duncan. He's slouching.. but we know Garnett has at least an inch on him. We know Garnett is about 6'11".. maybe 6'10 3/4" at the worst.. judging from this pic as well.. so Shaq HAS to be taller than 6'11.5" - http://www.nba.com/allaccess/allstar_yaollery.html?curPhoto=7

So if KG is say.. 6'10 3/4" and Shaq is about.. 7'0.5" or so.. Ok we now know Yao is at least 7'4 or 7'5 just with our eyes.. Now we look at Bradley and Yao..
http://www.nba.com/media/rockets/yao040221-2.jpg

Would you look at that? Bradley is taller.. If the guy below is right.. which he may be with Bradley at 7'7 barefoot.. Then you can deduce Yao is less than 7'7.. and taller than 7'5.

Look at this.. http://www.geocities.com/jcs83md/td_kg_yao.png and JCS' explanation earlier.. and I think its fair to say Yao is just under 7'6"

You can't just keep inflating Yao's heights based on questionable pictures, you have to compare his height alongside others' Of course he's taller than all active players (Bradley retired) but that doesnt mean you can jack him up until he hits the rim.. or even the ceiling.


I'm interested to hear Rob's thoughts on the issue.



CoolJ said on 26/Jul/05
JCS.. which makes perfect sense since Yao's head would probably be around a foot long. His legs aren't that far apart to make a large enough difference.. so I think that 7'5 3/4" measurement someone threw out before is totally believable, at least at the time of this picture. I think we need to cut out the hearsay, drop this guy to 228cm until we get some solid proof.
Sing said on 26/Jul/05
Massimo, we are talking height with shoes, certainly Yao is not 7-10 barefooted!! Like I said, I wouldn't be surprised if the dude is 7-10 with shoes, I've never seen Shaq look so small next to another basketball player!!

I think it's certain Yao is taller than Bradley, much taller I would say. If Bradley's 7-6, then Yao is probably at least 7-7.5 barefooted, but probably more like 7-8 and change, 7-10 with shoes. Heights which both Tim Duncan (he said Yao was 7-8) and Shaq (Yao's actually 7-10 with shoes) have mentioned as being Yao's real height.

Heights are barefeet estimates, derived from quotations, official websites, agency resumes, in person encounters with actors at conventions and pictures/films.

Other vital statistics like weight or shoe size measurements have been sourced from newspapers, books, resumes or social media.

Celebrity Fan Photos and Agency Pictures of stars are © to their respective owners.