NBA Myths Busted: Players Are Wayyyy Bigger Than They Used To Be

[The Amerikkkan Idol]

I keep hearing this myth over and over again from fans of the current product, so I went over to Basketball Reference to peep this for myself and was surprised to see that players aren't really much bigger than they were even 50 years ago.

As you see, the average player in 1952 was 6-4, 195

In 1970, the average player was 6-6, 205

In 1980, the average player was 6-6, 204

In 1990, the average player was 6-7, 208

In 2000, the average player was 6-7, 216

In 2010, the average player was 6-7, 222

In 2020, the average player was 6-6, 218

And this year, the average player is actually smaller than the average player in 2000 at 6'6, 215.

People even get the ages wrong.

There's this belief that the league is so much younger than it used to be when in 1952 the average age was 26.3 and this year it's 26.1, about a month's difference in age.

 

[ALonelyDad]

@Tony D'Amato

 

[Cladyclad]

Who say this lol

We clearly see players are more lean than ever

 

[Jcotton1]

Y'all analytics casuals argue over some dumb shyt.

 

[madness]

 

[Slaimon Khan Shah]

This is quite fascinating in my opinion!

 

[PortCityProphet]

They aint doing this type of in depth research into another man's size in the library of Harlem

 

[MoneyTron]

This has been debunked a million times over.. I've even said a million times, the league isn't even more athletic than it used to be, NBA athleticism peaked in the early 00s.. today's players, especially the stars are better pick n roll distributors and shooters but when it came to the full spectrum of athleticism, early 00s players take the cake over today's stars

I don't think I can agree breh, specifically not at PG.

 

[MJ Truth]

I keep hearing this myth over and over again from fans of the current product, so I went over to Basketball Reference to peep this for myself and was surprised to see that players aren't really much bigger than they were even 50 years ago.

As you see, the average player in 1952 was 6-4, 195

In 1970, the average player was 6-6, 205

In 1980, the average player was 6-6, 204

In 1990, the average player was 6-7, 208

In 2000, the average player was 6-7, 216

In 2010, the average player was 6-7, 222

In 2020, the average player was 6-6, 218

And this year, the average player is actually smaller than the average player in 2000 at 6'6, 215.

People even get the ages wrong.

There's this belief that the league is so much younger than it used to be when in 1952 the average age was 26.3 and this year it's 26.1, about a month's difference in age.

Udonis Haslem is single-handedly bringing the age up right now, take him, Melo, CP and Father Bron out of the league and average age drops to 21 years old.

 

[Trojan 24]

I don't think I can agree breh, specifically not at PG.

You're right, but I think a lot of these dudes playing PG today would have been SG's before so that skews things a bit

 

[Trojan 24]

Udonis Haslem is single-handedly bringing the age up right now, take him, Melo, CP and Father Bron out of the league and average age drops to 21 years old.

Take out the Lakers and the age like 20

 

[MJ Truth]

I don't think I can agree breh, specifically not at PG.

Early 2000s PGs were as athletic as today’s points if not clearly more so. Baron Davis, Francis, Iverson, Marbury, Jason Kidd, Arenas, etc. would all still be considered athletically elite in today’s league.

 

[FunkDoc1112]

nikka just cherry picking numbers and ignoring the ebb and flow through the list

The average age was damn near 2 whole years older in the later 90s

 

[Bryan Danielson]

Y'all analytics casuals argue over some dumb shyt.

And average of 35.2 threes per game now

them plumbers MJ played against was barely shooting 3

 

[A Tribe Called Quest ™]

I'm prepared, don't think I haven't thought this through for years... Ja Morant vs

How about

Not only where these guys just as good vertically as little spindly 88lb Ja Morant, they were also much more built on top of it with body like grown ass men... Built Ford fukkin tough, more durable, thicker in the legs as well and generally just more explosive.

Players were built back then to fight through aggressive defenses and weren't just skinny little plyometrically based athletes trained in skill jumping which is essentially what Lavine, Ja, etc do, which is jump up in a straight line and do more tricks on the way up due to practice. Not built to sustain their frames, and extremely lean in order to also keep a frame built to shoot the basketball from 3. Steve Francis is a better athlete than Ja Morant (the most athletic PG in today's NBA).

That’s why these two nikkas got flabby and fat quick asl in this league? At a certain point with GSW, Baron was just fat breh . Those not good examples