The NBA has sent a memo to all 30 teams, asking them for an accurate measurement of their players' height and age — a petition that now-retired big man Dirk Nowitzki couldn't wait to pinch. The German international immediately tagged longtime Mavs teammate J.J. Barea on the quote tweet for some good fun:
@jjbareapr you ok? https://t.co/p4pFduqn8O
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) September 26, 2019
Barea is listed at 6-feet, but many argue he is much shorter than his described height across the NBA servers. A piece from three years ago by Chris Herring at The Wall Street Journal described this very issue with the measurement of players, Barea included:
“Dallas Mavericks guard JJ Barea, for example, was 5-foot-10 without shoes and 5-foot-10¾ inches with shoes, according to DraftExpress’s data. According to the NBA, though, Barea is 6-feet.
Barea first noticed the discrepancy years ago when he was introduced during the team’s starting lineups. “I remember laughing when they said, ‘6 feet,’ because me and about 20,000 other people in the arena knew that was a lie,” he said. “I’m 5-foot-10 on a good day.”
Barea insists he never asked anyone with the team to inflate his height. A spokeswoman for the Mavericks said most teams use combine numbers or a player’s college height, but team staffers—who perform physicals before training camp—may be asked by younger players fighting for a roster spot to adjust their metrics to make one of them a wee bit taller.”
The Puerto Rican international has also been listed as short as 5-foot-9 during international competitions, which could be true, considering that most countries won't round up a measurement. If Barea is really “5-foot-10 on a good day,” even 5-foot-9 and 3/4 inches wouldn't cut it as 5-10.
Seems like Nowitzki, a legitimate 7-footer, could have more than an entire foot of fun with his former teammate as his true height will soon be revealed as players return to training camp.
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