Team USA cruised to an 86-72 victory over Canada in their exhibition contest on Wednesday night, but they did so without Kevin Durant, who is currently dealing with a minor calf injury. Despite the fact that he wasn't on the court, Durant still managed to make some shockwaves recently thanks to a picture of him alongside his fellow American big men.
In the back row of their Team USA photo, Durant appears to be taller than both Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo, while being nearly the same height as Joel Embiid. This was brought to Durant's attention, and he claimed to be 6'9, while also calling out Davis, Adebayo, and Embiid for lying about their heights in order to make themselves look taller than they actually are.
Kevin Durant calls out Team USA stars for lying about their height
Height is always a big topic of discussion in NBA circles, as getting a truly accurate measurement is tougher to accomplish than it should be. For reference, Durant was listed as 6'11 for the 2023-24 campaign, but he's claiming here that he's actually 6'9, which is a pretty noticeable difference.
The more notable part of all of this is that he's making these other big men look small. Embiid was listed as seven-feet tall last season, and Durant defiantly said that the Philadelphia 76ers star center is not that tall. If anything, he has an inch on Durant, but according to his own measurement system, that would only make him 6'10 at most.
In fairness to both Davis and Adebayo, they were listed at 6'10 and 6'9, respectively, so it's not as if they were lying and saying they were taller than Durant. Given how they are centers, though, and Durant is a small forward, it was a surprise to many to see that KD was actually taller than both of them, and very nearly the same height as Embiid, in this picture.
Regardless, Durant seems to have put an end to the debate about his height by labeling himself as 6'9, but it's fair to wonder whether he's lowballing himself, or if previous measurements had been overly generous for himself and his peers. While he answers the question, the difference in what he says his height is and what he's been measured at in the past will only make debate continue to rage on.
Moving forward, Durant will be hoping to get himself healthy enough to take the court for Team USA in contests that actually matter, as missing this exhibition against Canada was never going to be a very costly decision. And when he does return to the court, you can bet fans will be keeping an eye on him to see how his height stacks up compared to Embiid, Davis, and Adebayo.
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