# Emeka's true height : 6'8" 1/4



## QRICH (Feb 2, 2004)

> There's much debate over Emeka Okafor's height. Okafor swears to me that he's 6-foot-9 "at least." An NBA player personnel man who has witnessed Okafor being measured says, "He's exactly *6-81/4* with his socks on."


Link


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

Eventually this is going to turn into a big deal like with Elton Brand, but if you just watch the guy play you know he could be 6-6, he's still an elite shot blocker. I wonder what his wing span will measure out at. He has VERY long arms.


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## jcs83md (Jun 9, 2003)

Sounds about right, after all NBA Heights are usually with shoes, and sometimes even rounded up.

So he'll be listed at 6'9 or so, maybe even 6'10 just like in college.


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## OwnTheBlocks (Jun 10, 2003)

so what? he's always been listed at 6'9 which would be a lil short for his shoe height, and didn't amare measure in at 6'8 and change too?

i think this big deal over exact height is stupid..the bottom line should be that if you can play you can play


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## Greg Ostertag! (May 1, 2003)

Well... that's bigger than Ben Wallace, so I don't see how it's such an issue.


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## OwnTheBlocks (Jun 10, 2003)

btw your link doesn't work.....


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## aircanada (May 17, 2004)

Like the others have said it doesn't matter because most of the NBA Players heights are inflated. i.e. Tim Duncan has said that he is 6-10 1/2 without shoes, but he is listed as 7 feet. 6-8 1/4 for Emeka is pretty good considering with shoes he could be 6-9 1/4 which is taller than his listed height. Like with Duncan, a little bit of height won't effect their performance if they are just that good.


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## rainman (Jul 15, 2002)

i think we are officially into height season. i would be more concerned about okafor's back than his height, we knew he wasnt the tallest guy in the world. lets put heights into perspective, we cant use w/o shoes to describe one guy and with shoes on another. as far as the nba is concerned he's in the 6-9 1/2 range.


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## RoseCity (Sep 27, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>rainman</b>!
> as far as the nba is concerned he's in the 6-9 1/2 range.


exactly...and that will be more than tall enough,with his strength and defensive skill set to become THE elite center in the eastern confrence.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>RoseCity</b>!
> 
> 
> exactly...and that will be more than tall enough,with his strength and defensive skill set to become THE elite center in the eastern confrence.


No it won't. 6'9 and an elite CENTER. If he has to play Center his career will be that of a journeyman.


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

Who the hell cares? I don't see why this is just a big deal. The guy can still play PF, he can score, rebound, defend and block a hell of a lot of shots.

*His height doesn't really matter.*


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## jazzy1 (Jul 16, 2002)

This kid is gonna be a good pro if he's 6'9 with shoes on he's okay. 

He's much better offensively than he's given credit for. Defensively I expect him to be dominant blocking shots. He's gonna need to play with a 7 fter in order to really be effective against the really big guys. 

Ben Wallace struggles against bigger guys so will Okafor. 

But most nights at center in the NBA he'll be fine.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Damian Necronamous</b>!
> Who the hell cares? I don't see why this is just a big deal. The guy can still play PF, he can score, rebound, defend and block a hell of a lot of shots.
> 
> *His height doesn't really matter.*


Tell them to Kenyon Martin who's game was very similar to Okafor's coming out of college. While Martin is good, come playoff time he will always be shut down by bigger defenders. 

Or tell that to Elton Brand, who even though he is undersized he puts up numbers on a team that can't win. Which makes what he is doing pretty meaningless. 

Being undersized is not a good thing.


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## OwnTheBlocks (Jun 10, 2003)

heights in the nba are completely unreliable and bs. I am a good 2-2 1/2 inches taller than Jamal Magliore (i've met him in person) and I measure 6-10 1/2 in shoes. In the NBA, all that should matter is whether or not you can play. <3 inches affecting your draft status shows how much of a joke the scouting profession has become. This is the only picture i could find, the size and clarity kind of sucks, but this is the 2002 world championship team. ben wallace is the last person in the back row on the right. The same ben wallace who completely dominates the boards and blocks tons of shots, and is towered over by elton brand, raef lafrentz, jermaine o'neal, nick collison, and antonio davis, none of who are over 6-11 in their nba heights. You can't teach size, but its all what you do with it.


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## Bron_Melo_ROY (Apr 12, 2004)

First of all, it doesn't matter how tall you are without shoes beause nobody plays basketball without shoes, at least in the NBA. I bet you that he is at least 6'9" with shoes on and even if he is not, he plays like he is 7'1" so why does it matter.


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## Rockstone (Jan 21, 2004)

Maybe he should be a second rounder now.


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## jcs83md (Jun 9, 2003)

ITs really sad when a multi-billion dollar league of professionals can't even get a simple statistic such as height correct.


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## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

Not sure why this is an issue with Okafor. If he is officially 6'8" 1/4 with socks he'd be easily over 6'9" with shoes. He should be playing PF anyway so that is plenty tall enough.


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## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>jcs83md</b>!
> That picture is really a sad example of where a multi-billion dollar league of professionals can't even get a simple statistic such as height correct.
> 
> 
> ...


This page is not available.


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## Chalie Boy (Aug 26, 2002)

What is all the fuss about Ben Wallace is like 6'7 and he constanly is tops in the league in blocks and rebounds, clearly Okafor is taller than him and that is who he is compared to.


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## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Chalie Boy</b>!
> What is all the fuss about Ben Wallace is like 6'7 and he constanly is tops in the league in blocks and rebounds, clearly Okafor is taller than him and that is who he is compared to.


He is also often compared to Alonzo Mourning and Mourning was an extremely successful center (even with good centers still in the league) and Alonzo didnt appear to be much taller than 6'9", if he even was. 

Of course, Alonzo had a beast of a physique, but Okafor is no slouch either.

If you check their college numbers of their last year, they are almost identical.


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## Real McCoy (Oct 17, 2003)

Alonzo was also a great offensive player and ferocious from the get go. 

He is not Alonzo Mourning.


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## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Real McCoy</b>!
> Alonzo was also a great offensive player and ferocious from the get go.
> 
> He is not Alonzo Mourning.


Okafor's offense isn't nearly as bad as people make it out to be. He's got more offensive moves around the basket than, say, Amare Stoudemire had coming in and Amare did pretty well scoring the ball.

He may not seem as ferocious as Zo, but they did put up almost the exact same numbers in college with Okafor slightly better in rebounding I believe. So no, he is not Zo, but he could be very similiar.


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## Real McCoy (Oct 17, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>JNice</b>!
> 
> 
> Okafor's offense isn't nearly as bad as people make it out to be. He's got more offensive moves around the basket than, say, Amare Stoudemire had coming in and Amare did pretty well scoring the ball.
> ...


Is the competition he is playing against the same as Zo? A watered down NCAA group is not like Zo playing in the late 80's, early 90's. 

And if Okafor has more moves than Amare Stoudemire, then he should put up the same points Amare did last year, since they are around the same age. I doubt Okafor is going to be scoring 20 and 9 for the season. He is going to be no better than Amare or Zach Randolph.

Although since you are an Orlando Magic fan, you probably hope he will.


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## Will (Jun 24, 2003)

All the heights you see in the NBA are with shoes on. 

So 6'8 1/4 is just about right. Emeka is 6'9-6'9 1/2 with his shoes on. No cause for concern there.


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## Derrex (Jul 21, 2002)

If I discover evidence that MJ was 2 inches shorter, would that make him less of a basketball player?


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## Keith Closs (May 13, 2003)

for what reason do they measure em without shoes on?

makes no damn sense unless therye gonna start playing in there socks and i dont know about it yet..


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## jericho (Jul 12, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Hong Kong Fooey</b>!
> 
> 
> Tell them to Kenyon Martin who's game was very similar to Okafor's coming out of college. While Martin is good, come playoff time he will always be shut down by bigger defenders.
> ...


!?!?!?

This seems like a departure from the usual intelligent quality of your posts, which I always enjoy. Brand's consistent contributions are meaningless? Are you suggesting his team can't win because he's undersized? Your logic escapes me here.

There's a short but impressive list of PFs and Cs who have succeeded in the game, including in the postseason, despite being undersized. In part they probably were lucky enough to have the right teammates around them, but that fact doesn't detract from their own skills and contributions. Charles Barkley was less than 6'5", Wes Unseld was 6'7", Alonzo Mourning was 6'9", and Larry Johnson about about 6'6" (remember his early years in Charlotte, when he was an impact player with explosive moves around the basket before injuries reduced him to a jump-shooting role player?). And of course, Ben Wallace is about 6'7". 

It's not that Kenyon Martin simply gets shut down by "bigger defenders," period, in the postseason. But perhaps he can get shut down by bigger (or longer) defenders who are equally skilled. In other words, skill levels being about equal, physical size can be a difference maker. But so can quickness, determination, consistency, creativity... I think there are more variables at play than your post suggests.


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## jericho (Jul 12, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Will</b>!
> All the heights you see in the NBA are with shoes on.
> 
> So 6'8 1/4 is just about right. Emeka is 6'9-6'9 1/2 with his shoes on. No cause for concern there.


I believe that's about Karl Malone's height. He's listed at 6'9", and has never been accused of being undersized. I imagine that all this handwringing about Okafor's physical dimension has to do with the position he played in college. If he had played PF at Connecticut, there would be less question about where he'd play in the pros. 

(I must be a true basketball geek, to be getting caught up in a thread about an inch here or there.)


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## jokeaward (May 22, 2003)

I agree with Bilas, he's like Buck Williams.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>jericho</b>!
> 
> 
> !?!?!?
> ...


You know what? You are correct. I am not saying that he couldn't be a great player because he is undersized. It's just that for a guy like Elton Brand, if he never makes the playoffs and continually puts up 20 and 10 every year, but the same result is a 30-52 record, aren't we supposed to look at him as not being a true difference maker?

I just feel if you are the No. 1 pick, you should be the franchise and turn it around and give the franchise some hope (and yes the jury is still out on Kwame Brown). 

But look at how quickly Yao Ming changed the fortunes of Houston. That's what I am looking for in a No. 1 pick. I hope Okafor can be that for whoever gets him (depending on if Orlando trades the pick).


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>jcs83md</b>!
> Sounds about right, after all NBA Heights are usually with shoes, and sometimes even rounded up.
> 
> So he'll be listed at 6'9 or so, maybe even 6'10 just like in college.


Once he gets into the league, he'll probably end up "changing" to 6-9 or 6-10 in most reference places, because they really don't care about height that much after the scouting process is over. The play does the talking.


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## BallBiologist (Mar 29, 2003)

Okafor can be 6'8 for all I care...as long as he is a defensive machine..thats all that really matters...we just need him to prevent those EASY penetration baskets....THATS all we need him to do...get a few blocks and put fear in the offensive players game.... sort of like Ben Wallace..

I'd be happy with a Ben Wallace even though I know Okafor is a better shooter :yes:


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

See I'm glad you mentioned that the Ben Wallace comparison.

Ben Wallace is what 29 y/o (about to turn 30)? That would mean that he came into the league the same year that Kobe Bryant came in.

If that is the case and say this draft becomes reminiscent to the 1996 draft (over time). 

Would you draft Ben Wallace (Emeka Okafor) over Kobe Bryant (Josh Smith/Dorell Wright), Ray Allen (Luke Jackson), Stephon Marbury (Sebastian Telfair), Peja Stojakovic (Sergei Monya), Jermaine O'Neal (Dwight Howard), Allen Iverson (Ben Gordon), Steve Nash (Devin Harris) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Kosta Perovic)? 

Now you would obviously draft Ben over some of them, but would you over all of them. If Emeka is the No. 1 pick, he has got to be better than Ben Wallace is, don't you think? And I don't mean initially, I just mean overall career wise.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

Hakeem was only 6-10 but he was one of the most dominant centers to ever play the game.

Bill Russell was only 6-9.

I personally think Okafor is a 4. But regardless, his height is not going to be a big deal. His arms are REALLY long and he times his jumps perfectly. And he has good footwork and is really developing an offensive game.

I think you draft Okafor and be happy.


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## Nevus (Jun 3, 2003)

The only question about Okafor is his back. If he can stay healthy, he'll be good. He's athletic and he has the work ethic of a champion. If there is any way physically possible for him to get it done in the NBA, he will do it.


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## jericho (Jul 12, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Hong Kong Fooey</b>!
> 
> 
> You know what? You are correct. I am not saying that he couldn't be a great player because he is undersized. It's just that for a guy like Elton Brand, if he never makes the playoffs and continually puts up 20 and 10 every year, but the same result is a 30-52 record, aren't we supposed to look at him as not being a true difference maker?
> ...


Well, I agree with the standard you set for the No. 1 pick. It seems very likely to me that Okafor will be a solid player, maybe a low-key star. He doesn't have the makings of a superstar/franchise player, which Olajuwon (a somewhat undersized center who was taller than Okafor) did in 1984. 

This is one of those drafts that lacks a probable superstar. Howard probably wins the most votes at this point based on his physical attributes and personal characteristics, but I find it difficult to presume. Is he the next Garnett/Bryant/McGrady, or the next Brown/Curry/Chandler? My personal guess, which carries no weight because it's constructed solely on the basis of other people's eyewitness reports and analysis, is that he'll measure out somewhere in between, with a peak similar to that of Shawn Kemp's. 

If Okafor is the likely first pick, it's not because he he projects as a franchise player-it's because Orlando is desperate for a rebounder, shot blocker and interior defender (who maybe can develop a decent post-up game). I think the comparisons to Kenyon Martin are very fair. He was the consensus first pick not because he projected as a superstar but because he was the most complete player available, and fit New Jersey's needs. No one (that I'm aware of) suspected he would be the next Tim Duncan, and he's not. 

So...what percentage of drafts really have the surefire superstar that floats to the top of the pool? Maybe most, but not all of them and not this one.


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## HELLHAMMER (Apr 14, 2003)

Okafor's an inch over Arthur Johnson and Johnson is list at 6'9


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## prerak (Oct 22, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Hong Kong Fooey</b>!
> Would you draft Ben Wallace (Emeka Okafor) over Kobe Bryant (Josh Smith/Dorell Wright), Ray Allen (Luke Jackson), Stephon Marbury (Sebastian Telfair), Peja Stojakovic (Sergei Monya), Jermaine O'Neal (Dwight Howard), Allen Iverson (Ben Gordon), Steve Nash (Devin Harris) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Kosta Perovic)?


Probably not all of them, but I would draft Ben Wallace over Qyntel Woods (Josh Smith), Deshawn Stevenson (Dorell Wright), Jon Barry (Jackson), NVE now (Bassy), John Salmons (Monya), DC now (Dwight), Dajuan Wagner (Gordon), Frank Williams (Harris), Mengke Bateer (Kosta), and so forth.

Bringing up names means little or nothing to me since the whole point of evaluating a prospect is not just what is possible for them to become, but what is PROBABLE for them to become.

On top of that, Okafor and Ben Wallace aren't alike in anything except height (and even then Okafor is probably taller). They don't play the same on offense or defense.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>prerak</b>!
> 
> 
> Probably not all of them, but I would draft Ben Wallace over Qyntel Woods (Josh Smith), Deshawn Stevenson (Dorell Wright), Jon Barry (Jackson), NVE now (Bassy), John Salmons (Monya), DC now (Dwight), Dajuan Wagner (Gordon), Frank Williams (Harris), Mengke Bateer (Kosta), and so forth.
> ...


It was more because of the comparison courtside made to Wallace. I was just giving a perspective on it.


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