Proof that Wilt's size/wingspan is overrated

[sd3035]

lol Wilt was such a joke, he would be lucky to crack the league in this era

[SugarHill]

Wilt in NBA 2K15

[LAZERUSS]

i agree with laz here... i always thought that those wilt highlights at 17 yrs old were on high rims.

look at his highlights in this video at kutshers - both the outdoor and indoor highlights - that rim is NOT 10 feet, or anywhere near.. At least 11 or 12 feet, which makes what Wilt is doing, like, amazing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9GPibuasw4&t=0m32s

Good catch. The rim is substantially higher in the playground dunks, than in the game footage which immediately followed.

[Elosha]

Good catch. The rim is substantially higher in the playground dunks, than in the game footage which immediately followed.

Disagree for the reasons and video points I already cited, but reasonable minds can differ. In any event, there's no doubt that Wilt and a number of other great centers could have dunked on an 11 foot foot rim quite easily.

[riseagainst]

Wilt in NBA 2K15

[kshutts1]

i agree with laz here... i always thought that those wilt highlights at 17 yrs old were on high rims.

look at his highlights in this video at kutshers - both the outdoor and indoor highlights - that rim is NOT 10 feet, or anywhere near.. At least 11 or 12 feet, which makes what Wilt is doing, like, amazing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9GPibuasw4&t=0m32s

It is possible the rim is about 11 feet.

Let's assume Laz is spot on with the 9'7 standing reach. Then, since Wilt is clearly not trying (he doesn't jump high, nor does he appear to try to), let's say he is jumping only 24" (It's pretty indisputable that Wilt had a 32" vert, at worst).

That brings his end reach to 11'7", which is enough clearance to dunk (easily) on an 11' rim.

So yeah... it looks like the rim is likely 11' high.

[kshutts1]

^^ Don't think so, they look about as high as the ones they are playing on later in the video, and Wilt's head in comparison to those rime and his dunks during the game are just about the same as the warm up, outside dunks we are discussing. Why would they be playing on anything other than 10 foot rims. If anything the outdoor rims might be only slightly higher than 10, but nowhere near 11.

Pause the video posted right after Wilt's initial dunk. I have it paused at :35.

Wilt is standing behind, and slightly to the right, of the basket, so perspective is slightly skewed. His knees are slightly bent, as he's walking and not fully upright.

Those variances aside, assuming Wilt is roughly 7 feet tall, the basket looks to be about 5 feet above his head. For a total of 12 feet. But then let's deduct from that height because of the aforementioned factors, and it's still reasonable that the basket is 11 feet.

As to why? Who the hell knows. In trying to market the game, and make it more awe-inspiring, a lot of gimmicks were done, specifically centered around higher rims. The Globetrotters have been known to do it, and there are stories of Wilt playing on similarly raised rims. So it's not out of the realm of possibility that the rims at Kutshers, a place famous for literally just putting on shows, would raise the rim to make it more awesome.

[Asukal]

Wilt in NBA 2K15

Nice handles.