What percentage of the general population has the height to play in the NBA?

[tgan3]

PG: at least 5'11 barefoot( listed 6'0 )

SG: at least 6'4 barefoot ( listed 6'5 )

SF: at least 6'6 barefoot ( listed 6'7 )

PF: at least 6'7 barefoot ( listed 6'8 )

C: at least 6'8 barefoot ( listed 6'9 )

Though these are on the shorter side.

[Basketman]

Not the majority I'm guessing. And most that can play in the NBA are going to be guard-size.

[JordanL]

I'm 6'3" barefoot, and I only have one friend that is as tall as I am.

[twolvesfan]

6'0 barefoot with very long arms

[RainierBeachPoet]

muggsy takes away any height excuse

[BankShot]

After doing some research, 15% of adult males are 6' or taller, and less than 5% are 6'4" or taller... after that I couldn't find any data on 6'6" and taller

[bagelred]

The average adult male is about 5' 9", so you can knock off 50% of the male population right away.

[JG000]

After doing some research, 15% of adult males are 6' or taller, and less than 5% are 6'4" or taller... after that I couldn't find any data on 6'6" and taller

Cool... interesting stat

[boozehound]

Cool... interesting stat

cool stat hansel.

The % of the population over 6'6" is probably statistically unrepresentable (due to the low actual number and the increase in Type II (false negative) error). THe stats I can find say that only 3.9% of the pop are taller than 6'2". so, if average height is 5'9", the standard deviation is a little more than 2.5" (I read that it is 3" elsewhere). that means that less than 0.5% of the population is taller than 6'6" (3 standard deviations, 1 tail). again, any statistical evaluation of this (p=0.005) is gonna have major type II error issues. sorry for the technical talk.

[Snoop_Cat]

I'm pretty surprised the average height is 5'9''. Even in America, I see many more sub5'9'' men than above 5'9'' men, plus many of those nutritionally famished countries with typically shorter men.

[Lakas Fan Yo]

Only 3% of the adult male population in the US is 6-2 and up.

[Lakas Fan Yo]

I'm pretty surprised the average height is 5'9''. Even in America, I see many more sub5'9'' men than above 5'9'' men, plus many of those nutritionally famished countries with typically shorter men.

Average adult male height with shoes on in the US for ages 20-30 is 5-10. So the average height barefoot is 5-9. Keep in mind that's JUST for men age 20-30. Outside those age ranges the height is less.

Outside the US is another story.

Countries in Scandinavia and Adriatic regions like the Balkans have average heights of 6 feet and over.

[Rake2204]

I'm pretty surprised the average height is 5'9''. Even in America, I see many more sub5'9'' men than above 5'9'' men, plus many of those nutritionally famished countries with typically shorter men.

It's kind of the opposite for me. I am so used to hanging out and playing basketball against guys my height (6'3'') and taller than I begin to get the idea that I'm average or perhaps slightly undersized. So it's always satisfying to walk around normal public places (not a basketball court) and realize I'm taller than 95% of the people I come across.

[boozehound]

I'm pretty surprised the average height is 5'9''. Even in America, I see many more sub5'9'' men than above 5'9'' men, plus many of those nutritionally famished countries with typically shorter men.

as others have said, thats the mean height in the US. I dont really know that many men under 5'9". and in reality, half of all men should be under 5'9" anyways. Do you really think more than half of the men you see (biblically I bet) are under 5'9". Are you in a heavily Korean area?

[Rob123]

Damn sucks for me. I'm 6'1 in Shoes and the shortest of my 4 friends. They're all 6'3, 6'3, 6'5. I need to find shorter friends, I've always felt I was small or average, guess not.