Gilbert Arenas attempts to expose NBA's alleged height deception on Rachel Nichols' IG post
Aside from the 12 seasons he's played in the NBA, Gilbert Arenas has gained traction for his basketball takes in interviews and podcast episodes.
Recently, showtime's Rachel Nichols posted an interesting image illustrating the difference in hand size between Clippers forwards Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. She wondered why George, listed as a six-foot-nine forward, had a huge disparity compared to Leonard's hands, who is also listed as a six-foot-nine athlete.
Arenas seized upon this example and pointed it out as the NBA's alleged height deception.
The former Washington Wizards guard commented on how the NBA conducts their height measurements on players with and without shoes. However, he pointed out that only 90% of players listed heights on "Basketball Reference" exclude sneakers.
"Remember the NBA measures without shoes and with shoes. 90% of heights on 'basketball reference' is without shoes. ... Most PG's heights are (with shoes on the site) because guards want every inch, you will never really know! Bench mark height (6-foot-7 is Klay with shoes), (Curry six-foot.25 with shoes)."
This raises an interesting question about the basis used to determine the finalized height of an NBA player.
Gilbert Arenas talked about the difference between today's NBA players to the 90's era when it came to size
Speaking on his "No Chill with Gilbert Arenas" podcast, the three-time NBA All-Star talked about the huge difference in the size of NBA players today compared to the 90s era.
"Like I remember ... even like GP," Arenas said (at 27:48 in the video below). "He was a defensive stopper. My second year, I'm posting him up. You're little, 185. I was afraid of you my rookie year.
"I don't know why, you're little. Even John Stockton... You guys were defensive guys? It became a joke, like put the two guard on me man, these point guards are just too little."
He recounted a matchup he had back in time against Seattle Supersonics legend Gary Payton. As a rookie, he found it baffling that he was afraid of "The Glove." However, during his sophomore year, when he backed Paytonn down in the post, he realized he had nothing to fear due to the size mismatch.
Arenas, listed as a six-foot-four guard weighing 215 lb, faced Payton, who was also a six-foot-four defensive ace but weighed 190 lb. In a one-on-one matchup against Payton, Gilbert Arenas became aware of the mismatch, which he then took advantage of.