Hand Size in The Association

[Scoooter]

We all know basketball players are tall. Some freakishly so. Most of them have fairly long arms, naturally, and there's no doubting that having big hands is immensely helpful. We've all seen pictures of Wilt "palming" a ball with two fingers, and Michael's huge mitts made for some spectacular moves. We've seen the flip-side, too: Kwame Brown unable to hold on to passes, Kobe not doing all the cool one handed shit Jordan used to do (but still being great), Rondo having trouble shooting (with big hands, oddly) etc..

What got me thinking about this was football, specifically the upcoming draft. Players are measured for height, weight, strength, speed, etc., in addition to hand size (and it's generally considered most important for QB's). Now, as I understand it, this size is determined by a measurement from the pinky to the tip of the thumb on a splayed hand (the "hand span", if you will). Again, the bigger the better. Guys like Daunte Culpepper, Alex Smith, and Jimmy Clausen have had some flags raised in regards to this issue. For perspective:

Jamarcus Russell: 6'6", 260, 9 1/2" hands.
Joe Flacco: 6'6", 230+ lbs. 9 5/8" hands.
Daunte Culpepper: 6'4", 250+lbs., 8-something inch hands.
Alex Smith: 6'4", 215 lbs., 8 1/2" hands.
Sam Bradford: 6'4.25", 236 lbs., 9 1/2" hands.
Jimmy Clausen: 6'2.5", 222 lbs., 9" hands.
Tim Tebow: 6'2.75", 10 1/8" hands.

I think football coaches are most comfortable with 9 1/2" and up. Not sure about b-ball coaches. I'm an inch shorter than the shortest guy on that list, and my hands measure in at 9 3/4". Which is odd, because I've always felt I had small hands. It's hard to fathom. Some of these guys are huge. I would have to imagine that, with basketball players, it would be even more of a disparity.

Long story short, does anyone know how big Jordan's hands were? Or Lebron's? Or Kwame Brown's? Manute Bol? Anyone, really?

[LA_Showtime]

there was a rumor going around that kwame brown had small hands. phil jackson dismissed that as bs.

michael jordan's hands were more like baseball gloves. there's a video where he literally catches the ball in midair with one hand, it's ****ing ridiculous lol.

[Monolith]

there was a rumor going around that kwame brown had small hands. phil jackson dismissed that as bs.

michael jordan's hands were more like baseball gloves. there's a video where he literally catches the ball in midair with one hand, it's ****ing ridiculous lol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol_q8NTPWQ4

Ridiculous...

[Tha Catalyst]

No idea for sizes but there are stone imprints of players hands in the NBA store in NY. Putting yours hands up against an imprints of Shaqs and others makes you feel like a baby.

[inclinerator]

http://www.duke.edu/web/pfs/lessons/grade4math/math%204th/Goal%202/Michael%20Jordans%20Hand.jpg

[Scoooter]

I've seen that before. Is it true-to-life scale?

[OldSchoolBBall]

Long story short, does anyone know how big Jordan's hands were? Or Lebron's? Or Kwame Brown's? Manute Bol? Anyone, really?

Jordan's hands were 10" from base of palm to the tip of the middle finger iirc. Mind you, measuring someone's hand that way will give you a smaller measurement than measuring from the pinky to thumb will (try it with your own hands). MJ's pinky-thumb span (the type of measurement in your original post) was probably like 11.5+"

[DuMa]

this is the way to go....
in depth of jordan's hands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRiXJdMmn3I

[DuMa]

and rondo has massive hands as well for a guy his size.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2283/2194513344_ab9df5bc9e.jpg

[momo]

this is the way to go....
in depth of jordan's hands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRiXJdMmn3I

Rof...

Another small hand guy, at least for his size. Patrick Ewing.

Both Magic and Stockton had mits.

[Scoooter]

Jordan's hands were 10" from base of palm to the tip of the middle finger iirc. Mind you, measuring someone's hand that way will give you a smaller measurement than measuring from the pinky to thumb will (try it with your own hands). MJ's pinky-thumb span (the type of measurement in your original post) was probably like 11.5+"
Now we're getting somewhere. I understand the difference in hand measurements. Wrist to tip I'm like 7 5/8". I can palm a basketball, but obviously not like Jordan. 10" in that department would make his hands significantly bigger than Lebron's (9 1/4" from wrist to tip according to SI), who at at least 6'8" is significantly taller than the 6'5"-6'6" Jordan. I find it all very fascinating.

Jordan had some huge hands. :wtf:

[Trademan]

this is the way to go....
in depth of jordan's hands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRiXJdMmn3I

**** YOU I HAD MY VOLUME UP FULLY :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[Dresta]

Jamaal Magloire has the biggest hands.

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0go9cR6fgIdMG/340x.jpg

[Scoooter]

Those are serious.

[noob cake]

http://www.blogcdn.com/nba.fanhouse.com/media/2009/12/chuck-hayes-bending-1208-200.jpg

Rubber coated steel hands covered with super glue. Once he touches the ball, you lose it.

[halffttime]

hahaha I CAN PALM THE BALL WITH TWO FINGERS. obviously i don't have a super tight grip on it, i can barely grip it, but nonetheless i can. i'm 5'10.

gimme mah cookie.

[Trademan]

hahaha I CAN PALM THE BALL WITH TWO FINGERS. obviously i don't have a super tight grip on it, i can barely grip it, but nonetheless i can. i'm 5'10.

gimme mah cookie.
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u124/kats262/COOKIE.jpg

[halffttime]

edit:

WOWOWOOWOW didn't see mj's hand on the first page already posted.. dunno how i missed that lol

[gotbacon23]

http://handson.provocateuse.com/images/photos/michael_jordan_01.jpg

put your hands on head like that and see how far it goes above your eye... his hands are gigantic

[Rake2204]

Here's Walter Herrmann palming a basketball between his thumb and pointer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82iihDAxDLA

And that allowed him to do things like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY0sYi3U9P0

Coincidence that the Pistons didn't REALLY begin to fall off until Walter skipped town?

Maybe.

[50inchvertical]

I can do that, including with an NBA ball which have terrible grip compared to Wilson's and Spalding's composite balls. As important as having big hands is having strong hands, but anyways if you have ever been to the NBA store they have these things here where you can stick your hand in NBA player's handprints. Mine are bigger than Steve Nash's, and Swin Cash's are a little longer than mine but way slimmer. Everybody else wasn't even close.

http://media1.dashwire.com/media/aRzQpwd0Cr3z9eadbimNyZ/dlaPVoyqKr3RO6adbiFTTI-large.jpg

[mrpuente]

And that allowed him to do things like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY0sYi3U9P0


:oldlol: that was the ugliest reverse ive seen in my life.

[tikay00]

this is the way to go....
in depth of jordan's hands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRiXJdMmn3I


You asshole!!! That was brilliant!

[lefthook00]

MJ, Dr. J, VC, LBJ all have huge hands. You can tell by the way they dunk/attack the rim.

[Fatal9]

http://handson.provocateuse.com/images/photos/michael_jordan_01.jpg

[Diesel J]

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/8313/javalemcgee7784021.gif (http://img32.imageshack.us/i/javalemcgee7784021.gif/)
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/6626/javale8089191.jpg (http://img246.imageshack.us/i/javale8089191.jpg/)
http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/7880/divinesaturdaysnov14tal.jpg (http://img709.imageshack.us/i/divinesaturdaysnov14tal.jpg/)

JaVale McGee has some huge hands

JaVale McGee Dunks it from His HIP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMWK472WPNU&feature=related