Measuring the height of a basketball player

The Game Room
1

In judging a basketball player’s height advantage, the portion of height from the shoulders to the top of the head is irrelevant. The distance from one’s shoulders to the ground is very important. I would think that the measurement of a player’s height should stop at the shoulders. One tiny advantage to having a long neck is that your eyes are slightly higher. But the distance from the eyes to the top of the head is truly not needed in any measurement of a player and can possibly skew his or her perceived height advantage.

That’s not to say that there aren’t better measurements such as wingspan, vertical leap, etc., but they always mention the height when talking about a player.

2

Are there really any giraffe-proportioned players out there whose listen height doesn’t correspond with their actual size because of an elongated neck or gigantic head (Sam Cassell excepted, of course)?

We’re used to measuring people by their height from the top of the head down. Saying some guy is 6’2 to the shoulders doesn’t really mean as much to me as saying that he’s a seven-footer. It’d be an unnecessary transition for a new fan of the sport. Someone who wants a more accurate assessment of a player’s ability in the third dimension would be much better suited with the other measurements you mention.