Which NBA players experienced crazy growth spurts?
Answer
1. Michael Jordan - When Michael Jordan entered E.A. Laney High School in 1979, he was only 5’8” tall. He had grown to a height of 5'11" in his sophomore year of high school. He tried out for the varsity basketball team but at 5'11" he was deemed too short to play at that level. MJ shot up 5 inches between his sophomore and junior year and added another couple inches after that to end up at 6'6".
2. Russell Westbrook - Westbrook had a rather large growth spurt during high school. He was 5'8" as a freshman with size-13 feet and didn’t start on varsity until his junior year. None of the major camps or elite AAU squads extended invitations to the 5'10" sophomore. Before his senior year, Russell had shot up five inches to 6'3" and his game had greatly improved.
3. Charles Barkley - Charles Barkley stood at only 5’10” at the end of his sophomore year in high school and failed to make the Leeds High School varsity team. His prospects improved when a growth spurt pushed him to six feet-four inches prior to his senior year.
4. Tim Duncan - Tim Duncan entered high school at just over six feet and was predicted by his coaches to top up at 6’5”. Before his senior year, Tim had beaten all expectations and stood at almost 6’11”.
5. Gordon Hayward - Gordon Hayward stood at only 5’11 during his freshman year of high school. He shot up to 6'4" as a sophomore and had grown to 6'7" as a senior.
6. Markelle Fultz - Markelle Fultz had a great freshman season good enough to get him a trial on varsity going to his sophomore year but at 5’9” he was cut from the varsity team. By the start of Fultz’s junior season, he experienced a crazy growth spurt that saw him reach 6’3”.
7. David Robinson - David Robinson was only 5'9 during his junior year of high school but remarkably grew a staggering 15" in just a short space of time and was almost 7'1 by the time he was in college.
8. Scottie Pippen - It's usually rare for most people to grow after high school. Scottie Pippen beat the odds by growing from 6'1 to 6'8 after high school.
9. Dennis Rodman - Rodman warmed the bench for a half-season of high school basketball and then quit. He was 5’9” when he graduated high school. Two years after high school, Rodman had grown from 5’9” to 6’8”.
10. Anthony Davis - Between his sophomore and senior years in high school, Anthony Davis grew from 6′2 to 6′10. He went from a lightly-recruited guard to one of the best high school players in the country.
11. Dwight Howard - It's hard to believe that Dwight Howard stood at just 5'8 when he was 15 years. From the age of 15 to 16 years, Howard grew more than a foot. He went from 5'8 to 6'9 in just one year before finally reaching his adult height of 6'11.
12. CJ McCollum - As a freshman at GlenOak High School, CJ McCollum stood at a mere 5'2. However, he benefited from a late growth spurt which saw him gain 9 inches by the start of his junior year before finally reaching his adult height of 6'3.
13. Manu Ginobili - Manu Ginobili had a massive late growth spurt in his late teens. He went from 5'8" to 6'6" when he was a senior in high school. He grew almost 10 inches in just 2 years.
14. Lamar Odom - At 6'2 in high school, it seems as though Lamar Odom was destined to be a point guard. Out of the blue, Odom experienced a late growth spurt that saw him grow from 6'2" as a high school senior to 6'9" his junior year of college.
15. Dennis Johnson - Dennis Johnson went from 5'9" as a high school senior to 6'4" in one year after graduation.
16. Marcus Camby - Camby was a point guard until junior year of high school then hit a growth spurt that got him to 6'11".
17. Dwayne Wade - Dwayne Wade stood at only 5’8” throughout his freshman to his sophomore year of high school. It was not until his junior year at age 17 that he experienced a growth spurt that propelled him to 6’2”. He grew two more inches in his senior year to reach his adult height of 6’4”.
18. Derrick White - At the time of his high school graduation, White was barely 6 feet tall. He hit a growth spurt of about 5 inches in college to reach 6’5”.
19. Devean George - Devean George was 5'11" coming out of high school and couldn't get the attention of a single Division I program. He grew a remarkable 8 inches in college reaching a height of 6'7" and this resulted in him being drafted in the 1st round by the Lakers.
20. Kelly Olynyk - Kelly Olynyk stood at 6’3” throughout his freshman to his sophomore year of high school and developed as a point guard. It was not until his junior year at age 17 that he experienced a growth spurt that propelled him from 6’3” to 6’10”. He suddenly had to adjust his game to fit that of a center. Olynyk grew an additional two inches in college at Gonzaga.
21. Mike Dunleavy Jr. - Mike Dunleavy Jr. growth spurts took him from 5’10” as a freshman in high school to 6’5” as a senior at Jesuit to 6’9” as a sophomore at Duke. He grew almost 5 inches in college.
22. Jerome Williams - Jerome Williams was a 6’2” point guard coming out of high school and entering his freshman year of college. Whilst at college, he grew 7 inches, becoming a 6’9” forward by his sophomore year.
23. Bill Russell - It’s rare for most people to grow after high school but Bill Russell did just that. He was six feet five inches tall when he finished high school. He grew five more inches after high school to reach his full adult height of 6’10”.
24. Jeremy Lin - Jeremy Lin entered Palo Alto High School as a 5’3” freshman. By his senior year, he had grown a remarkable twelve inches and stood at 6’3”.
