Okay, so today I’m gonna yap about my little experiment figuring out Victor Wembanyama’s insane standing reach. It all started with a casual NBA discussion, you know, the usual “who’s the next big thing” kinda talk.
Then Wembanyama’s name popped up, and someone mentioned his standing reach. I was like, “Okay, cool,” but then they said, like, 9’7″ or something ridiculous. I just HAD to see if that was even remotely possible.
First things first, I hit up the web, did some digging. I saw stuff about his crazy long arms and narrow shoulders. It made sense that he’d have a massive reach, but still… 9’7″? That’s wild!
So, I grabbed a tape measure. I’m about 5’10”, give or take. I stood next to a wall and measured my own standing reach. It was, like, a pathetic 7’6″. Yep, feeling short already.
Then I went to a local basketball court. I figured, if I can’t measure Wemby himself (duh!), I can at least get a feel for how high that actually is. I found a spot near the basket where I could clearly see the 10-foot rim.
I tried to imagine reaching 9’7″. It’s basically almost to the rim without jumping! I tried to visualize how much higher Wemby’s arms would be compared to mine, just reaching up. It was mind-blowing.
Next, I tried to figure out some kind of scaling. I knew the rim was 10 feet. I knew my reach was 7’6″. I did some dodgy math (I’m not a math guy, okay?) to try and estimate how much longer Wemby’s arms would have to be compared to mine to reach 9’7″.
I even watched some videos of Wemby playing. I paid close attention to how high he held the ball, how easily he blocked shots. You can really see how his length gives him a crazy advantage. He really can shoot threes like a guard and block shots like crazy.
After all that, I’m still blown away by that 9’7″ figure. It’s hard to fully grasp until you actually try to visualize it. It’s just ridiculous!
In conclusion: I didn’t get any exact measurements or anything super scientific, but I walked away with a much better understanding of just how much of a physical freak Victor Wembanyama really is. Standing reach verified as insane.
