LeBron James is a physical specimen. Not only is the King unbelievably fast, strong, and athletic, but he also stands at 6-foot-8, 250 pounds. That’s a deadly combination that allows him to make plays like this one, or this one, or this one.
But what if LeBron had only grown to by 6’3? That’s the size a doctor told him he would grow up to be when James visited for a checkup at the age of 11. The thought devastated him.
“When your idols are Michael Jordan and Penny Hardaway, you’re like [expletive],” James said to cleveland.com in a one-on-one session. “You’re looking on the back of basketball cards and it says M.J. 6-6, Penny Hardaway 6-7½, Grant Hill 6-8, you’re like, ‘I’m only going to be 6-3? Golly. My dreams are shattered.’ That’s how it made me feel.”
Now, for the average human being, 6’3 is still pretty darn tall. But for LeBron, who had aspirations of playing in the NBA, he worried that wouldn’t get the job done.
Obviously, the doctor was way off. LeBron reached 6-foot-3 by his freshman year of high school and added another five inches by the time he was fully done growing.
Still, it’s interesting to think of what kind of player LeBron would be had he maxed out at just six feet three inches tall. He still probably would have had the talent to become an NBA player, and perhaps an All-Star. But an all-time great? It’s tough to say.
LeBron’s passing skills are one of the things that truly makes him stand out, and with the stature of a point guard to go with that mentality, he likely would have taken an even bigger role in setting his teammates up instead of looking out for his own shot. James probably would have had to develop a much more consistent jumper if he wanted to become a legend, because he wouldn’t have been able to use his size to bully his way to the basket on drives or in post-up isolations.
When asked about it though, James said he doesn’t think much would have changed at all.
“I’ll still be the same player, I’ll just probably be shorter. I’m not sure I’d still have that athleticism as far as how I jump, but as far as my intelligence, my basketball IQ, that wouldn’t have changed at all.”
That’s probably true, but I’m sure he’s glad the doctor in Ohio was wrong about those extra five inches.
