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Be aware this a Max Vertical Leap test (this allows a full run before jumping). That is in contrast to both a Standing Vertical Leap and a Countermovement Vertical Leap tests.
There are so many bullshit fish stories out there. I can't tell you how many times someone has insisted some NBA player (Jordan, Iverson, Kareem, Wilt, Dr. J, Spud Webb, etc) or or some old time athletic legend or even someone they knew from a high school in their area had a 50"+ vertical leap. I'm sure many of you have heard claims like this repeated, too. They cite some interview with the athlete himself or some other celebrity from the time telling tall tales about that guy's athletic prowess because maybe they worked together on some movie set.
No, they didn't. No, they couldn't.
The only guy who played in the NBA that I believed could credibly reach that mark on his best day reach was James White. Here was an old article I've shared numerous times on the board since it was first published about one journalist's pursuit to find someone who could actually reach the "top of the mountain":
This is what a 51" (1.295m) vertical leap looks like. This set the WR two weeks ago by Darius Clark as tracked by Guinness. Skip to 3:03 to see how high above him the bar is.
Given, setting a Guiness WR hardly establishes it is the highest anyone could do right now unassailably, since there isn't a robust global competition measuring this, but it's pretty cool, and I figured Sherdoggers would want to see it. He's 5'10" (1.78m). It's actually pretty surprising the man who would set the record is that short. Given, it means mass on his side because it definitely helps to be lighter. But one would think that someone in the 6'1-6'4" range would prevail due to having longer legs giving him more distance to create force for liftoff. Although at 5'10" he's still at the bottom end of the range for high jumpers who have competed at the highest level internationally, and unlike them, he doesn't have to overcome his height deficit to get above a bar, because one's vertical leap only cares about the distance between the ground and your feet, not how high you get on an absolute scale.
Based on what the announcer on the video says, he is achieving a height of 12'4" (3.76m). That would mean his standing reach was measured at 97" (2.46m). At 12'4", he is 8" (20cm) shy of the top of the backboard.
There are so many bullshit fish stories out there. I can't tell you how many times someone has insisted some NBA player (Jordan, Iverson, Kareem, Wilt, Dr. J, Spud Webb, etc) or or some old time athletic legend or even someone they knew from a high school in their area had a 50"+ vertical leap. I'm sure many of you have heard claims like this repeated, too. They cite some interview with the athlete himself or some other celebrity from the time telling tall tales about that guy's athletic prowess because maybe they worked together on some movie set.
No, they didn't. No, they couldn't.
The only guy who played in the NBA that I believed could credibly reach that mark on his best day reach was James White. Here was an old article I've shared numerous times on the board since it was first published about one journalist's pursuit to find someone who could actually reach the "top of the mountain":
James White vs. a Jumping Myth (published 2008)
This is what a 51" (1.295m) vertical leap looks like. This set the WR two weeks ago by Darius Clark as tracked by Guinness. Skip to 3:03 to see how high above him the bar is.
Given, setting a Guiness WR hardly establishes it is the highest anyone could do right now unassailably, since there isn't a robust global competition measuring this, but it's pretty cool, and I figured Sherdoggers would want to see it. He's 5'10" (1.78m). It's actually pretty surprising the man who would set the record is that short. Given, it means mass on his side because it definitely helps to be lighter. But one would think that someone in the 6'1-6'4" range would prevail due to having longer legs giving him more distance to create force for liftoff. Although at 5'10" he's still at the bottom end of the range for high jumpers who have competed at the highest level internationally, and unlike them, he doesn't have to overcome his height deficit to get above a bar, because one's vertical leap only cares about the distance between the ground and your feet, not how high you get on an absolute scale.
Based on what the announcer on the video says, he is achieving a height of 12'4" (3.76m). That would mean his standing reach was measured at 97" (2.46m). At 12'4", he is 8" (20cm) shy of the top of the backboard.
