On Jun 2, 2022, Forbes magazine published great news about the NBA family. The two-time Olympic gold medalist LeBron James had hit yet another milestone. This time, he scored a three-point shot at the highest basketball hoop during the finals against the WARRIORS. The superstar has clocked a net worth of $1 billion, according to Forbes’ count. The long term belief that basketball can increase height gains even more substantiation.
If you love professional basketball or take time to glance at the NBA game, you must have noticed that basketball players have one thing in common. They are taller than every average being along your way. So if you are into basketball, has that ever caught you by surprise? Because that begs the question, does dribbling the basketball make you taller or do NBA managers only select the naturally tall individuals and train them into athletes?
This question is surely interesting if you feel like stretching your legs a little bit to attain the size of the tallest NBA players. This write-up analyzes every point you need to know about the basketball game and your height.
Does Basketball Make Players Taller?
If you believe basketball can increase height or you’re looking for athletic ways to increase your height, it’s unfortunate that there’s no proven evidence suggesting that basketball games can increase your height. Perhaps, there are exercises and feeding programs that would make you the heaviest NBA player but not the tallest.
It’s worth noting that a player’s maximum potential height is determined by genetics, with factors like childhood and adolescence nutrition holding secondary roles in determining the closer you can go to realizing that full genetic height.
The juicy news is that though a basketball game may not affect your height, the game has other lucrative benefits that make it a nice take for kids and adults alike.
Let’s See What Science Says About Basketball Game And Height
No scientific proof supports the allegation that basketball can increase your height. The lack of evidence on this matter is not a result of inadequate research. The basketball game has been in the sphere for a while, with enormous research done to analyze its effects on physical parameters.
Recently, research was launched to examine the effects of basketball training on players based on their anthropometric and physiological characteristics. The reports indicated improved lean mass, grip strength, jump height, and athletic performance. Moreover, research on adults realized that playing a basketball game for recreational purposes improves certain health metrics like blood pressure and body fat mass after a period of involvement.
hough these scientific investigations were not solely focused on changes in height, the data collected from participants would have noted any height changes and thus not recorded. The primary point here is basketball is not an under-researched sport; therefore, it’s fairly safe to assume that any notable studies touching basketball and height would have been on record.
That said, you can still assess the effects of basketball on height by further analyzing the sport’s athletic movement and investigating whether the activities would lead to an increase in height. The basketball game greatly relies on these skills, which have already been looked into, and their effects on human physiology have been analyzed:
- Running or sprinting
- jumping
- changes of direction
- overhead tossing
- chest passing
If you broaden your research to cover these athletic basketball skills, you’ll still not identify evidence supporting height advantages attached to training schedules that involve these activities. Scientific discoveries are prone to change based on potential evidence and research. Still, so far, no evidence backs basketball or any other given field activity to increase human height.
Also Read: How Long are Basketball Games? – NBA Game 2023
Can You Increase Your Height Via Other Methods Other Than Playing Basketball?
Though there is evidence of athletic activity related to height and achieving maximum height, factors surrounding the matter have been deeply researched. A human’s growth in height is dependent on bones growing in length. This biological process happens throughout childhood to adolescence.
Bone lengthening and elongation happen at the epiphyseal growth plates. These plates are cartilaginous structures found at the ends of different bones in growing children. The highest increase in height happens during childhood throughout puberty growth.
As children approach the end of adolescence or puberty, these epiphyseal growth plates harden, and the growth of bones in length ceases. Understand that it is still possible for the bones to increase in both width and density through the right physical exercise and nutrition schedule. Improving bone density is essential to your health, longevity, and power but neither does it influence your height.
According to the National Library of health, genetics play between 60-95% in determining the full height of an adult. Proper nutrition in childhood and puberty growth stages plays the remaining percentage. Therefore, proper nutrition ensures that every human attains their complete genetic potential. Remember that no one can exceed their genetic maximum, predetermined at conception.
The same research reports that malnutrition, which involves either underweight or obesity of child, plays a role in decreasing a human’s ultimate height as full grownups. If the nutritional intake is inadequate during the youthful stage, the body will prioritize the most important functions and divert vital nutrients from bone elongation growth. If you want your kids to experience full height, it’s important to ensure they eat various healthy meals, limiting just as much.
What’s the Reason Behind the Height of Many Basketball Players?
While there are no records of basketball games increasing a person’s height, you may not be fully convinced by watching them play. Now, this takes us to correlation versus causation. But tall players stand out well since basketball involves jumping and shooting at a basketball hoop, scoring, and recovering the ball. The tallest NBA players reach a greater maximum height for the same jumping prowess.
While short players may compensate by doubling their vertical jump, there will always be a practical limit to the height you can jump once you become an experienced athlete. An elite basketball player facing a height disadvantage of more than 15cm compared with a similarly experienced player will face an exceedingly hard time overcoming the physical difference.
The statistical evaluation of athletes (2020) found that teams with the tallest NBA players outperformed teams with shorter players consistently.
Conclusion
You may struggle to increase your height for different reasons, such as sports performance or general looks. Given that many basketball players are tall, you might think the game can increase height. Unfortunately, there is no proven evidence that the said game or other given physical activity can increase your maximum height.
Your maximum height is determined by genetic and nutrition factors, especially at the childhood and puberty stages. By the time you become an adult, your bone plates restrict further length increase, making it impossible to add on height. Great basketball game players like LeBron James are tall because height gives them the advantage to reach higher to the basketball hoop on the court.