A fans perspective 

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Who is the tallest

Basketball remains a game of height, i.e. “Who’s got the tallest players?” This information I located on the net, it represents the 2024-25 season. This past season there were “16 players who stood 7’0” or taller, the highest count in NBA history, only 6 players measured under 6’0”, down from 12 in 2015.” The top 5 teams that season in height were:

 

Lakers 6'7.68"

Nuggets 6'7.13"

Blazers 6'7.08"

Bucks 6’6.95”

Hawks 6’6.81”

The tallest active players 2025-26 are:

Victor Wembanyama Spurs 7’5”

Zach Edey Grizzlies 7’4”

Bol Bol Suns 7’3”

Dereck Lively II Mavs 7’3”

There are others

This occurs every NBA season, we look at the top pick in the draft and figure “This is our Rookie of the Year” however that is not always the case. In 2024 the top pick was the Hawks Zaccharie Risacher, his rookie season was good however he didn’t win the honor. Instead it was Spurs guard Stephon Castle the 4th pick who was named 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year. Just because Cooper Flagg was the top pick in the 2025 NBA draft guarantees nothing. He might be considered the odds on favorite to win Rookie of the Year however there are others who should be given consideration too, who are they besides Flagg?

We have shooting guard Dylan Harper of the Spurs (2), his former college teammate small forward Ace Bailey (5) now a member of the Jazz. There is Tre Johnson Wizards shooting guard (6) and 6-foot 9 combo guard Egor Demin (8) who will suit up for the Nets. Those named along with Flagg are considered the top candidates to win the honor. Despite the fact there is likely to be another unnamed rookie who just might eclipse all those named including Flagg. More and more it seems annually there is never a shortage of talented athletes desiring to earn an NBA paycheck. Tell me, will one of the names listed be named 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year or might it be someone unidentified?

Every game matters

I believe this to be correct, excluding pre-season and holidays the NFL Chiefs have played every day of the week except Tuesday and Wednesday. Despite the schedule dates the NFL continues to remain a once a week sport. As you are aware NBA teams play every night of the week and on occasion there might be back to back games. This discussion leads into the Christmas games by both leagues, December 25 once belonged exclusively to the NBA but no more. The NFL is pleased with the viewership last Christmas and continues that plan into the future. What about games played, do they matter? Of course they matter in the NBA its’s 82 versus 17 in the NFL regular season excluding playoffs.

You say every game counts, of course it does in both leagues however here is the difference. With the limited number of NFL games played each week losses carry significant weight on a team’s possible playoff berth. An NBA team could have a losing record in the middle of January yet play inspired basketball the balance of the regular season and earn a playoff berth in April. Every game played in the NFL is critical to the outcome, with 82 games in the NBA it’s less so. I’m making this comparison because some believe there is competition for the sports dollar. I don’t believe that to truly be the case, NFL games love their sport and the same could be said for NBA fans as well. Is there crossover appeal, of course there is but don’t assume one sport is more popular than the other using the NFL as the barometer.

The NBA draft

The 2026 nbadraft.net projection is no different from past years, it is top heavy with freshman and international players. As an example of the Top 10 players on their site 8 of those named are freshman, the other two are sophomores. That provides you the why a college senior might be considered “old” by NBA standards. That college senior might arrive at an NBA training camp at 22 or 23 years of age, contrast that with an 18 or 19 year old competing for the same job. Sometimes there is a reluctance on my part adapting to change and this is one of those areas. Once upon a time I held the belief that if an athlete decided to play for the university he remained there until his eligibility expired.

Over time the landscape changed and continued in that manner as we witnessed an increasing number of freshman leave for the NBA. There has been a revision in this area, no longer are they leaving school and not being drafted. I’m sure there are isolated cases but generally if a player declares he’s drafted. As for the change on my part, the education will always remain if that player choses to return to school. We’ve witnessed a number of players return to complete their education pursuit for personal reasons. Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal and Vince Carter are names that come to mind, these former players and others completed the path which had begun long before they became NBA icons. Change is uncomfortable for us however sometimes it ain’t so bad.

Is she correct

Pat Summit was one of the great women’s basketball coaches of the past. So too was C. Vivian Stringer and Muffet McGraw from an earlier time. All have been enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame but there is room also for Dawn Staley South Carolina coach. As most are aware Staley interview for the Knicks head coaching job earlier but was not hired. Later she claimed, “If the Knicks had offered me the job I would have left immediately.” More recently Staley made news again with this quote. “Dawn Staley said she is convinced that NBA teams might never be ready to hire a woman as a head coach after her recent experience with the New York Knicks.” Some might argue Staley is incorrect in her observation of NBA hiring practice regarding women.

The NBA I believe was the first professional sport to hire a women as an assistant coach. Former Coach Pop of the Spurs hired Becky Hammon in 2014 and after that several others have since followed suit. Although Hammon would later interview for at least one head coaching position she too was passed over for consideration as an NBA head coach. As much as the NBA might be considered progressive compared to other professional sports there are areas that women might never cross. Is coaching men in the NBA as a head coach that role? I could cite as an example Doris Burke of ESPN, we read and heard numerous complaints about her broadcasting skill. I believe the vast majority of males were uncomfortable with hearing Burke as an analyst. I make this statement despite the fact she like other analysts played the game, it just so happened she played the girl’s game. I am sure several of you reading this will disagree with my observation and that’s okay.