Michael Jordan had countless attributes that enabled him to become the basketball GOAT.
His raw athleticism, vertical ability, and win-at-all-costs mentality were fundamental in him becoming a six-time NBA champion, but one particular trait is often overlooked — his gigantic hands.
Listed at 6ft 6in, MJ was not especially tall, especially during an era of dominated by veritable 7-footers like Patrick Ewing and Shaquille O’Neal.
But what set Jordan apart from his rivals were his massive hands, which allowed him to manipulate the ball at will on offense and become a certified steal machine on defense.
Jordan’s hand length is listed at 9.75 inches while his hand span is 11.37 inches. To put that into perspective, that would be normal for someone around 7ft 9in. The average hand length for someone Jordan’s size is about 8.7 inches.
NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain, for example, was listed at 7ft 1in and had smaller hands than Jordan, despite the fact he was over seven inches taller.
“He’s got that hand, or glove when a guy can pick the ball up with one hand and dribble the ball like Michael can do and take the ball to the basket, former Bulls coach Phil Jackson said.
“It’s very difficult [to defend].”
According to Jordan, his enormous hands and wide thumb gave him a supreme advantage over his contemporaries.
“Well, I have a wide thumb, away from my finger which gives me the grip for grabbing the ball and being able to move the ball,” the Chicago Bulls legend told Gene Siskel in 1996.
“That’s like having a paintbrush and being able to create. If you can move the ball and move your instrument, to the extent that it’s pretty different in this game.”
‘His Airness’ explained he’d only seen the wide thumb on one other NBA legend — Philadelphia 76ers icon Julius Erving, aka ‘Dr. J’, one of the first real practitioners of the slam dunk.
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“Dr. J did this,” MJ went on.
“If you’ve ever noticed Dr. J’s hands, his thumb is so far away from his index finger, which gives him a better grip and a wider span so that he can pick up the ball off the dribble and do anything he wants with it.
“I have very long fingers. I can sense a good shot and a bad shot. If it comes off these three fingers (thumb, index, and middle fingers) I feel very good about the shot. If it comes off these two, (ring and little finger), then my mechanics got screwed up somewhere.”
NBA fans recently caught wind of the throwback interview and remarked on the fascinating insight.
“This is really interesting. I’d like to add something,” one person commented.
“Another thing I’ve thought to be an advantage for him is his shoe size. He’s 6’6 but wears a size 13 which is actually pretty small for a man that height. I train basketball players and other athletes as a career and in my 12 years doing this I’ve noticed that small hands usually means smaller feet.
“Smaller feet (especially relative to height) allows for more nimble and graceful movement but the smaller hands takes away the ability to control the ball. He’s got the combo of small feet but big hands, really rare build even for a basketball player.”
“Highest vertical, biggest hands and just so happens to be the most talented and most relentless. It will never happen again,” added another.
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In the same interview, No. 23 went on to reveal that he often joked a quirky palm detail is what led to him being named ‘Michael’.
“Sometimes I kid, ‘this is how I got my name, Michael. M,” Jordan said, showing how the creases in both palms make the letter ‘M’.
“If you look at both of my hands I have ‘M’ in my hands.”
Jordan had a 30.1 career scoring average and dominated The Association between 1991 and 1998, winning six NBA championships — and six Finals MVPs — across two separate three-peats.
Not only that, MJ was five-time MVP, ten-time scoring champion, nine-time All-Defensive First Team member, ten-time All-NBA First Team selection and Defensive Player of the Year – a résumé unlikely to be seen again.
However, had it not been for his huge hands, he might not have flourished into the player he ultimately became.