Big hands are to basketball players what exceptional and godly speed is to NFL players. Not just talent but sometimes these physical abilities can also give an advantage to players over their opponents. As said, having big hands for the basketball players helped them to have better control over the ball. We have seen Julius Erving, Shaquille O’Neal, and Michael Jordan as prime examples of this. However, Jordan’s friend and Miami Heat veteran Rex Chapman recently explained how the 6x NBA champion also had to face the disadvantages of this.

“The first few years that I played against him, he couldn’t shoot,” Chapman stated. He explained that it wasn’t that MJ couldn’t make a shot but more that his slashing game was so dangerous that teams were content with giving him the shot. Rex Chapman even had an interesting theory on why shooting was not as easy for the Chicago Bulls guard.

For those who aren’t able to compare their hand size with Jordan’s, His Airness‘ hand is about 9.75 inches big. Chapman recalled, “Michael picked the ball up off the floor and grabbed it, dunks it like it’s a grapefruit…Softball maybe.” But according to Rex, this came with its own disadvantages. “Try shooting a softball sometime. See how that feels because it’s weird.”

The Boy Wonder who faced Jordan quite a few times in his career knows how the champion played. Not just Chapman, Lakers legend Kobe Bryant also held the same opinion and wished he had big hands. When asked if he would like to change anything about his body, Bryant named his hands, knowing their massive role in Jordan’s game. 

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Michael Jordan emphasized the importance of his hands in his game

Even the Chicago Bulls legend himself mentioned it in one of his interviews with Gene Siskel. MJ explained that the wide gap between his thumb and index finger helped him grip the ball better and further compared it with a unique example. 

“The grip of grabbing the ball and being able to move the ball. It’s like having a paintbrush for instance,” said Jordan. Furthermore, he also mentioned Philadelphia 76ers legend Erving. Jordan shared, “Dr. J did this. If you ever notice Dr. J’s hand, his thumb is so far away from his finger which gives him a better grip. He can pick a ball up off the dribble and do anything that he wants to do with it.”

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Today, we see Giannis Antetokounmpo (9.85 inches) Boban Marjanovic (10.75 inches), Victor Wembanyama (10.25 inches), and other players who combine their skills and God-given gifts to dominate on the court. Who is your favorite among the players mentioned above? Let us know in the comments section below.

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