Does height matter in the NBA?

Essay by bkobraCollege, Undergraduate October 2005

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For the people who don't know, the acronym NBA stands for National Basketball Association. NBA's mission is to be the most respected and successful sports league and sports marketing organization in the world. Basketball popularity has been increasing through out the years and many consider the sport as second most popular in the world. Like every sport basketball, has its share of myths and misconceptions. One of the most popular myths that surround this sport is the height factor. The general population tends to think that height is a key factor when playing this sport. This report's purpose is to clear up the misconception of the height factor that the general population has.

Hypothesis: Basketball myths such as "You Can't Teach Size" and "Size Matters" play a factor in the NBA.

Research questions:

1. Does height affect the outcome of a game?

2. Do taller superstars perform better than their smaller counterparts?

3. Do taller prospects get more attention during the Draft?

The type of research is secondary since the raw data was retrieved from official and reliable NBA web sites. There are several aspects that couldn't be included in the research. One of the important factors is that the amount of data used is limited. For example in one method data for 3 years where used because of the scope of the project, however if the research was conducted on wider basis, then a lot more data could be included in order to increase the accuracy and precision of the results. The most notable is position defense - the part that doesn't involve blocked shots and steals. But factors like durability as well as less tangible ones (for example leadership, motivation, killer instinct) are others that can't be measured or rated numerically.

There are several reasons why...