Michael Jordan’s Wingspan: How Long Were MJ’s Arms?
Michael Jordan’s wingspan is 6 feet 11 inches (83 inches, about 211 cm), five inches longer than his height of 6 feet 6 inches. That is the figure almost every source uses, and a few give 6’11.5″. No official measurement of Jordan’s wingspan has ever been published, so the number is a long-standing estimate rather than a recorded result.
A +5 inch wingspan is long for a shooting guard. Most adults have a wingspan close to their height. Below, Jordan’s arms are compared with measured NBA players, followed by what the length did for his game and the truth about his famous 48-inch vertical.
Michael Jordan wingspan at a glance
| Wingspan | 6’11” (83 in, about 211 cm), commonly cited; 6’11.5″ in a few sources |
|---|---|
| Height | 6’6″ (198 cm), listed |
| Wingspan minus height | +5 inches |
| Vertical leap | 48 inches, claimed; Jordan said it was never measured |
| Officially measured? | No published measurement of wingspan, reach or vertical |
| Same wingspan as | Kobe Bryant (also 6’6″ with a 6’11” wingspan, also unmeasured) |
What is Michael Jordan’s wingspan?
MJ’s wingspan, measured fingertip to fingertip with arms spread, is 6’11”, or 83 inches. In metric that is about 211 cm. The number has been repeated for decades by basketball sites, and every comparison of Jordan and Kobe Bryant uses it.
The honest caveat: Jordan came into the NBA in 1984, and no dated measurement of his wingspan has ever surfaced. Today’s prospects are measured at the NBA Draft Combine and the results are published; Jordan never went through that. A few sources give 6’11.5″ and call it official without saying where it came from. Until a record turns up, 6’11” is the best available figure.
Jordan’s wingspan vs height: the +5 inch edge
The gap between wingspan and height, sometimes called the ape index, is what matters on the court. For most adults the two numbers are within a couple of inches of each other. Jordan’s arms reached five inches past his height, so on defense and around the rim he played like a much bigger guard.
That gap is long but not extreme by NBA standards. Measured at the combine, Kawhi Leonard’s wingspan is nine inches longer than his barefoot height, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s is seven. Klay Thompson, about the same height as Jordan, measured a wingspan of 6’9″, two inches shorter than Jordan’s.
Michael Jordan's wingspan vs other NBA stars
Height (open dot) and wingspan (filled dot), in inches; the label is wingspan minus height
HeightWingspan
Show the data behind this chart
Player
Height
Wingspan
Difference
Status
Michael Jordan
6'6"
6'11"
+5 in
claimed
Kobe Bryant
6'6"
6'11"
+5 in
claimed
LeBron James
6'9"
7'0"
+3 in
claimed
Klay Thompson
6'5.75"
6'9"
+3.25 in
combine
James Harden
6'4"
6'10.75"
+6.75 in
combine
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
6'4.5"
6'11.5"
+7 in
combine
Kawhi Leonard
6'6"
7'3"
+9 in
combine
Kevin Durant
6'10.25"
7'4.75"
+6.5 in
combine, height in shoes
Michael Jordan’s wingspan compared with other stars
| Player | Height | Wingspan | Difference | Measured? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Jordan | 6’6″ | 6’11” | +5″ | No (claimed) |
| Kobe Bryant | 6’6″ | 6’11” | +5″ | No (claimed) |
| LeBron James | 6’9″ | 7’0″ | +3″ | No (claimed) |
| Klay Thompson | 6’5.75″ barefoot | 6’9″ | +3.25″ | Yes, 2011 combine |
| James Harden | 6’4″ barefoot | 6’10.75″ | +6.75″ | Yes, 2009 combine |
| Kawhi Leonard | 6’6″ barefoot | 7’3″ | +9″ | Yes, 2011 combine |
| Kevin Durant | 6’10.25″ in shoes | 7’4.75″ | +6.5″ | Yes, 2007 combine |
Jordan vs Kobe is a tie on paper: same listed height, same claimed wingspan. Jordan vs LeBron: LeBron’s arms are about an inch longer in absolute terms, but Jordan’s are longer for his size.
How Jordan’s wingspan helped his game
- Defense. Jordan was the 1988 Defensive Player of the Year, led the league in steals three times and made nine All-Defensive First Teams. Long arms in passing lanes are a big part of steals.
- Finishing. Extra reach let him switch hands in the air and finish around taller defenders, the moves that defined his highlight reels.
- Shooting over people. His fadeaway jumper, the shot of his later career, was hard to contest because the release point sat high and far from the defender.
Michael Jordan’s vertical leap: was it really 48 inches?
Jordan’s vertical is usually quoted at 48 inches, but it was never measured. Jordan said so himself: “I’ve never had my vertical leap measured,” he told Sports Illustrated in 1986. On Larry King Live in 1993 he said, “I’ve never been measured. It wasn’t that much of an importance to me.” Other stories put it at 46 inches at North Carolina; none come with a record.
For scale, the highest max vertical ever recorded at the NBA Draft Combine is 48 inches, by Keon Johnson in 2021, and only about 7% of combine participants have reached 40 inches. A 48-inch Jordan would tie the official record. Dwight Howard argued in 2025 that the number must be exaggerated: “If Jordan had a 48-inch vert, he should be sitting on the rim.”
Jordan's 48-inch vertical vs the official combine record
Max vertical leap in inches. Jordan's number is a claim; the combine numbers were measured
Show the data behind this chart
Player
Max vertical
Status
Michael Jordan
48"
claimed, never measured
Keon Johnson (2021)
48"
combine record
Kenny Gregory (2001)
45.5"
combine
Shane Larkin (2013)
44"
combine
Donovan Mitchell (2017)
40.5"
combine
Russell Westbrook (2008)
36.5"
combine
Stephen Curry (2009)
35.5"
combine
Kawhi Leonard (2011)
32"
combine
What is on record is the dunking. Jordan won the Slam Dunk Contest in 1987 and 1988, and his final dunk of 1988, taken off from near the free-throw line, scored a perfect 50 to beat Dominique Wilkins.
Michael Jordan’s height, reach and hands
Jordan was listed at 6’6″ (198 cm) for his whole career. His standing reach, the height he could touch flat-footed, is sometimes put at 8’10”, but that figure has no source either. His hands were famously large; Kobe Bryant once said Jordan was “blessed with massive hands.” No reliable hand measurement has been published.
Want the numbers for other players? See Kobe Bryant’s wingspan and vertical, Ja Morant’s wingspan and vertical, how tall you have to be to dunk and the tallest NBA players in 2026-27.
Frequently asked questions
What is Michael Jordan’s wingspan?
Michael Jordan’s wingspan is usually given as 6 feet 11 inches (83 inches, about 211 cm), five inches longer than his 6’6″ height. A few sources give 6’11.5″. No official measurement has been published.
What is MJ’s wingspan in inches?
83 inches, using the commonly cited 6’11”. That is 5 inches more than his height of 78 inches.
Was Michael Jordan’s wingspan ever officially measured?
No published measurement exists. Jordan entered the NBA in 1984, and the 6’11” figure that appears everywhere is never tied to a dated measurement. Treat it as a well-established estimate rather than a record.
Who had a longer wingspan, Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant?
Neither, on the usual numbers: both are listed at 6’6″ with a 6’11” wingspan. Neither was measured at an NBA combine.
Is Michael Jordan’s wingspan longer than LeBron James’s?
No. LeBron’s wingspan is usually given as about 7’0″, one inch longer than Jordan’s 6’11”, but LeBron is also three inches taller (6’9″), so Jordan’s arms are longer relative to his height.
Did Michael Jordan really have a 48-inch vertical?
Nobody knows. Jordan told Sports Illustrated in 1986 that he had never had his vertical leap measured, and said the same on Larry King Live in 1993. The 48-inch figure is a claim that matches the NBA Draft Combine record (Keon Johnson, 48 inches in 2021).
How tall was Michael Jordan?
Jordan was listed at 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm) throughout his NBA career.
Sources
- Basketball-Reference: Michael Jordan
- Interbasket: the longest wingspans in NBA history
- The SportsRush: Kobe Bryant's wingspan compared to Michael Jordan (Mar 2023)
- Basketball Network: Jordan admitted his vertical was never measured (Mar 2025)
- Yahoo Sports: Dwight Howard on Jordan's 48-inch vertical (2025)
- NBA.com: highest max vertical leaps in NBA Draft Combine history (2026)
- Sports Illustrated: every Slam Dunk Contest winner
- NBADraft.net: 2011 combine measurements (Leonard, Thompson)
- NBADraft.net: 2009 combine measurements (Harden)
- Tankathon: Kevin Durant combine measurements
Last checked 19 October 2026.
