Anthony Davis says he's 1 inch taller this season
New Orleans Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis is coming into 2016-17 with a clean bill of health and an unwanted extra inch of height. Listed at 6-foot-10 last season, Davis says he's now 6-11 - and he really doesn't like it.
"They measured us like a week and a half ago and they said I was 6-11, which I don't want to be," Davis told the "Black And Blue Report" podcast. "I think 6-10's like the perfect height for me. It just doesn't sound right; 6-10 sounds perfect to me. 6-11, 7 feet ... I don't like it. I will always tell everybody 6-10. I don't care if I'm 7-3. I'm 6-10."
Actual height versus listed height are two very different things in the NBA, and perhaps surprisingly, many players seem to prefer being logged on the shorter side. Last season, Kevin Durant lamented being listed taller, although conceding "when I'm talking to women I'm seven feet."
Davis, who was shut down last March to undergo left knee surgery, also said he's added five-to-seven pounds over last season, and is now listed at 250.
"I got to see how I feel playing at that weight," he said.
The Pelicans open the preseason Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks in Bossier City, La. Davis is expected to play sparingly during the exhibition schedule and will face no restrictions once the regular season begins.