NBA players tend to be quite large compared to the normal population. That even goes for players who might seem small on TV. Guards may look miniscule when compared to other players across the league, but they’re much bigger than people might think.
All of their dimensions, including hand size, height, weight, and wingspan. However, shoe size doesn’t necessarily follow suit. There are many players, including Stephen Curry, whose sneakers aren’t much bigger than what many non-basketball players put on day to day.
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Bigger Than Expected
For those who have only seen him in games, Curry looks like an extremely small person. He weaves between much larger players, is extremely quick, and has to use his skill to overcome the size discrepancy. However, he’s much, much bigger in person than on the court.
Curry’s dimensions are 6’3, 185 pounds, with a 6’4 wingspan. Those might not be particularly impressive when you compare him to a slew of other top athletes or NBA players as a whole, but it’s a good size for someone who seems so tiny most of the time he’s in the public eye.
He’s by no means a small person. He’s just closer to being a regular human than someone like Giannis or Jokic. That’s why his shoes, along with the rest of his body, aren’t freakishly large. In fact, looking at the entire population, they aren’t much different than average.
Just Normal Kicks
Curry rocks size 13.5 sneakers. That’s not insanely big for the NBA, but it’s a decent size nonetheless. The average male at Curry’s height wears around a 12 to a 13 shoe. That puts Curry slightly above average, and definitely below a lot of others who are his height.
He’s also roughly a size under the average NBA player (14.81) and sits where one would expect a point guard to be. While some players, such as Russell Westbrook (15) and Jayson Tatum (14) have bigger feet, most playing at Curry’s position aren’t too far from where he’s at.
That might seem like a negative, but with shoes, bigger isn’t always better. Sometimes, in fact, it’s worse. There are plenty of pros to having more average feet than big or small ones.
A Great Fit
Curry’s foot size is perfect for his game. As his shoes sit right around average, his feet aren’t too big or too small in either direction. That gives him better balance. He can also move through traffic or cut between players without worrying about tripping over defenders.
He’s one of the quickest guards in the league. His inherent athleticism is a big part of that equation, but being able to move and step without worrying about stepping on other players’ feet is important as well.
If Curry had longer shoes he might get some extra jumping or planting power when trying to get big, but that’s not part of his game. He’s a light player who needs to move as fast as possible.
If his feet were smaller, he wouldn’t have a strong base from where he could cut. However, if his feet are bigger it would greatly detract from what makes him so special. In that way, while his feet aren’t the reason for his game, they certainly allow him to play the way he wants.
Final Words
Few players have ever been as good as Steph Curry. His feet are large, but they aren’t incredibly big for his frame or the NBA. They might help him cut, dribble, or weave, but they show that shoe size, while helpful, isn’t quite as important as other measurements.
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