Okay, let’s talk about “who has the highest vertical in NBA history”. I mean, we all love those high-flying dunks and blocks, right? So, naturally, I got curious about who actually jumps the highest in the NBA.
First, I did some digging on the web. Gotta start somewhere, right? I wanted to see what the general consensus was. A lot of names popped up, as you can imagine. One name that kept coming up was Dennis Smith Jr. Apparently, during his rookie year, he recorded a 48-inch vertical. That’s insane! And there are a lot of people say his 48-inch vertical is correct.
But, then I found some other sources claiming even higher jumps. There’s this guy, Darius Clark, who apparently hit a 50-inch leap, and that’s recognized by Guinness World Records as the highest ever recorded. I mean, that’s half a foot higher!
After that, I started looking into the history of vertical jumps in the NBA. Back in the 60s and 70s, dudes like Julius Erving and Elvin Hayes were really pushing the limits. These guys were the pioneers of above-the-rim action.
But then I hit the motherlode – Michael Jordan. It is said that his highest vertical leap was 48 inches too. It is really hard to believe that a guy who is 6 foot 6 can do that. But, yeah, that’s what I found.
Another new guy comes to my sight. His name is Reed Sheppard. He measured a 42 inch max vertical leap. I mean, 42 inches is still pretty damn impressive, and this guy is the best at the NBA draft combine so far.
So, I made a list to see it more clearly, just like this:
- Dennis Smith Jr. – 48 inches
- Darius Clark – 50 inches (Guinness World Record)
- Michael Jordan – 48 inches
- Reed Sheppard – 42 inches (Best at the NBA draft combine)
Based on what I found, it seems like Dennis Smith Jr. shares the top spot with Michael Jordan at 48 inches for the NBA record. But then there’s Darius Clark with his 50-inch jump outside the NBA. It’s all a bit murky, but one thing’s for sure – these guys can seriously fly!
