The Commish Adam Silver (6'3") would look even shorter—just nine months later. Photo by Brad Penner—USA TODAY Sports
Well, damn. It would have been a much stronger selling point if Ben Simmons could have said he was a rounded-out seven feet tall on draft day as opposed to 6'10", but here we are, nine months later, and the 20-year-old Simmons has supposedly grown a solid two inches. What is this young man eating?Former Sixers player World B. Free and WIP-FM beat reporter Jon Johnson first mentioned that Simmons seemed taller and more in shape recently on the 76ers broadcast during last week's loss to the Cavs. Johnson later confirmed that he wasn't hallucinating:
It would be understandable if we missed something, as Simmons has been out this season for a Jones fracture. So maybe he's been rehabbing for height gain? I mean, two whole inches? That's wild.In the regular world, two inches of height is supposedly worth $1,000 more a year (yeah, seriously) for adult men. For Simmons, who is already earning top billing with the Philadelphia 76ers and the league's highest rookie contract of $26,620,450 while playing a sport where height is basically the determining factor, it means he could have raked in [punches incoherently into calculator] a lot more.At this rate, if Simmons retires at age 38 (like Kobe), he would finish his career at 11 feet tall, even. Keep it up, Ben.Can confirm Ben Simmons is just under 7'.
— Jon Johnson (@jonjohnsonwip) April 6, 2017