Isaac
Years ago
Measuring up in the Philippines
In Australia, NBL teams are well aware of the Pacific Shrink - imports arriving a little shorter than their agents claim them to be.
The Philippines league, however, has a maximum height allowance for each team's single import, leading to some strange scenarios - imports changing size, trying to measure as shorter than they actually are and so on.
Slate has a brief, amusing article about the situation, including the current solution of measuring players lying down. It also mentions Rosell Ellis who measured 6'2.5" one year, and 6'5" another, depending on the height limit of the league at the time.
It's a quick read, so head on over:
The Incredible Shrinking Basketball Players
How to make it as a hoops star in the Philippines. Step one: Get shorter.
By Rafe Bartholomew
