The NBA’s tall tales appear to be over.
The league told teams this week that it will crackdown on players who fudge their height, according to The New York Times.
The new rule will force teams to certify each player’s height and weight with the team physician before the second week of training camp. Players will also have to submit a driver’s license or passport to verify their age.
The change is in part a reaction to Buddy Hield’s revelation that he was a year older than his listing on the Kings’ media guide and website said he was. It remains unclear how the error occurred, but Hield blamed the team.
“That’s their fault, not my fault,” Hield said in December. “The first time I saw it on Wikipedia, my mom said, ‘Why do they have your age wrong?’ I said, ‘I have no idea.’”
The rule appears to be part of the NBA’s push to be more transparent. Starting next season it will also require teams to post starting lineups 30 minutes before tip-off.
“A consistent process has been created to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the data on team rosters,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass told the Times.
Some NBA players are known to be elusive about their heights, including Kemba Walker and Kevin Durant.
The most common reason is to avoid being pigeonholed to play a certain position. Durant admitted in 2016 that he shaves a few inches off his official height — apparently to avoid being labeled a power forward.
“For me, when I’m talking to women, I’m 7 feet,” Durant told The Wall Street Journal. “In basketball circles, I’m 6-9.”