nba

Viral photo of Zach Edey dunking puts into perspective how tall Grizzlies rookie is

2024-07-08
3 min read
Chris Day/USA Today Network

This year's NBA Draft Combine class had three players at least 7-0. The tallest of the three is none other than Zach Edey, the former Purdue center who was selected ninth overall by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Edey is on the Grizzlies' 2024 Summer League roster and wants to show out to earn regular minutes in the regular season.  

Memphis' first Summer League contest is Monday night at 9 p.m. ET against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. A photo of Edey at practice ahead of the game posted the morning of showed him dunking...with his feet on the ground.

With the conclusion of college basketball season, NBA fans might not be familiar with the rookie's true height — until now. 

MORE: When does Zach Edey play in Summer League?

Zach Edey dunking photo

The Grizzlies' Twitter/X account posted a photo dump from what appears to be the team's walk-through practice earlier today. The very first picture in the collection happens to be one of Edey dunking while barely jumping, if at all. You can even see 6-foot-1 Scotty Pippen Jr. in the background, and he's dwarfed compared to Edey.  

If the team posted this as an intimidation technique to dissuade its Summer League opponents, well done. Edey's height simply makes him formidable underneath the basket, and his talent will be on full blast Monday night for the first time in an NBA uniform. 

How tall is Zach Edey?

Edey measured up to 7-feet-3.75 in this year's NBA Draft Combine, two inches taller than UConn's Donovan Clingan who also participated. Both players had 9-foot-7 standing reaches, the biggest standing reaches of the event.

 MORE: Why isn't Zach Edey playing for Canada?

Last season, Boban Marjanovic and Victor Wembanyama were the tallest players in the league at 7-foot-4. Kristaps Porzingis came in third at 7-foot-3. Edey would slot in likely between Porzingis and the two front runners, assuming Marjanovic remains in the NBA.