Former Kings coach & commentator Jerry Reynolds tells Bill Russell-Ralph Sampson standing reach story

FrodoBaggins · Post #1 » by **FrodoBaggins** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 1:29 pm

The time stamp is 59:16 from this 2021 podcast. Credit to SNPA for recounting this story.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/training-camp-preview-and-30-questions-with-jerry-reynolds/id661990239?i=1000536212833

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7tWVOVrCFV2pWV1sGPuFeK

I've told this story before, but I still think it's one of the most unique stories about Russell that struck me, always has, is, he was the General Manager at the time, and I was his coach, and he had traded for Ralph Sampson. Traded Jim Petersen for Ralph Sampson.

...

We were up in the office ... Bill said, "Now, Ralph, how tall are you actually?" He said, "Well, I'm, coach Russell, I'm seven-foot-two." Bill said, "Well, I'm just a little bit short of six-foot-ten."

...

Bill said, "Ralph, I want you to get here in the office and I want you to reach as high as you can reach." And so Ralph stood up, you know, and reached his length as high as he could, and Bill stood next to him and reached right over the top of him. He put most of his hand right above Ralph's.

...

That was, talk about an eye-opener. It's like, now I get it. Now I get it. You know? You weren't just a great athlete, but you weren't really just 6'10".

mastermixer · Post #2 » by **mastermixer** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 2:11 pm

Yeah a lot of people look for wing-span or reach instead of height.

Dwight Howard was similar to Bill Russell. Just going off memory he was someting like 6’10” with a 7’4” wing span or something like that

Uncle Mxy · Post #3 » by **Uncle Mxy** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 2:19 pm

I bet Bill Russell was standing on a pile of 11 rings when he punked Ralph Sampson here.

FrodoBaggins · Post #4 » by **FrodoBaggins** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 2:53 pm

Here are all the 7'1.5" to 7'2.5" barefoot guys in the old DraftExpress database. First column is height without shoes, second is with shoes; fourth and fifth are wingspan & standing reach. Between the eight measurements, the standing reach average comes out to 113.025 inches - a 9'5" standing reach. 87.42875 inches for the wingspan - 7'3.4".

Reports have Bill with a greater standing reach than 7'2" Kareem, 7'2" Sampson, 7'3" Swede Halbrook, and even 7'1" Wilt, who had a 9'6" standing reach.

Post #5 » by **Doctor MJ** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 3:09 pm

A helpful story to share after Sampson said Wemby and he were similar. The reality is that what makes Wemby an outlier body among NBA bigs, Sampson did not have, and Sampson either knows this, or somehow never understood the significance of length.

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Post #6 » by **Doctor MJ** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 3:10 pm

FrodoBaggins wrote:Here are all the 7'1.5" to 7'2.5" barefoot guys in the old DraftExpress database. First column is height without shoes, second is with shoes; fourth and fifth are wingspan & standing reach. Between the eight measurements, the standing reach average comes out to 113.025 inches - a 9'5" standing reach. 87.42875 inches for the wingspan - 7'3.4".

Reports have Bill with a greater standing reach than 7'2" Kareem, 7'2" Sampson, 7'3" Swede Halbrook, and even 7'1" Wilt, who had a 9'6" standing reach.

Yup, and all the more reason to understand why Russell may still be the greatest defensive talent we’ve ever seen, and if he isn’t, it’s prolly because Wemby.

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Post #7 » by **Doctor MJ** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 3:11 pm

Though, shout out to Manute Bol for still being the longest player in history by some margin over Wemby or anyone else.

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SNPA · Post #8 » by **SNPA** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 3:29 pm

FrodoBaggins wrote:The time stamp is 59:16 from this 2021 podcast. Credit to SNPA for recounting this story.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/training-camp-preview-and-30-questions-with-jerry-reynolds/id661990239?i=1000536212833

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7tWVOVrCFV2pWV1sGPuFeK

I've told this story before, but I still think it's one of the most unique stories about Russell that struck me, always has, is, he was the General Manager at the time, and I was his coach, and he had traded for Ralph Sampson. Traded Jim Petersen for Ralph Sampson.

...

We were up in the office ... Bill said, "Now, Ralph, how tall are you actually?" He said, "Well, I'm, coach Russell, I'm seven-foot-two." Bill said, "Well, I'm just a little bit short of six-foot-ten."

...

Bill said, "Ralph, I want you to get here in the office and I want you to reach as high as you can reach." And so Ralph stood up, you know, and reached his length as high as he could, and Bill stood next to him and reached right over the top of him. He put most of his hand right above Ralph's.

...

That was, talk about an eye-opener. It's like, now I get it. Now I get it. You know? You weren't just a great athlete, but you weren't really just 6'10".

Nice find. I’d never have been able to remember which pod that was on. Shout out to Jerry Reynolds too, a seriously under appreciated basketball lifer. People across the league respect the hell out of that guy.

Scout/Assistant Coach/Head Coach/Player Personnel/GM of WNBA Champion/Broadcaster…legend.

Straight out of French Lick. I wish we had the story of him riding on the garbage truck with Bird. Yeah…it’s like that. Dude is legit.

AleksandarN · Post #9 » by **AleksandarN** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 3:31 pm

Boban reach and wingspan is crazy

eminence · Post #10 » by **eminence** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 7:11 pm

Doctor MJ wrote:Though, shout out to Manute Bol for still being the longest player in history by some margin over Wemby or anyone else.

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What did Manute's standing reach measure out to? Photos of him touching rim don't make it seem likely it was meaningfully higher than Falls 10'2.5. Higher than anybody else I've heard of though (among serious basketball prospects).

Gobert measured 9'9 during his second season and I believe is 2nd to Fall among semi official measurements we have.

Post #11 » by **Doctor MJ** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 7:41 pm

eminence wrote:
Doctor MJ wrote:Though, shout out to Manute Bol for still being the longest player in history by some margin over Wemby or anyone else.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What did Manute's standing reach measure out to? Photos of him touching rim don't make it seem likely it was meaningfully higher than Fall's 10'2.5. Higher than anybody else I've heard of though (among serious basketball prospects).

Gobert measured 9'9 during his second season and I believe is 2nd to Fall among semi official measurements we have.

The number I've seen for Bol is 10' 5".

For wingspan, Bol is said to have been 8' 6" where Fall's 8' 2 1/4".

Of course I didn't do any of these measures myself, and I wouldn't want to rely on the honesty of promote measures, but Bol topping these lists always seemed pretty believable to me.

Pelon chingon · Post #12 » by **Pelon chingon** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 8:45 pm

OP scared the hell out of me before I finished reading the entire subject line. Jerry is the man!

Infinite Llamas · Post #13 » by **Infinite Llamas** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 9:02 pm

AleksandarN wrote:Boban reach and wingspan is crazy

Lalouie · Post #14 » by **Lalouie** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 9:04 pm

mastermixer wrote:Yeah a lot of people look for wing-span or reach instead of height.

Dwight Howard was similar to Bill Russell. Just going off memory he was someting like 6’10” with a 7’4” wing span or something like that

yup standing reach takes into account shoulder height

Lalouie · Post #15 » by **Lalouie** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 9:28 pm

i take away two things

1....either bill was proud or very cognizant of his advantage over others,,,, or

2....he sized up ralph real quick like

or both

Chokic · Post #16 » by **Chokic** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 9:52 pm

Talen Horton Tucker is 6'2 with a 7'1 wingspan. Might have the biggest height to wingspan differential aka ape index in nba history.

Mo Bamba 6'11 with a 7'10 wingspan.

Black Jack · Post #17 » by **Black Jack** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 11:24 pm

I shook Bill Russell's hand at a banquet one time, he definitely had some absolute grizzly size hands and even as an old man looked like he could probably touch the top of the backboard square. Super nice guy to all of us that wanted to meet him too.

NZB2323 · Post #18 » by **NZB2323** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 11:33 pm

Lalouie wrote:
mastermixer wrote:Yeah a lot of people look for wing-span or reach instead of height.

Dwight Howard was similar to Bill Russell. Just going off memory he was someting like 6’10” with a 7’4” wing span or something like that

yup standing reach takes into account shoulder height

I guess also if someone has a really tall neck and head that doesn’t help them with standing reach.

Is there any way we can use these photos to estimate Russell’s standing reach?

LockoutSeason · Post #19 » by **LockoutSeason** » Mon Sep 1, 2025 2:12 am

He had the nerve to compare himself to Wemby.

Wendy has a 7’10” wingspan and 8 foot standing reach. Lol Ralph is closer to Luke Kornet.

SNPA · Post #20 » by **SNPA** » Mon Sep 1, 2025 2:16 am

NZB2323 wrote:

Zoom in and cut the photo off at the top of the 13 on Wilt’s jersey.

Then ask yourself, is the guy wearing number 6 blocking that shot?

WTF.

It’s just wild.