How tall is Kevin Durant?

One of the biggest lies in professional sports is Kevin Durant’s height. It’s officially listed as 6’9, though throughout the years, we’ve all known he’s taller than that.

The first time Durant set the record straight on his height was in May 2016 before signing with the Warriors.

“But really, I’ve always thought it was cool to say I’m a 6’9 small forward,” Durant told the Wall Street Journal’s Chris Herring. “Really, that’s the prototypical size for a small forward. Anything taller than that, and they’ll start saying, ‘Ah, he’s a power forward.’”

He also told Herring, “For me, when I’m talking to women, I’m 7 feet. In basketball circles, I’m 6’9.”

Durant reiterated this in December, when he told KNBR, “I was recorded at 6’10 and three-quarters with no shoes, so with my shoes on I’m 7-feet.” When asked why he listed himself at 6’9, he said, “I just like messin’ with people. They just ask me so much ... yeah, I just like messin’ with people.”

This is a situation where we need visual proof — at least for those still on the fence. So let’s take a look at Mr. Durant’s height through photo evidence, and why some might still question it to this day.

This photo, posted by Sports Illustrated’s Andy Gray on Twitter makes it look like Durant and LeBron James are the same height. It’s not at a level angle, making it appear that James and standing eye for eye with Durant.

Arguably our best piece of evidence against the idea that Durant and James could be the same height is a 2012 photo from the Olympics.

While standing for the national anthem prior to their game against Argentina in London, Durant clearly stands above James. No tricky angles, just facts (and a nice bubblegum bubble).

Durant is almost 24 years old in that photo, with James at age 28. Both were done growing at that point, so it’s safe to say that their heights have not changed since. Durant is without question taller than James.

This photo, from Durant’s time with the Thunder in 2015, clearly shows him standing taller than both Nick Collison and Serge Ibaka. Both Collison and Ibaka are officially listed at 6’10.

DeMarcus Cousins, who is listed at 6’11, is just a pinch shorter than Durant here when Team USA was taking photos before the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero.

Another good indicator is this photo of Durant with DeAndre Jordan during the 2016 Olympics. Jordan is listed at 6’11, and Durant stands just about even with him.

If you do a quick Google search on Durant’s height, the handy search engine will tell you he is 6’9. I assume they have to, since that’s what he is officially listed as.

Don’t get got by Google. Durant is taller than 6’9.

It’s now common during NBA broadcasts to hear Durant referred to as a 7-footer. He may not be listed as such, but we all know the truth. It’s not a cool (or nice) 6’9 like Durant would prefer, but it’s even more impressive he can do the things that he does at his height.