Welcome to BballAddiction.com. Here we discuss the vertical leaps of current and past NBA players. We answer popular questions such as… Who has the highest vertical in the NBA? We get this one all the time. Also we give you tips and workouts to help you improve your own vertical jump and take your game to the next level. We hope you enjoy our site and come back often as we will update it regularly as new elite NBA high jumpers join the league each year.
So let’s get right into it and answer one of our most popular questions that we receive…
Who Has The Highest Vertical In The NBA?
We will make this a two part question. First we will answer it regarding the present and then we will let you know the player with the highest vertical jump in NBA history.
The Present…
The player that has the biggest hops right now is Zach Lavine. A recent vertical jump test held at Peak Performance Project (P3), revealed that Zach Lavine’s vertical is an impressive 46 inches. Keep in mind there are two types of vertical leap tests, standing and running. The vertical leaps that we will be talking about here on our site are standing vertical leaps.
Zach Lavine is probably most well known for his performances in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Zach took the crown two years in a row winning in both 2015 and 2016. The 2016 Slam Dunk Contest was in my opinion the best in history. It was so close between Zach Lavine and Aaron Gordon that either of them could have easily taken the trophy home. In 2017, Zach was invited to participate and defend his title for the third consecutive time. Unfortunately, he decided not to participate and turned down the opportunity. We have a separate page dedicated specifically to Zach Lavine and his vertical workout routine. For more information about him visit his page here: Zach Lavine Vertical Workout
The Past…
So we know Zach Lavine is currently dominating the NBA with his 46 inch vertical but where does he stand with the all time greats? Who has the highest vertical leap in NBA history? Well, that award actually goes to two different people. The greatest of all time, Michael Jordan and a 1980’s star known as Dr. Dunkenstien, Darrell Griffith. Both of these NBA stars had an amazing 48 inch vertical leap. A jumping ability like that gave them a big advantage over their competition. Keep in mind the average NBA vertical jump is only 28 inches. Michael and Darrell had a 20 inch jumping advantage over most of their competition. That really puts it into perspective.
Michael Jordan and Darrell Griffith share the crown for the highest vertical in NBA history at 48 inches!
We all know who Michael Jordan is but you may not be familiar with Darrell Griffith. Darrell grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and attended the University of Louisville where he was able to bring the school their first national championship in 1980. After winning the championship he was the second overall pick in the 1980 draft and was selected by the Utah Jazz. Utah chose Darrell to help fulfill a void in their lineup after losing their top shooting guard Pete Maravich. Darrell Griffith was an immediate success in the league and averaged 20 points a game during his rookie year. He was chosen to receive the Rookie of the Year award and had a great career in the NBA that lasted ten years all of which were spent with the Utah Jazz. Michael and Darrell were incredible athletes and their vertical jump helped them to rise above their competition.
Next we have included a quick summary of the best verticals in NBA history. This is a request that we got all the time so we finally made a list for our readers. We were very hesitant to make this list because we are certain that we left some players off. (Unintentionally of course) This list is by no means exhaustive but we did the best we could at compiling it. You may be surprised at some of the names on here. Just because they were gifted athletes and could jump a mile doesn’t mean that they all had great careers in the NBA. In fact, you may not have even heard of some of them but here is the list…
The Best Verticals In NBA History
1. Michael Jordan 48″
2. Darrell Griffith 48″
3. Wilt Chamberlain 47″
4. Spud Webb 46.5″
5. James White 46″
6. Jason Richardson 46″
7. Zach Lavine 46″
8. Shannon Brown 45″
9. David Thompson 44.5″
10. Muggsy Bogues 44″
11. Andrew Wiggins 44″
12. Lebron James 44″
13. Dee Brown 44″
14. Harold Miner 44″
15. Deshawn Stevenson 44″
16. Nate Robinson 43.5″
17. Vince Carter 43″
18. Clyde Drexler 43″
19. Steve Francis 43″
20. Jamario Moon 43″
21. Tracy McGrady 43″
22. Speedy Claxton 42.5″
23. Fred Jones 42″
24. Dominique Wilkins 42″
25. Shawn Kemp 41″
Our Recommended Vertical Jump Training
I remember growing up and watching Michael Jordan jump from the free throw line, hang in the air for what seemed like an eternity and dunk. It was incredible to me and a bit inspirational as well. I had a deep desire to be able to dunk like that. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the training routines and workouts available to me at that time so I never accomplished my goal. The best I ever got was a 31 inch vertical and I was able to hang on the rim. Not bad considering I was only 5’8. However, this does not have to be the case for you. At NBAVerticals.com we have researched countless vertical jump routines and programs and have come to the best. When selecting a vertical routine it is more than just a set of exercises and workouts. In order to be considered the best, the program needs to incorporate every facet of training. Such as exercises, workouts, jumping technique and proper nutrition.
All of these aspects are covered in The Jump Manual. This program was created by Jacob Hiller who personally trained his vertical leap and was able to achieve a 40 inch vertical from his workouts. This training has been proven over and over again by not only NBA elite athletes but common everyday people as well. The Jump Manual has helped countless numbers of people increase their vertical and dunk. There are hundreds of testimonials available on their website.
A Few Testimonials From The Jump Manual…
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The Jump Manual is the most thorough program of it’s kind and we are happy to recommend it to all of our readers. Another great aspect that we love about the program is that you can try it out with no risk to you. In fact, Jacob Hillar gives you 60 days to try it out and offers a full refund if you do not see the results you are looking for. For more information on The Jump Manual head over to www.40inchvertical.net and see what you think about the program.
