He’s a blur. Seriously. If you’ve ever watched a Memphis Grizzlies game, you know the feeling of trying to track Ja Morant as he teleports from the perimeter to the rim. It’s chaotic. It’s violent. Most of all, it’s confusing because the guy looks like he’s playing on a different gravity setting than everyone else on the court. People constantly ask, how tall is Ja, and the answer usually leads to a follow-up debate about whether the NBA is lying to us.
NBA heights are notoriously finicky. For decades, players added two inches to their height by measuring in their thickest Nikes. Then, a few years back, the league got strict and demanded "barefoot" measurements. This change shifted the landscape for guys like Ja.
The official word? Ja Morant is 6 feet 2 inches tall. But here’s the thing. When you see him posterizing a 7-foot center, he doesn’t look 6'2". He looks like a glitch in the Matrix.
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The Measurement Debate: 6'2" or 6'3"?
Let's get into the weeds. During the 2019 NBA Draft combine, the hype around Temetrius Jamel "Ja" Morant was deafening. Coming out of Murray State, he was the skinny kid with the massive bounce. At that time, he was often listed at 6'3". Most scouts just accepted it. Why wouldn't they? He played bigger.
However, the NBA's "integrity of information" rule change in 2019 forced teams to submit precise, doctor-verified heights without shoes. That’s when the 6'2" figure became the gold standard.
He’s small. By NBA standards, he's tiny.
Think about the average point guard in today's league. You’ve got Luka Doncic standing at 6'7". You’ve got Cade Cunningham at 6'6". Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a solid 6'6". In a land of giants, Ja is giving up nearly half a foot of height to some of his primary defenders. Yet, he leads the league in points in the paint almost every year he's healthy. How?
It’s not just about the vertical height. It’s about the "effective height."
Wingspan and the "Functional" Height of Ja Morant
If you only look at the 6'2" stat, you’re missing the point. Height is a vertical measurement from the floor to the crown of the head, but basketball is played with the arms.
Ja Morant possesses a wingspan of approximately 6 feet 7 inches.
That is a massive discrepancy. A +5 "ape index" (the difference between wingspan and height) is elite. It means that while his head might be at 6'2", his hands are reaching where a 6'7" player's hands would be. This is exactly why he can scoop layups under the arms of shot blockers or poke away steals that look out of his reach.
When he’s mid-air, that wingspan acts like a stabilizer. It gives him a wider radius to manipulate the ball. Honestly, his height is the least interesting thing about his physical profile once you see him fly.
The Vertical Leap That Defies Logic
We have to talk about the bounce. You can't answer how tall is Ja without talking about how high he gets above the floor.
While there isn't a "perfect" official combine record for his vertical (since he didn't do all the testing), it is widely reported and visually verified to be in the 44-inch range. For context, the average NBA player has a vertical jump of about 28 inches. Ja is nearly doubling that.
When you add a 44-inch vertical to a 6'2" frame with a 6'7" wingspan, his "max reach" is somewhere in the stratosphere.
He’s not just jumping; he’s hovering. We’ve seen him get his chin near the rim. That’s not normal for a person of his stature. It’s the reason he can survive the physical toll of the Western Conference. He doesn't have to shoot over people when he can simply jump over them.
Comparing Ja to Other Elite Guards
To really understand where Ja sits in the NBA hierarchy, you have to look at the other "small" guards who changed the game.
- Stephen Curry: Usually listed at 6'2" or 6'3". Steph uses gravity and shooting. Ja uses velocity and flight.
- Derrick Rose (MVP era): Rose was a powerful 6'3". He was heavier and more "bull-strong" than Ja, but the twitch athleticism is almost identical.
- Allen Iverson: The King of the "small" guards. AI was barely 6'0" on a good day. Ja has a clear height advantage over Iverson, which makes his ability to finish at the rim even more statistically dominant.
- Russell Westbrook: At 6'3" or 6'4", Russ is the closest comparison in terms of raw aggression. But Russ is built like a linebacker. Ja is built like a wide receiver.
The skinny frame—he’s listed at about 174 pounds—is actually what makes his 6'2" height look more impressive. Because he’s lean, his limbs look longer. He looks like a spider out there. If he were bulkier, he might actually look shorter.
Why Do People Think He's Taller?
Perception is a funny thing in sports. We equate "superstar" with "big."
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When Ja Morant blocks a shot against a center or dunks on someone like Jakob Poeltl, our brains struggle to reconcile that with a 6'2" person. We assume he must be 6'5".
There's also the "hair factor." Ja’s signature locs often add a visual inch or two to his silhouette when he’s running. It sounds silly, but in a fast-paced game, visual markers matter.
But really, it’s the confidence. He carries himself like he’s the biggest man on the floor. He doesn't shy away from contact; he hunts it. That psychological presence makes him "play tall."
The Health Cost of Playing "Tall"
There is a downside to being 6'2" and playing like you're 6'10". The landings.
Every time Ja climbs the ladder for a highlight-reel dunk, he has to come back down. Because he’s relatively light and not "tall" enough to dampen the impact with pure muscle mass, his joints take a beating. We’ve seen the knee scares and the ankle tweaks.
He plays a high-variance style. Being a smaller guard in the paint is dangerous. Just ask Kemba Walker or Isaiah Thomas. The league is hard on the "little" guys.
However, Ja has been working on his "landing mechanics"—trying to land on two feet or roll out of falls to preserve his career. His height might be fixed at 6'2", but his longevity depends on how he manages that height in relation to the hardwood.
What Most People Get Wrong About Ja's Size
The biggest misconception is that Ja is "weak" because he’s 6'2" and 170-ish pounds.
Watch his core strength. You don't hang in the air, adjust the ball three times, and still have the power to finish a layup if you have a weak core. He’s "country strong." Growing up in South Carolina, training on parched tractor tires in the heat—that built a specific kind of functional strength that doesn't show up in a bicep curl.
He isn't small; he's condensed energy.
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Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Players
If you’re a shorter player looking at Ja Morant for inspiration, don't just look at the dunks. Look at the footwork.
- Master the Float: Ja uses a floater because he knows he’s 6'2". It’s a tool to beat the 7-footers before he gets to their block zone.
- Wingspan Utilization: If you have long arms, use them to shield the ball. Ja is a master at using his body as a barrier.
- Speed as Height: If you move faster than the defender can react, your height doesn't matter. Verticality is great, but horizontal speed is what gets you the space to jump in the first place.
- Weight Doesn't Equal Power: Focus on plyometrics. Ja’s ability to explode comes from his tendons and fast-twitch muscles, not from being the biggest guy in the gym.
So, how tall is Ja? He’s 6'2" on paper. He's 6'7" in reach. And when the game is on the line and he’s rising for a game-winning layup, he might as well be 10 feet tall.
The official height is just a number for the program. The way he occupies space on the court tells a much more complex story. If you're betting on a guy based on his height, you'll lose your money on Morant every single time. He has proven that in the modern NBA, being "small" is only a disadvantage if you play like it. And Ja Morant never, ever plays small.
To keep tabs on his physical stats, check the official NBA player profiles, which are updated annually following training camp physicals. Keep an eye on his weight specifically; as he matures, adding "good" weight will be the key to his 6'2" frame surviving another decade of elite basketball.