Cooper Flagg is lying about his height it seems, and his media day photos prove it

Cooper Flagg told the media he grew to 6’10 barefoot over the offseason when the Dallas Mavericks opened training camp on Friday. Flagg’s comment was aggregated across the internet, with “one more inch” and “taller” graphics populating various social media platforms.

“I’m 6’10 with no shoes,” Flagg said. “I was like 6’9 last year. Definitely taller.”

This would be quite the growth spurt. Flagg measured at 6’ 7.75” without shoes during the NBA Draft Combine held in May 2025. Even that measurement represented a growth spurt for Flagg after checking in at 6’7 barefoot at the USA Basketball Hoop Summit measurements a year earlier, according to information provided by NBA draft measurement guru Michael Visenberg.

Flagg is saying he has grown 2.25 inches over the last 16 months. I’m highly skeptical he’s telling the truth based on other videos and pictures from Mavs media day. Before we get to the photo evidence, here’s Flagg’s quote on his growth spurt:

Flagg is 19 years old, and he’ll turn 20 on Dec. 21. It’s possible for men Flagg’s age to experience a late onset growth spurt. If he said he grew an inch over the last year, I wouldn’t be writing this article. But to say he grew more than two inches … it seems like a stretch to me based on the available evidence.

Here’s Flagg standing next to rookie forward Morez Johnson and fellow teammate Dereck Lively II on Friday. Johnson just measured at 6’9 without shoes in May at the NBA Draft Combine. It seems like he’s about an inch taller than Flagg in this photo, doesn’t it?

Here’s a video from media day of the Mavs’ three former No. 1 overall draft picks: Flagg, Kyrie Irving, and Zaccharie Risacher.

Risacher measured at 6’ 8.5” without shoes in May of 2024 during the draft combine. If Flagg is telling the truth and he’s really 6’10 barefoot, he should be noticeably taller than Risacher. Risacher still looks taller to my eyes in this video. Am I crazy?

Okay, last one. Here’s Flagg standing close to teammate P.J. Washington. I think Flagg looks slightly taller than Washington, so I went to look up his draft combine measurements. And guess what? Washington measured at 6’6.5” during the 2020 NBA Draft Combine.

Shouldn’t Flagg be towering over him if he’s really 6’10 without shoes?

Every inch counts in basketball. A 2.25-inch growth spurt for a player who was already considered a generational prospect and No. 1 overall draft pick would be a huge deal for the future of the game. I guess it’s possible Flagg is telling the truth and the angles of these photos and videos are obscuring his true height. I’m not buying it, though.

Flagg still looks like he’s 6’8 barefoot, and probably 6’9.5 in shoes to me. Now someone please hold a tape measure to Kevin Durant and Victor Wembanyama, because those are the real height checks I want to see.