In the NBA, being a giant is basically the job description. But then there's Trae Young. If you’ve ever watched a Washington Wizards game and thought he looks like a regular guy who accidentally wandered onto a court of titans, you’re not alone. The debate over how tall is Trae Young has been a thing since he was tearing it up at Oklahoma. People see him standing next to 7-footers and honestly, he looks tiny.
But size is a weirdly fluid concept in professional basketball. One year a guy is 6'2", the next year the league changes the rules, and suddenly he's 6'1". It’s enough to make your head spin. Trae has spent his whole career being the "small guy" who somehow manages to drop 40 points while being guarded by players who could literally rest their chin on his head.
The Official Number: What the NBA Books Say
So, let's get into the nitty-gritty. If you look at the official rosters for 2026, Trae Young is listed at 6 feet 1 inch tall.
Now, wait a second.
Early in his career with the Atlanta Hawks, you’d often see him listed at 6'2". What happened? Did he shrink? Not exactly. Back in 2019, the NBA got tired of players lying about their height (looking at you, Kevin Durant) and mandated that every team provide official measurements taken by team physicians without shoes.
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Before that, players basically picked a number that sounded good. When the "no-shoes" rule hit, the masks fell off. Trae’s measurement came in at exactly 6'1", which is roughly 185 centimeters.
Breaking Down the Physical Profile
- Height (No Shoes): 6'1"
- Weight: 164 lbs
- Wingspan: 6'3"
- Standing Reach: Around 7'11"
That 164-pound weight is perhaps more shocking than the height. In a league where even the guards are becoming muscular 220-pound hybrids, Trae is built like a distance runner. He's light. He's lean. But that lightness is exactly why he can change direction so fast it makes defenders' knees buckle.
Why People Think Trae is Shorter Than 6'1"
Social media loves a good height conspiracy. There’s a famous photo of Trae standing next to Floyd Mayweather, who is about 5'7" or 5'8". In the picture, they don't look all that different. This led to a mountain of Reddit threads claiming Trae is actually 5'11" or 6'0" at best.
Honestly? Perspective is everything.
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When you spend your life on a court with Joel Embiid or Victor Wembanyama, you are going to look small. Even a "normal" tall person looks like a toddler next to those guys. If you saw Trae Young at a grocery store, you’d think, "Oh, that’s a pretty tall guy." But on an NBA floor, he’s an anomaly.
His wingspan helps him out, too. At 6'3", his arms are longer than his height, which is a key reason he can still get passes off through traffic. It’s not just about how high your head is; it’s about where your hands can reach.
How Trae Young’s Height Impacts the Game
Trae once famously said that if he were 6'8", he’d be the best player to ever touch a basketball. It sounds cocky, but he has a point. His "deficiencies," as he calls them, are purely physical.
Because he isn't a vertical threat, he had to master the "floater." It’s one of the most beautiful shots in the game—a high-arching teardrop that peaks way above the reach of the shot-blockers. If he were 6'6", he’d just dunk it. Because he’s 6'1", he has to be a wizard with touch and timing.
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The Defensive Tax
Let's be real: being 6'1" and 164 pounds is a problem on defense.
Teams target him. They try to switch their biggest forwards onto him and just bully him into the paint. He’s often at the bottom of defensive rating lists, not because he isn't trying, but because physics is a cruel mistress. You can’t "out-effort" a 6'10" guy who weighs 100 pounds more than you.
Comparing Trae to Other NBA Stars
How does he stack up against the other elite point guards?
- Stephen Curry: Often compared to Trae, Steph is actually a bit bigger, standing 6'2" and weighing about 185 lbs. Those 20 extra pounds make a massive difference in finishing through contact.
- Damian Lillard: Dame is listed at 6'2", though many suspect he's closer to Trae's 6'1" in reality.
- Luka Doncic: This is the comparison that hurts. Luka is 6'7". When they were traded for each other on draft night, it set up a career-long debate about skill versus size. Luka can see over the entire defense; Trae has to find the gaps between their ribs.
Is He Still Growing?
Trae is 27 years old now. The "growth spurt" window has long since slammed shut. While some players like Giannis Antetokounmpo famously grew two inches after entering the league, Trae is what he is. He’s a small, shifty, brilliant playmaker who has to win with his brain because he isn't going to win a jump ball against anyone.
The Washington Wizards brought him in because they needed that "engine." Whether he's 6'1" or 5'11" doesn't actually change the fact that he's one of the best passers of his generation. His gravity on the court comes from his shooting range, which starts the moment he crosses half-court.
Final Word on Trae's Stature
If you're looking for the definitive answer: Trae Young is 6 feet 1 inch tall. He’s light, he’s short by NBA standards, and he’s one of the most polarizing players in the league because of it. But watching him navigate a court of giants is a reminder that basketball is still a game of skill.
If you want to track how his physical stats compare to his actual production this season, keep an eye on his assist-to-turnover ratio. Even as the NBA moves toward "positionless" basketball with 6'9" guys playing point guard, Trae proves there is still a place for the traditional, albeit small, floor general. You can check his latest nightly box scores on the official NBA stats portal to see how he's handling the size mismatches in real-time.