He looked like he was walking on air. That sounds like a cliché, but if you watch the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest in Chicago, there is a specific moment where Michael Jordan takes off from the free-throw line and just... stays there. He doesn't go up and down like a normal human. He glides.
For decades, fans have obsessed over one specific number: what was Michael Jordan’s vertical?
If you check the record books or the back of old trading cards, you'll see a staggering 48 inches. To put that in perspective, the average NBA player usually clocks in around 28 to 30 inches. Jordan wasn't just better; he was on a completely different physical plane.
But here’s the thing—did anyone actually put a measuring tape to His Airness during his prime?
The answer is a lot messier than a single number on a stat sheet.
The Myth vs. The Measurement
Most of the "48-inch" talk comes from a legendary status that grew alongside the Jordan Brand. However, we do have some real, scientific data from his time at the University of North Carolina.
In 1983, a team of researchers at UNC conducted a study on the athletic prowess of their star guard. Using a VanGuard Motion Analyzer, they tracked his movement frame by frame. The results were mind-blowing. They recorded his running vertical leap at 45.76 inches.
Honestly, 45.7 inches is basically 46. It’s close enough that when he hit the NBA and presumably got stronger, 48 inches became the "accepted" truth.
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Wait, it gets crazier.
The same study found his standing vertical—jumping from a dead stop with no lead-up steps—was 35.93 inches. Most NBA players today would kill for a 36-inch running vert, let alone a standing one.
Jordan's UNC Testing Numbers
- Standing Reach: 93.67 inches
- Standing Vertical: 35.93 inches
- Max Running Vertical: 45.76 inches
- One-Hand Dunk Vertical: 41.70 inches
You’ve probably noticed that his "dunking" vertical is lower than his "max" vertical. That makes sense. It’s a lot harder to explode upward when you’re palming a leather ball and worrying about the rim.
Why Michael Jordan’s Vertical Still Matters
People like to say that athletes today are bigger, faster, and stronger. And sure, modern sports science is a miracle. But when you look at the current NBA Draft Combine records, Jordan’s numbers still tower over almost everyone.
Keon Johnson holds the official modern combine record with a 48-inch max vertical, set in 2021. Before him, it was DJ Stephens at 46 inches.
Jordan was hitting these numbers in 1984.
He didn't have the advanced "load management" or the specialized biomechanical sneakers we have now. He was just a freak of nature. He once famously joked during a 1993 interview with Larry King that he never actually had his vertical measured in the NBA because it "wasn't that much of importance" to him.
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He didn't care about the number. He just cared about being higher than the guy trying to block him.
The Physics of Hang Time
There is a concept in physics called "hang time," which is basically how long an object stays in the air. For most humans, this is about 0.5 seconds. For elite athletes, it hits 0.7 seconds.
Michael Jordan’s hang time was calculated at 0.92 seconds.
Almost a full second of flight.
That’s why it felt like he was floating. When he reached the apex of his jump, he had this uncanny ability to adjust his body, pump the ball, or wait for a defender to start falling back to earth before he released his shot.
How He Did It: The Training Secrets
It wasn't all just "good genes," though having a 6'6" frame and massive hands certainly helped. Jordan was a pioneer in what we now call functional strength.
His trainer, Tim Grover, has spoken at length about how they focused on the "stabilizer" muscles. They didn't just do heavy squats; they did explosive plyometrics. Think box jumps, depth jumps, and lateral bounds.
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They worked on his calves like they were shocks on a Ferrari.
If you want to improve your own leap, don't just lift heavy. You have to teach your nervous system to fire as fast as possible. Jordan’s secret was that he could translate horizontal speed (running) into vertical power (jumping) better than anyone in history.
What Most People Get Wrong
A common misconception is that Jordan’s vertical stayed at 48 inches his whole career.
It didn't.
By the time he returned from baseball for the second three-peat, his game had changed. He wasn't the "Air Jordan" that would fly over seven-footers every night. He became the master of the fadeaway.
He traded raw verticality for precision and footwork.
But even a "diminished" Jordan probably still had a 38-inch vertical, which is still elite by any standard.
Summary of the "Air" Era
If someone asks you what was Michael Jordan's vertical, the honest answer is: it depends on when you asked. At UNC, it was verified at nearly 46 inches. In his athletic peak with the Bulls, it was widely accepted as 48 inches.
Whether it was 46 or 48 doesn't really change the reality. He jumped high enough to change the way the world looked at basketball.
Actionable Takeaways for Jump Training
- Prioritize Plyometrics: Don't just lift weights. Use depth jumps to improve your "Reactive Strength Index."
- Focus on the Core: Stability in the air comes from a rock-solid midsection.
- Technique is Everything: Jordan’s "penultimate step"—the second-to-last step before take-off—was long and powerful, which is the key to converting speed into height.
- Measurement Matters: If you want to improve, use a Vertec or a digital jump mat to get a baseline. You can't improve what you don't track.