For years, NBA players have been notoriously picky about how certain details of their physiques have been listed. Specifically, they all have preferences when it comes to their height. Players like Kevin Durant and Kevin Garnett have preferred to be listed below 7'0'', while shorter players like Allen Iverson have earned dubious 6'0'' height listings that don't hold up to much scrutiny. Teams and players have controlled such listings throughout NBA history, so they have been free to handle them as they've seen fit. 

That's about to change. According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, the NBA has told teams that they must submit exact player heights and ages within the first week of training camp. Heights will be measured with shoes off according to Stein, but weight will not be listed due to how often it fluctuates. 

The motivations behind the mandate were likely layered. Stein reported that the Buddy Hield incident was a major factor behind the decision. Hield, a fourth-year guard with the Sacramento Kings, had been incorrectly listed as having been born in 1993 for his entire career. He was, in fact, born in 1992. Being a year older than the public realized could have impacted his draft position, and had the discrepancy not been discovered in time, his next contract. 

There has also been a league-wide push towards transparency this offseason. The Action Network's Matt Moore reported that the league ruled earlier in the offseason that teams must reveal starting lineups 30 minutes before tip-off as opposed to 10 minutes, which had been the rule in the past. That decision was, according to Moore, based on gambling. Having that information earlier would lead to more informed bettors. While exact heights and ages don't mean quite as much in regards to betting, the idea of making more information likely this publicly available falls in line with the league's other moves this offseason. 

Information is currency in professional basketball. Even if most of this information is widely available, the league doesn't want to take any chances.