Indiana Pacers Give Size 17 Shoes to 7′ Homeless Guy 5

A 7′ unnamed homeless guy in Lawrence Indiana is known to be a most peaceful fellow. When police noticed his shoes were in tatters, they figured they’d help him out. The challenge, as you might imagine, is that this is a rather tall order—he wears a size 17. Perhaps it was the ongoing playoffs that inspired the officers to call on the Indiana Pacers to hook the homeless fellow up.

It is interesting to note that 17% of all 7′ and taller men in the US are thought to be in or have been in the NBA¹. Is that not a staggering figure? It means that this guy would have had a nearly 1 in 6 shot of being wealthy. Instead, he’s on the street.

As if it wouldn’t be hard enough being homeless as an average person. But think about what it would be like at 7′. Beyond suitable clothing and shoes, getting enough food would be that much more of an issue. And the health issues really start to mount when you’re that much more of an outlier.

All this reminds me of a story from my own youth. I was down in Cuba with my club volleyball team taking on some of the local clubs in their curious semi-outdoor gym. One of their taller players said he couldn’t find big enough footwear that he could afford, so I gave him mine in exchange for a little carving he made. He wasn’t homeless, but it nevertheless made him really happy, and I remember it to this day. If you’ve done something similar, please tell in the comments below.

A tall Cuban volleyball player I gave shoes to

Coincidentally, the Indiana Pacers are in the midst of a playoff battle against the team I cheer for, the Toronto Raptors. And I do have to say, it looked like the Pacers might have taken those shoes from the Raptors the way that last game went. The Indiana Pacers take on the Toronto Raptors tomorrow night in game 7 of the Eastern conference semi-finals in Toronto.

1. TORRE PSS. LARGER THAN REAL LIFE. Sport Illus. 2011;(1).