Shawn Bradley's day is a tall order

[MavsFanFinley]

Shawn Bradley's day is a tall order

By RICHARD DURRETT / The Dallas Morning News

Life is different at 7-6. Shawn Bradley was a higher authority even as a 10th-grader, when he was a 7-2 basketball player looking down on classmates in the hall.

Living in Bradley's world isn't just about ducking through doors or squeezing into small chairs. Common chores or events that most people rarely think about – like taking a shower or driving a car – become problems that demand solutions.

"I've had to find things or figure things out to make it work," Bradley said. "But I don't want to make my family uncomfortable just because I'm tall. So you learn to deal with things."

Bradley's wife, Annette, is 5-4, and the couple have five children – four girls and one boy, ages 2 through 10. "They're all tall," Bradley said.

Here's a look at some of Bradley's problems and solutions:

Trading meat for some clothes

Bradley doesn't shop for clothes because anything in a mall rarely fits him. It's been that way since high school.

"Luckily, I could peg my jeans, or roll them up, because that was the style back then," Bradley said. "It looked ridiculous, but that's how everyone wore them."

It was in high school that Bradley made his most important trade. Each year he would receive a year's supply of beef, and rather than take all the meat himself, he traded half to a woman who sewed clothes that could fit him – at least for the year.

Now, Bradley – who has an inseam of 42 inches and a wingspan of 90 inches – has nearly everything custom fit.

Leaving with gummy knees

Bradley's knees don't go well with tables. And it isn't just the lack of legroom that is uncomfortable.

"You'd be surprised, but even the nice, formal restaurants have problems with gum under the table," Bradley said. "Most people wouldn't notice. But I've walked out with gum on my knees a few times."

As for the legroom, Bradley scans restaurants for chairs without armrests. That gives him more room to spread his legs and get them under the table.

"At home we have a normal-size table so the family can eat together," Bradley said.

How about a higher doorknob?

When the Bradleys bought their house in the Dallas area, Shawn told the builder to put eight-foot doors upstairs.

"The standard size is 6-8, which would hit me on or below the chin," Bradley said. "I didn't want to be ducking and twisting if I was carrying my children to bed or something."

So the large doors were installed. But there remains one problem: "The doorknobs weren't raised, so I'm still having to hunch to open the door," Bradley said.

Sleep solutions

Finding a mattress that could hold Bradley without his feet hanging off was not a problem. In fact, shortly after Bradley signed with Philadelphia, a fan brought him a specially made nine-foot-long mattress.

"I really appreciated that," Bradley said. "But it took us more than a year to get sheets made for it."

When the Bradleys got to Dallas, they ordered an eight-by-seven-foot mattress. "We wanted a wider bed because I was elbowing my wife," Bradley said. "She needs her space, even at 5-4."

Monster truck's a fitting vehicle

Bradley does not believe in spending big bucks on cars. "I'd rather spend that money on my house or my kids' education," Bradley said. "So I find a car that can work for me, and that's why I've got the monster truck."

Bradley has a Ford F-250 with a four-inch lift and 35-inch tires. Bradley steps in it as most people would their cars. He used to drive a Chevy truck, but Chevrolet changed the dashboard, and his knees bang into it.

Baths on the road, showers at home

Bradley is used to ducking under the shower head to wash his hair. That's no big deal. But in some hotels, the shower ceiling is barely 6-8, making taking a bath a more comfortable way to get clean.

Bradley had the showerhead moved up in his bathroom and made sure the shower ceiling was plenty high. The shower has dual heads, including one at standard height for Annette. "It's nice to take a normal shower," Bradley said.

SHAWN BRADLEY ...

Said he had a desk custom-made and it was actually too tall. "It was nice to have something cut down to my size," he said.

Said he's learned to live with dust. "People have no idea what it looks like on the top of door frames," he said. "And I'll lean on the top of people's refrigerators sometimes and those will be dusty."

Does not sit in the back row of the movie theater. "I'd rather slouch in my seat than do that," he said. "I get in there and try to sit where there's a rail so I have legroom."

Plays golf and has custom-made clubs from Cleveland Golf Co. But Cleveland didn't want to make him a driver because it wasn't even close to the company's specifications. "I had a guy make me a long shaft and we put a Cleveland head on it," said Bradley, who added that he shoots in the mid- to high 90s.

Had a bowling ball made with the holes for his fingers spread out, helping him hold the ball.

Has an ottoman on the team plane, a roomy Boeing 757. "The plane is great because I've got room," he said. "But I sit sideways on the bus rides on the road."

Likes to camp out, but finding a tent and sleeping bag big enough is a challenge. "As long as it's not raining, I'm fine," he said.