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  4. title => "Eagles rookie Jordan Mailata wears real-life clown shoes "
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  6. article_body => "<p>Jordan Mailata\u2019s feet are so big, he could probably fill out clown shoes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Lucky for him the NFL is built for large men.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Eagles\u2019 seventh-round pick and former professional rugby player is 6-foot-8, 346 pounds and has 35 1\/2-inch arms. He\u2019s basically a real-life giant.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But before getting fitted for his new Nike cleats the other day, Mailata had been wearing the wrong size shoes. Or perhaps there was some sort of confusion with the conversion from Australia.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSee, I didn\u2019t know I was an 18 until I came here,\u201d Mailata said. \u201cI thought I was a 16. I\u2019ve been wearing 16s. The whole time I was wearing the wrong size, but maybe the measurement thing was off.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Just a video of Jordan Mailata trying on his size EIGHTEEN cleats. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/FlyEaglesFly?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#FlyEaglesFly<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7ltxM9j9cr\">pic.twitter.com\/7ltxM9j9cr<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Eagles\/status\/994685382628429824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 10, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n<p>Yes, Mailata wears size 18 shoes and he\u2019s not alone. Fellow offense lineman Matt Pryor, who was selected in the round before Mailata, also wears a size 18. (But he knew before joining the Eagles).&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel like I\u2019m wearing moon boots,\u201d Mailata said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>To put the size 18 shoes into perspective, here\u2019s a look at some other big-shoe wearers in recent sports history:&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Shaquille O\u2019Neal (7-1): 22<br>Yao Ming (7-5): 18&nbsp;<br>LeBron James (6-8): 15<br>Kevin Durant (6-11): 18<\/p>\n<p>So Mailata and Pryor wear the same size 18 shoes as 7-foot-5 Yao Ming, who once made NFL superstar J.J. Watt look like a small child.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Great lunch with <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/YaoMing?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@YaoMing<\/a> today. Have a feeling he could knock down a pass or two... <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/1j48zpTk\">pic.twitter.com\/1j48zpTk<\/a><\/p>&mdash; JJ Watt (@JJWatt) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JJWatt\/status\/301466574701862912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 12, 2013<\/a><\/blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n \n<p>Friday marked the first time Mailata was actually on the field for an Eagles practice \u2014 or training session, as he called it \u2014 and it\u2019s near impossible to not be shocked by his mammoth size. The shoes are nearly 14 inches, his hands are tennis rackets and his arms are tree trunks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Has he always been this big?&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s funny you asked me that,\u201d the 21-year-old Australian said. \u201cSomebody reckoned that I walked out of my mom, which is quite bad to say. I was a normal kid up until I was about 5. When I turned 5, I was the tallest kid in the class but not by that much. It wasn\u2019t until I hit 13 when I started growing and by 14 I looked like a man, I was told.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He certainly looked like a grown man&nbsp;Friday. It\u2019s funny, though, because his size has almost made everyone forget just how big Pryor is. Pryor, the tackle out of TCU, is listed at 6-7, 332 and was the tallest Eagles player for exactly 27 minutes before they moved up in the seventh round to add Mailata.&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Pryor, though, has lived in the states his whole life, so he knows the benefit of good old-fashioned American overindulgence. For Mailata, it\u2019s a revelation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been hard to find clothes, but not when you come here in the states,\u201d he said. \u201cYou guys have every size.\u201d<\/p>\n"
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Eagles

Eagles

Jordan Mailata’s feet are so big, he could probably fill out clown shoes. 

Lucky for him the NFL is built for large men. 

The Eagles’ seventh-round pick and former professional rugby player is 6-foot-8, 346 pounds and has 35 1/2-inch arms. He’s basically a real-life giant. 

But before getting fitted for his new Nike cleats the other day, Mailata had been wearing the wrong size shoes. Or perhaps there was some sort of confusion with the conversion from Australia. 

“See, I didn’t know I was an 18 until I came here,” Mailata said. “I thought I was a 16. I’ve been wearing 16s. The whole time I was wearing the wrong size, but maybe the measurement thing was off.” 

Yes, Mailata wears size 18 shoes and he’s not alone. Fellow offense lineman Matt Pryor, who was selected in the round before Mailata, also wears a size 18. (But he knew before joining the Eagles). 

“I feel like I’m wearing moon boots,” Mailata said. 

To put the size 18 shoes into perspective, here’s a look at some other big-shoe wearers in recent sports history: 

Shaquille O’Neal (7-1): 22
Yao Ming (7-5): 18 
LeBron James (6-8): 15
Kevin Durant (6-11): 18

So Mailata and Pryor wear the same size 18 shoes as 7-foot-5 Yao Ming, who once made NFL superstar J.J. Watt look like a small child. 

Friday marked the first time Mailata was actually on the field for an Eagles practice — or training session, as he called it — and it’s near impossible to not be shocked by his mammoth size. The shoes are nearly 14 inches, his hands are tennis rackets and his arms are tree trunks. 

Has he always been this big? 

“It’s funny you asked me that,” the 21-year-old Australian said. “Somebody reckoned that I walked out of my mom, which is quite bad to say. I was a normal kid up until I was about 5. When I turned 5, I was the tallest kid in the class but not by that much. It wasn’t until I hit 13 when I started growing and by 14 I looked like a man, I was told.”

He certainly looked like a grown man Friday. It’s funny, though, because his size has almost made everyone forget just how big Pryor is. Pryor, the tackle out of TCU, is listed at 6-7, 332 and was the tallest Eagles player for exactly 27 minutes before they moved up in the seventh round to add Mailata.   

Pryor, though, has lived in the states his whole life, so he knows the benefit of good old-fashioned American overindulgence. For Mailata, it’s a revelation. 

“It’s been hard to find clothes, but not when you come here in the states,” he said. “You guys have every size.”