Isaiah Likely shoe size: Why overturned TD rekindled Kevin Durant memes after Ravens lose NFL opener by a toe

What do Kevin Durant and Isaiah Likely have in common? Both are one shoe size too big.

The NFL's 2024 season opener delivered on Thursday night. In a rematch of the 2023 AFC Championship, the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs knocked off the Ravens yet again, winning 27-20 at Arrowhead Stadium to kick off the season in style.

It didn't come without the drama. Baltimore came inches away — literally — from tying the game in the final seconds and sending it to overtime. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson found tight end Isaiah Likely at the back of the end zone, but Likely's foot landed just an inch out of bounds, ruling the play incomplete.

Fans couldn't help but draw comparisons to Durant's play during the 2021 NBA Playoffs, which also ended in heartbreak for his team thanks to his shoe size.

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Isaiah Likely shoe size

It's unknown exactly what shoe size Likely is. While measurements for hand size, wingspan and arm length are taken at the NFL Draft Combine, foot length isn't one of them.

However, whatever size he is for his footwear, if he was one size smaller, the Ravens very well could have been playing in overtime.

Jackson's throw to Likely in the back of the end zone connected, but the tight end had one foot on the line and was ruled out of bounds after a review. It was quite literally a matter of inches, as Likely's larger shoe size caused him to narrowly land outside of the field of play.

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Many connected the dots between Likely's missed touchdown and Kevin Durant's near 3-pointer at the end of regulation of Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Nets and Bucks. Instead of winning the game and sending Brooklyn to the Eastern Conference Finals, Durant's foot was inches over the 3-point line, resulting in a 2-pointer to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Milwaukee went on to win Game 7 in overtime, ending Brooklyn's season, and the memes about Durant's shoe size began.

As with any dramatic play in sports, the internet had a field day with it at the time, and it was brought back up Thursday night after Likely was one shoe size too big in the end zone.

Like the Bucks said — game of inches.