Jordan Mailata has webbed toes.Source: FOX SPORTSBut, like roughly one in every 2500 people – including this author, and celebrities like Conan O’Brien, Ashton Kutcher and Dan Aykroyd – some of Mailata’s lower digits are fused together with extra skin and tissue.
Based on an examination of several publicly available photos by Fox Sports Australia, at least the two most outer toes on Mailata’s left foot are conjoined, while the right foot’s status is unclear. (The more common pairing is the two toes immediately next to the big toe.)
His feet are also size 18 – the same as former NBA giant Yao Ming, and three sizes greater than LeBron James.
But, as Mailata explained a few years ago, many guess that his syndactyly (as it’s known medically) must help him in other ways.
“I’ve got webbed toes and everyone thinks that I swim faster,” Mailata said in 2019.
“I can stay afloat.
“I want to swim like (Michael) Phelps though.
“Maybe I should tweet at Phelps, though, like, ‘Hey, you got any tips for a guy who has webbed feet?’
“I need to live up to that expectation of being a good swimmer.”
Given Mailata and punter teammate Arryn Siposs are trying to become the first Aussies to play in and win a Super Bowl – Jesse Williams was injured and didn’t play in Seattle’s 2014 win – we reckon he can stick to gridiron at this point.
And for those wondering, yes, you can get webbed toes separated. But there is no reason to, other than the cosmetic.
