Had to make this thread…

LeBron is more power athleticism as opposed to VC’s finesse athleticism. LeBron is can dunk on people, push people out of his way, dunk over people. VC could do 360 windmills, put it through his legs and honey dip. Nonetheless, both are extremely athletic just depends on how you look at it.

Old school NBA guys will tell you David Thompson was Jordan before Jordan in terms of athleticism in the NBA.  He was (and I guess still is) 6’4", nicknamed "Skywalker" and reportedly invented the alley oop dunk.  Booze and drugs cut his career short, but an amazing athlete. Is he the most athletic- perhaps, but for sure he has to be in the discussion.

churchboy I like Jordan, VC, Kobe, Irving…etc a hell lot more than LBJ.  That being said, as a pure athlete, LBJ tops them all.  The guy is a physical marvel, what like 6’8" or 6’9" damn near close to 300 lbs and yet he still can fly, run probably a 4.4 ish 40, and has the quickness of a guard.  He is unbelievable as an athlete and IDK if you could compare anyone to him just because he’s doing all this while being substantially bigger and heavier than any of these other guys being named.  There are times in games when you’d see Jordan and VC getting up there and being like that is inhuman, he’s flying.  But LBJ just doesn’t look like a guy who should be playing against the rest of the guys in this league, despite the league now having much greater athletes than before let it be due to PECs/better workout regimes/evolution, what have you.  He looks like a guy straight out of a video game and yet he is still faster and gets up higher and is just as agile as most of the guards in the league.  He is beyond a man.  

Still, as far as a basketball player, Kobe and Jordan trump him IMO.

Basically, if you are talking about in air acrobatics and being run, jump athletes, than of course Julius Erving, Michael Jordan and Vince Carter are three of the best ever. But athleticism goes beyond just jumping, and while LeBron never had the ability to do in air acrobatics like Vince Carter, it is safe to say that Vince never had close to his speed or strength. That is why while some people may be known for acrobatic and athletic moves in the air, LeBron just seems to be the total package as an athlete. LeBron is not the best dunker the game has ever seen, has done very little to earn that distinction, but athleticism goes beyond the dunk contest. So, if you throw strength into the equation, than it is safe to say the NBA has never had a player at the level of LeBron James. Michael Jordan would honestly be the next closest thing with his ability to use his overall athleticism to just dominate his competition. Julius Erving was incredibly creative and a fantastic player, but I can not say he was better than Mike or LeBron, though some of the moves he made will never be equalled. Dominique was an incredibly powerful dunker, which took great strength, but I never really saw the aspect of grace that one would see in the above mentioned players. Now, OhCanada, you and I both got to see a lot of Vince Carter at a young age, and yes, Vince was incredibly athletic. He had the best dunk contest performance of all-time, and to me may indeed be the best dunker. But, I think what separates Vince from these players is his sustained use of his athletic ability. Vince’s knees seem to go out on him, and also I think Vince kind of tried to break away from being considered a top athlete rather than embrace it. To me, that is reason that Vince never lived up to his tremendous potential as an athlete. Also, having seen Vince play consistently, if you take everything into consideration when it comes to athleticism, LeBron is still ahead of him in my eyes. If you outline a definition of athleticism: physical prowess consisting variously of coordination, dexterity, vigor, stamina, etc. To me, we have never seen someone like LeBron James as an athlete, being his height, with his strength, running and jumping the way he does. These questions are of course all hypothetical and peoples opinion, and may have some bias (hmm, OhCanada throwing in Vince Carter), but I want to defend why a person might say LeBron James is the best athlete they have ever seen. I know I have never seen an athlete like him with all things considered.

i wrote that thread lol

I apologize, and realize that it was churchboy, aka "OhCanada Jr." who made this post. My bad, and realize I like your posts and do not mind your Canadian nationalism, even if it is in my nature to pick on it :). Still, hope we are all good brother, and churchboy, keep on keepin on.

lebron is more athletic then those guys. Thats not a knock on jordan, irving or carter becasue their all great athletes. BUt when lebron makes a back cut or looks to blow by someone in the open court, its just unbelieveable how fast he explodes with seemingly minimal effort. And he is doing while playing in much more athletic era.

I can’t name anyone who can do what Lebron can at his size.  I don’t recall anyone his size in NBA history that can leap and run like him.  Jordan, VC, Dominique, Jason Richardson, etc. all have had similar body types and leaping ability, but were all far smaller than Lebron. Jordan’s athletic ability was phenomenal, but I think it gets inflated because of his skill, success, and gracefulness.

the only human close to lebron as an athlete is calvin johnson of the lions.

lebrons numbers- 6 foot 8 265pounds?, 4.4 40 yard dash, 44 inch vertical

calvin johnson- 6 foot 5 235pounds, 4.3 40 yard dash, 44 inch vertical.

and lebron is taller and weighs more. lebron is a ridiculous athlete, not the best player but most insane athlete ever!!

ps- maybe usain bolt is in the equation but i dont know if he can jump as high.

mj, dr j, and air canada were insane leapers but lebron jumps as high(without the same hangtime), is faster, bigger and stronger. i dont know how this is even a question.

i think you weigh too much on height and weight…

joe alexander is one of the most athletic players to come out in the last 10 years… same with westbrook… but NONE of you say their names because they dont have the skillset as these other players..

ive seen alexander hit his HEAD on the rim while dunking… the kid is just insane.. but that doesnt mean hes amazing at basketball…

I wouldn’t say LBJ runs a 4.4 40, and if he actually runs a 4.4, please post some proof.. A sub 4.6 is more realistic. He is fast for his size, but there are guys in the NBA who are faster and quicker than him. They are just smaller. LeBron James size is what makes him stand out, but on pure measurables, I’m sure some guys could out jump him, etc.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/37846-lebron-james-what-if

dude played football in HS and was pretty damn good at it. A bunch of NFl players reach that speed, he could have been in the NFL. AND this was his time in HS. He has gotten much faster since then.

You know how many football players are said to run a certain time then they come out at the combine runing an official time that’s like a tenth slower than their hyped up time? A lot of guys who are said to be 4.3 speed end up running something slower in their official time. Very few guys actually live up to the hype when it comes to their actual 40 yard dash. Until LeBron actually goes out and runs an offical 40 yard dash, I won’t believe that he runs a 4.4.