[jwostrumParticipant]

the question im putting out there in this post, Is wilt the greatest athlete ever in the nba? in my opinion he is, and I believe this because he had an insane verticle leap for a man his size, he had power lifter strength, and had amazingly quick feet in the post. I heard a story saying when wilt was at the end of his career with the lakers, he was I believe 35 or 36, weighed 330 pounds and had bad knees, he could still at this time grab a quarter off the top of the backboard. that story is still to this day difficult for me to wrap my brain around. that’s my aruement, who does everyone else think is the greatest athlete ever in the nba?

[samosasParticipant]

Talking about superlatives of people that died 20 years before you were born is completely fruitless.

[GrandmamaParticipant]

So the OP hasn’t been born yet? Interesting

[GrandmamaParticipant]

So the OP hasn’t been born yet? Interesting

[samosasParticipant]

Talking about superlatives of people that died 20 years before you were born is completely fruitless.

[Greek Baller]

no he was playing against weak competition lol

[PhogifyParticipant]

I just had an “lol” moment in my mind imagining what Wilt would do in Greek leagues.

[Krypt14Participant]

Clearly Wilt would have struggled against the mighty Vassilis Layupolidis and the greatest player to ever play the game (don’t let the racist anti-Greek media tell you any different) Giannis Reboundoppoulous. Reboundoppoulos was at least 1m97 (in shoes) and has a 15cm vertical jump. Wilt would have struggled to even compete with such a fine physical specimen and skilled basketballer in the Greek A1 League ((Α1 Εθνική Κατηγορία) to those WITH A NON RACIST BASKETBALL MIND.

[Krypt14Participant]

Clearly Wilt would have struggled against the mighty Vassilis Layupolidis and the greatest player to ever play the game (don’t let the racist anti-Greek media tell you any different) Giannis Reboundoppoulous. Reboundoppoulos was at least 1m97 (in shoes) and has a 15cm vertical jump. Wilt would have struggled to even compete with such a fine physical specimen and skilled basketballer in the Greek A1 League ((Α1 Εθνική Κατηγορία) to those WITH A NON RACIST BASKETBALL MIND.

[PhogifyParticipant]

I just had an “lol” moment in my mind imagining what Wilt would do in Greek leagues.

[Greek Baller]

no he was playing against weak competition lol

[TurnipParticipant]

I guess it depends on how you define athlete. I’m sure there’s some 5’10” guy who could jump over a bus or something that none of us have ever heard of, but adjusting for his size and era, Wilt’s hard to argue against.

[TurnipParticipant]

I guess it depends on how you define athlete. I’m sure there’s some 5’10” guy who could jump over a bus or something that none of us have ever heard of, but adjusting for his size and era, Wilt’s hard to argue against.

[FritzParticipant]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhXzPvmCfVI

Crazy athlete even at 36 years old

[BenchWarmerParticipant]

I show this every chance. He is 36 years old is 300+ pounds AND this is after knee surgery. Almost makes my stomach turn

[BenchWarmerParticipant]

I show this every chance. He is 36 years old is 300+ pounds AND this is after knee surgery. Almost makes my stomach turn

[FritzParticipant]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhXzPvmCfVI

Crazy athlete even at 36 years old

[ItsVictorOladipoParticipant]

Yeah I think Wilt is probably the greatest athlete ever in the NBA. To be honest though I think Bill Russell has to be up there as well. Not as big as Wilt or as heavy but he was ripped, had terrific body control and was an exceptional track and field athlete as well.

Another guy that I think has to be up there but is never mentioned in these sort of threads is Danny Ainge. Sure he was a white guy but he was a High School first team All-American in basketball, football and baseball!

[ItsVictorOladipoParticipant]

Yeah I think Wilt is probably the greatest athlete ever in the NBA. To be honest though I think Bill Russell has to be up there as well. Not as big as Wilt or as heavy but he was ripped, had terrific body control and was an exceptional track and field athlete as well.

Another guy that I think has to be up there but is never mentioned in these sort of threads is Danny Ainge. Sure he was a white guy but he was a High School first team All-American in basketball, football and baseball!

[bloodshyParticipant]

I’d also consider Vince Carter, MJ, Dominique, Dr. J, etc.

I think the best athlete in the history of sports is probably Bo Jackson, but he never graced the hard top. He could get his shoulder to the top of the wall in the outfield, throw a ball from the furthest point in the outfield to home w/o it hitting the ground and was probably the fastest runner in the history of the NFL. He’s also the only athlete to ever make an all-star team in two major sports.

[bloodshyParticipant]

I’d also consider Vince Carter, MJ, Dominique, Dr. J, etc.

I think the best athlete in the history of sports is probably Bo Jackson, but he never graced the hard top. He could get his shoulder to the top of the wall in the outfield, throw a ball from the furthest point in the outfield to home w/o it hitting the ground and was probably the fastest runner in the history of the NFL. He’s also the only athlete to ever make an all-star team in two major sports.

[hooverballParticipant]

I am kinda surprised with all the people mentioned nobody has mentioned Lebron…I know people don’t love him and he is still playing, but his overal coordination, speed, quickness and strength at least puts him in the conversation…

[seskillmParticipant]

Absolutely agree. Can’t believe I read so many comments before someone (and only one at that) finally said LeBron. I say without a doubt LeBron is the best athlete in NBA history. And I will go one step further. I believe he may be the BEST athlete of all time in any sport. Speed, quickness, power, agility, vertical, laterally quick, strong as an ox, can soar from distance, practically ambidextrous going to the hoop, and the ability to double or maybe triple clutch mid-air and change hands all while maintaining perfect body-control to finish the shot.
He’s the most insane athlete I’ve ever seen, and I would say Jordan is #2.

[seskillmParticipant]

Absolutely agree. Can’t believe I read so many comments before someone (and only one at that) finally said LeBron. I say without a doubt LeBron is the best athlete in NBA history. And I will go one step further. I believe he may be the BEST athlete of all time in any sport. Speed, quickness, power, agility, vertical, laterally quick, strong as an ox, can soar from distance, practically ambidextrous going to the hoop, and the ability to double or maybe triple clutch mid-air and change hands all while maintaining perfect body-control to finish the shot.
He’s the most insane athlete I’ve ever seen, and I would say Jordan is #2.

[hooverballParticipant]

I am kinda surprised with all the people mentioned nobody has mentioned Lebron…I know people don’t love him and he is still playing, but his overal coordination, speed, quickness and strength at least puts him in the conversation…

[DolanCareParticipant]

I think about Wilt’s legacy a lot. And now since I’m stuck at work, I’m gonna finally write my thoughts on his place in NBA history….

To answer the OP’s question: Yes.

Wilt is one of the best athletes to grace the game. When you watch footage of Wilt, it’s hard not to see him fitting right in with Dwight, Duncan etc. He was fast, strong and had incredible reflexes. (If someone can dig up Wilt’s 40 time, or bench press rep please post it. Obviously, combine numbers can be deceiving, but it would still be interesting to compare).

Wilt was simply ahead of his time. Even more so than Jim Brown in Football or Babe Ruth in Baseball. He had a set of skills and natural gifts that transcended era. Now I do agree that Wilt wouldn’t come close to dropping 100 pts today. However, I am confident that he could produce a Hall-of-Fame career even if he came from the Jayhawk class of 2013.

[DolanCareParticipant]

I think about Wilt’s legacy a lot. And now since I’m stuck at work, I’m gonna finally write my thoughts on his place in NBA history….

To answer the OP’s question: Yes.

Wilt is one of the best athletes to grace the game. When you watch footage of Wilt, it’s hard not to see him fitting right in with Dwight, Duncan etc. He was fast, strong and had incredible reflexes. (If someone can dig up Wilt’s 40 time, or bench press rep please post it. Obviously, combine numbers can be deceiving, but it would still be interesting to compare).

Wilt was simply ahead of his time. Even more so than Jim Brown in Football or Babe Ruth in Baseball. He had a set of skills and natural gifts that transcended era. Now I do agree that Wilt wouldn’t come close to dropping 100 pts today. However, I am confident that he could produce a Hall-of-Fame career even if he came from the Jayhawk class of 2013.

[mmichnowicz1Participant]

This website highlights his athleticism.
40:4.6
100 meter dash: 10.9
Vertical reportedly above 40
bench almost 500
highjump: 6-6
broad jump: 22 feet
440 yards: 49 seconds
880 yards: 1:58.3
shot put 53 feet
http://hoops-nation.com/community/topic/32938-wilt-chamberlain-athletic-freak/
This is the full article, and has video highlights they are absurd.

[mmichnowicz1Participant]

This website highlights his athleticism.
40:4.6
100 meter dash: 10.9
Vertical reportedly above 40
bench almost 500
highjump: 6-6
broad jump: 22 feet
440 yards: 49 seconds
880 yards: 1:58.3
shot put 53 feet
http://hoops-nation.com/community/topic/32938-wilt-chamberlain-athletic-freak/
This is the full article, and has video highlights they are absurd.

[theprophetParticipant]

this subject was a thread before, but just to remind everyone again, wilt is indeed probably the best pure athlete to ever play in the nba. if you consider strength, speed, agility, jumping ability, etc. for an overall athlete wilt shouldn’t only be considered among the best athletes to ever play in the nba, but also among the best athletes ever. he was a world class sprinter who even beat jim brown in a sprint and was one of the top sprinters and high jumpers and broad jumpers in the world in his high school and college days. he was one of the best if not the top beach volley ball players in his time. we know he practically wrote the record book in the nba. he was also close to stepping in the ring with the great muhammed ali and was no scrub in the boxing ring. he could throw a shot put 53 feet and bench nearly 500 pounds. i could even be leaving something else out. my vote would be yes, wilt is the best pure athlete to ever play in the nba. just my opinion.

[theprophetParticipant]

this subject was a thread before, but just to remind everyone again, wilt is indeed probably the best pure athlete to ever play in the nba. if you consider strength, speed, agility, jumping ability, etc. for an overall athlete wilt shouldn’t only be considered among the best athletes to ever play in the nba, but also among the best athletes ever. he was a world class sprinter who even beat jim brown in a sprint and was one of the top sprinters and high jumpers and broad jumpers in the world in his high school and college days. he was one of the best if not the top beach volley ball players in his time. we know he practically wrote the record book in the nba. he was also close to stepping in the ring with the great muhammed ali and was no scrub in the boxing ring. he could throw a shot put 53 feet and bench nearly 500 pounds. i could even be leaving something else out. my vote would be yes, wilt is the best pure athlete to ever play in the nba. just my opinion.

[Krypt14Participant]

I never got to see him play…but call me ignorant if I suggest LeBron. The man is 6 foot 8, 260lbs with some mind blowing athleticism…even after the youtube era where we can see anyone with hops. Wilt would be in my top 10 greatest NBA athletes, but until I see raw numbers (or maybe a decathlon) between the top 10 I have no idea.

On a side note, I would love to see the NBA’s current elite athletes compete in a decathlon to see who is the overall champ.

[JoeWolf1]

Wilt Chamberlain was a college track star and one of the best track and feild athletes in the world during his time at Kansas. There are numbers, there are records, they’re just really old so you have to do some digging.

Wilt Chamberlain ran a 10.8 100 Yard dash which translates to about a 4.4 40 time. He high jumped 6’63/4” using the much older scissor kick technique which would have qualified him for the 1956 Olympics. These high jump numbers are not athlets jumping a foot lower than they are now because they weren’t as good of athletes. Switching from scissor to flosbury can add a foot to your jump. Wilt would have been around a 7’6” High Jumper if he were competing today.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=wilt+chamberlain+high+jump&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=ADa12pKiF9oxlM&tbnid=qochuYcRJSUoCM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shaggybevo.com%2Fboard%2Fshowthread.php%2F129581-Wilt-Chamberlain-s-Vertical-Leap&ei=mRX9UdbTLoPD2QWKhoGICg&bvm=bv.50165853,d.eWU&psig=AFQjCNGtrWySBtVbKB2N2w1TnrbjYSYLHw&ust=1375626969555250

[JoeWolf1]

Wilt Chamberlain was a college track star and one of the best track and feild athletes in the world during his time at Kansas. There are numbers, there are records, they’re just really old so you have to do some digging.

Wilt Chamberlain ran a 10.8 100 Yard dash which translates to about a 4.4 40 time. He high jumped 6’63/4” using the much older scissor kick technique which would have qualified him for the 1956 Olympics. These high jump numbers are not athlets jumping a foot lower than they are now because they weren’t as good of athletes. Switching from scissor to flosbury can add a foot to your jump. Wilt would have been around a 7’6” High Jumper if he were competing today.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=wilt+chamberlain+high+jump&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=ADa12pKiF9oxlM&tbnid=qochuYcRJSUoCM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shaggybevo.com%2Fboard%2Fshowthread.php%2F129581-Wilt-Chamberlain-s-Vertical-Leap&ei=mRX9UdbTLoPD2QWKhoGICg&bvm=bv.50165853,d.eWU&psig=AFQjCNGtrWySBtVbKB2N2w1TnrbjYSYLHw&ust=1375626969555250

[JoeWolf1]

Image shack froze me out, but scroll down on that link and you’ll see a photo of Wilt displaying his standing vertical leap and with no run he’s well over 40” in the air.

[JoeWolf1]

Image shack froze me out, but scroll down on that link and you’ll see a photo of Wilt displaying his standing vertical leap and with no run he’s well over 40” in the air.

[HaleParticipant]

I don’t know if you meant it literally or not but you can’t effectively take a 100 to find a 40. A 40 relies way more on acceleration where a 100 relies more on pure straight line speed. I do agree he’s one of the legendary athletes in history though.

[HaleParticipant]

I don’t know if you meant it literally or not but you can’t effectively take a 100 to find a 40. A 40 relies way more on acceleration where a 100 relies more on pure straight line speed. I do agree he’s one of the legendary athletes in history though.

[Krypt14Participant]

I never got to see him play…but call me ignorant if I suggest LeBron. The man is 6 foot 8, 260lbs with some mind blowing athleticism…even after the youtube era where we can see anyone with hops. Wilt would be in my top 10 greatest NBA athletes, but until I see raw numbers (or maybe a decathlon) between the top 10 I have no idea.

On a side note, I would love to see the NBA’s current elite athletes compete in a decathlon to see who is the overall champ.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

Great thread. Wilt is the Original. He is almost mythical. Like Babe Ruth in baseball.
Wilt could score, rebound AND pass while Babe Ruth was a dominant pitcher before he became known
as the home run king.

I also love how this thread got around to Bo Jackson and LeBron James. Two all-time beasts. Both are incomparable.
You can’t have a list of the best athletes ever without these two. You also have LeBron doing his best Tecmo Bo impressions
in Game 7’s.

You can also visualize LeBron dominating football if he ever made the leap.

Two best modern era overwhelming “finesse athletes” have to be Michael Jordan
and Ken Griffey Jr. Grace, athleticism, raw talent, picture-perfect fundamentals. Offense AND defense.

Combining power, clutchness, and winning you have to go with Reggie Jackson. Mr. October won five World Series titles in the Seventies with the A’s and Yankees. Five MLB rings in seven years including a three peat. That’s in Jordan territory.

Best athletic combo ever: Shaq and Kobe. Two of the best ever. Great athletes who could physically dominate you as we’ll
as use their high basketball IQ. Shaq also gets credit for the Best Wilt Impersonation. Size, strength, and speed on the highest level.

Other great athletes with “video game” athleticism: Dr. J, Shawn Kemp, Vince Carter, Mike Conley Sr., Michael Vick, and Deion Sanders.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

Great thread. Wilt is the Original. He is almost mythical. Like Babe Ruth in baseball.
Wilt could score, rebound AND pass while Babe Ruth was a dominant pitcher before he became known
as the home run king.

I also love how this thread got around to Bo Jackson and LeBron James. Two all-time beasts. Both are incomparable.
You can’t have a list of the best athletes ever without these two. You also have LeBron doing his best Tecmo Bo impressions
in Game 7’s.

You can also visualize LeBron dominating football if he ever made the leap.

Two best modern era overwhelming “finesse athletes” have to be Michael Jordan
and Ken Griffey Jr. Grace, athleticism, raw talent, picture-perfect fundamentals. Offense AND defense.

Combining power, clutchness, and winning you have to go with Reggie Jackson. Mr. October won five World Series titles in the Seventies with the A’s and Yankees. Five MLB rings in seven years including a three peat. That’s in Jordan territory.

Best athletic combo ever: Shaq and Kobe. Two of the best ever. Great athletes who could physically dominate you as we’ll
as use their high basketball IQ. Shaq also gets credit for the Best Wilt Impersonation. Size, strength, and speed on the highest level.

Other great athletes with “video game” athleticism: Dr. J, Shawn Kemp, Vince Carter, Mike Conley Sr., Michael Vick, and Deion Sanders.

[frogmanParticipant]

Bo Jackson, Lebron and Randy Moss are the best athletes I’ve ever seen.

[frogmanParticipant]

Bo Jackson, Lebron and Randy Moss are the best athletes I’ve ever seen.

[mookieParticipant]

What about Nate Robinson? He’s gotta be mentioned as one of the greatest athletes of all time. If he was taller and had his athleticism imagine his following

[mookieParticipant]

What about Nate Robinson? He’s gotta be mentioned as one of the greatest athletes of all time. If he was taller and had his athleticism imagine his following

[BasketballJunkie224Participant]

LeBron James is the BEST athlete ever in the nba period..ship it

[BasketballJunkie224Participant]

LeBron James is the BEST athlete ever in the nba period..ship it

[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

Its tough, because an athlete is really a combination of a bunch of different abilities: hand-eye coordination, jumping, strength, wingspan, height, quickness, speed, and probably others.

Here is my list of the players with the best combination of those abilities.

1 Wilt
2 Lebron
3 MJ
4 Dominque Wilkins
5 Vince Carter
6 Dr J
7 David Robinson
8 Kobe (this one is tough, because it is hard to get modern kobe out of my head and remember young kobe)
9 T-Mac
10 Iverson (controversial, i know: his hand-eye coordination, quickness, and contortion finishing abilities were un-paralleled. Not to mention he was supposedly a better quarterback prospect than basketball player)

Honorable mentions: Spud Webb, Dwight Howard, Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Amare Stoudamire

According to the hype in the 2001 and 2003 NBA draft, other players would have been Kwame Brown, Eddie Curry, and Darko Milicic.

[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

Its tough, because an athlete is really a combination of a bunch of different abilities: hand-eye coordination, jumping, strength, wingspan, height, quickness, speed, and probably others.

Here is my list of the players with the best combination of those abilities.

1 Wilt
2 Lebron
3 MJ
4 Dominque Wilkins
5 Vince Carter
6 Dr J
7 David Robinson
8 Kobe (this one is tough, because it is hard to get modern kobe out of my head and remember young kobe)
9 T-Mac
10 Iverson (controversial, i know: his hand-eye coordination, quickness, and contortion finishing abilities were un-paralleled. Not to mention he was supposedly a better quarterback prospect than basketball player)

Honorable mentions: Spud Webb, Dwight Howard, Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Amare Stoudamire

According to the hype in the 2001 and 2003 NBA draft, other players would have been Kwame Brown, Eddie Curry, and Darko Milicic.

[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

Its tough, because an athlete is really a combination of a bunch of different abilities: hand-eye coordination, jumping, strength, wingspan, height, quickness, speed, and probably others.

Here is my list of the players with the best combination of those abilities.

1 Wilt
2 Lebron
3 MJ
4 Dominque Wilkins
5 Vince Carter
6 Dr J
7 David Robinson
8 Kobe (this one is tough, because it is hard to get modern kobe out of my head and remember young kobe)
9 T-Mac
10 Iverson (controversial, i know: his hand-eye coordination, quickness, and contortion finishing abilities were un-paralleled. Not to mention he was supposedly a better quarterback prospect than basketball player)

Honorable mentions: Spud Webb, Dwight Howard, Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Amare Stoudamire

According to the hype in the 2001 and 2003 NBA draft, other players would have been Kwame Brown, Eddie Curry, and Darko Milicic.

[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

Its tough, because an athlete is really a combination of a bunch of different abilities: hand-eye coordination, jumping, strength, wingspan, height, quickness, speed, and probably others.

Here is my list of the players with the best combination of those abilities.

1 Wilt
2 Lebron
3 MJ
4 Dominque Wilkins
5 Vince Carter
6 Dr J
7 David Robinson
8 Kobe (this one is tough, because it is hard to get modern kobe out of my head and remember young kobe)
9 T-Mac
10 Iverson (controversial, i know: his hand-eye coordination, quickness, and contortion finishing abilities were un-paralleled. Not to mention he was supposedly a better quarterback prospect than basketball player)

Honorable mentions: Spud Webb, Dwight Howard, Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Amare Stoudamire

According to the hype in the 2001 and 2003 NBA draft, other players would have been Kwame Brown, Eddie Curry, and Darko Milicic.

[ItsVictorOladipoParticipant]

I gotta mention again that I feel like Russell doesn’t get enough credit. The guy would be listed at 6-11 in the modern NBA (he was 6-9.6 without shoes) and would probably be solidly over 240 lbs with modern weight and strength training. His hand-eye co-ordination was evident to anyone that saw him block shots AND control them.

He was also a dominant track and field athlete in college:

“USF teammate Bill Russell ranked as the world’s No. 7 high jumper in Track and Field News rankings in 1956. Russell won titles in the West Coast Relays, Pacific AAU meet and Central California AAU meet in 1956. His winning mark of 6-9 1/4 in the West Coast Relays was the 11th-best mark recorded in the world in 1956.”

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/ncaa-tournament/history/multitalented

He also ran the 400m in 49.6 seconds. Watch this vid here for the proof of the caliber of athlete he was:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWelUNrJUMM

[ItsVictorOladipoParticipant]

I gotta mention again that I feel like Russell doesn’t get enough credit. The guy would be listed at 6-11 in the modern NBA (he was 6-9.6 without shoes) and would probably be solidly over 240 lbs with modern weight and strength training. His hand-eye co-ordination was evident to anyone that saw him block shots AND control them.

He was also a dominant track and field athlete in college:

“USF teammate Bill Russell ranked as the world’s No. 7 high jumper in Track and Field News rankings in 1956. Russell won titles in the West Coast Relays, Pacific AAU meet and Central California AAU meet in 1956. His winning mark of 6-9 1/4 in the West Coast Relays was the 11th-best mark recorded in the world in 1956.”

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/ncaa-tournament/history/multitalented

He also ran the 400m in 49.6 seconds. Watch this vid here for the proof of the caliber of athlete he was:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWelUNrJUMM

[JoeWolf1]

I had no idea of Russell’s high jumping prowess. Yeah, he would have won the Gold Medal in the 56 Olympics.

[JoeWolf1]

I had no idea of Russell’s high jumping prowess. Yeah, he would have won the Gold Medal in the 56 Olympics.

[Im Your FatherParticipant]

I’m surprised that no one has mentioned Shaquille O’Neal. It was incredible how nimble and quick he was for a man his size.

[Im Your FatherParticipant]

I’m surprised that no one has mentioned Shaquille O’Neal. It was incredible how nimble and quick he was for a man his size.

[Im Your FatherParticipant]

I’m surprised that no one has mentioned Shaquille O’Neal. It was incredible how nimble and quick he was for a man his size.

[Im Your FatherParticipant]

I’m surprised that no one has mentioned Shaquille O’Neal. It was incredible how nimble and quick he was for a man his size.

[Author]

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