Top Ten Most Athletic Basketball Athletes

[Rummpd]

and Lebron is unquestionably the most gifted athlete in NBA history, and is among the all times greatest all-around athletes ever, with guys such as Bo Jackson and Deion.

and the idiots saying Wilt. he played in an era that MAJORLY lacked athleticism. dunking and rebounding on a bunch of unathletic 6'6 white guys is nothing too special. im sure Shaq could have averaged a good 60-70 PPG in that era if he wanted to.

Your really not informed if you do not think Wilt was at least = LeBron in athletism. In reality, Wilt >> James. Wilt was faster, a better jumper, far stronger and even reduced in size to James, would be the superior athlete. Not even debatable. LeBron is not a world class spinter, jumper or shot put athlete like Wilt was, and although very strong and talented is simply not a Wilt.

[Matchman]

i kno this picture is getting old but that list is an epic fail just because LeBron and Vince Carter isnt on that list:

[Matchman]

and i think Shawn Kemp deserves to be on that list too

[Dramon]

Your really not informed if you do not think Wilt was at least = LeBron in athletism. In reality, Wilt >> James. Wilt was faster, a better jumper, far stronger and even reduced in size to James, would be the superior athlete. Not even debatable. LeBron is not a world class spinter, jumper or shot put athlete like Wilt was, and although very strong and talented is simply not a Wilt.

But would Wilt still be a world class sprinter jumper or shot put athlete compared to standards now? Times and distances to be considered world class have come a long long way since then.

[ALVAREZ6]

WTF is this a list of athletic tall players?

WTF??

I think Jordan, Carter, Lebron, etc, all deserve to be high up. Especially since its about athleticism....

and because it is, what about Nate Robinson...he's like 5'8" and can do the sickest dunks and jump high as for being so short and considering he has shorter arms, and he's also strong as too.

[Bobsyeruncle]

It has to be Wilt Chamberlain - sprinter, high jumper and pound for pound the strongest big man ever.

The two Davids Robinson and Thompson arguebly are too low and Johnson is a laughable choice - he was very skilled but the most athletic? - not even close.

In all sports two have to be considered - Jim Thorpe a better lacrosse player than a football player and Bo Jackson - all star in two professional sports and an Olympic quality sprinter before he got sadly hurt.

Have to agree with you about Wilt. Dude was an amazing physical specimen. He could have kept playing after the '73 season, but he retired. Then after coaching for a season, he decided to play freakin' beach volleyball! Wilt was an amazing athlete, and pretty studly with the ladies too.

[stretch]

Your really not informed if you do not think Wilt was at least = LeBron in athletism. In reality, Wilt >> James. Wilt was faster, a better jumper, far stronger and even reduced in size to James, would be the superior athlete. Not even debatable. LeBron is not a world class spinter, jumper or shot put athlete like Wilt was, and although very strong and talented is simply not a Wilt.

nothing but a bunch of ridiculous nostalgia. the same reason why people never shut the up about 80s basketball, wilt and russell, michael jordan, joe montana, and other great old school players (who unquestionably are great, but its not like they are ing "Jesus's" of their sports as some idiots portray them to be). unfortunately, im going to be sick of modern players in about 20 years, because all everyone will be talking about is the greatness of guys like Lebron, Chris Paul, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and such, when in fact, there will be bigger and better players than them by then. as workout regimens, strategies, and fundamentals become more and more sophisticated through time, people will take what made these previous players great, master those skills, and build upon them. ing morons need to get over it.

and im not even going to begin to debate how idiotic your post is. it is stupid and misinformed on so many levels (as are a large majority of your posts, period) i dont even know where to begin.

[stretch]

and i think Shawn Kemp deserves to be on that list too

shawn kemp is a of an athlete. definitely worthy of debate.

[Rummpd]

nothing but a bunch of ridiculous nostalgia. the same reason why people never shut the up about 80s basketball, wilt and russell, michael jordan, joe montana, and other great old school players (who unquestionably are great, but its not like they are ing "Jesus's" of their sports as some idiots portray them to be). unfortunately, im going to be sick of modern players in about 20 years, because all everyone will be talking about is the greatness of guys like Lebron, Chris Paul, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and such, when in fact, there will be bigger and better players than them by then. as workout regimens, strategies, and fundamentals become more and more sophisticated through time, people will take what made these previous players great, master those skills, and build upon them. ing morons need to get over it.

and im not even going to begin to debate how idiotic your post is. it is stupid and misinformed on so many levels (as are a large majority of your posts, period) i dont even know where to begin.

Not worth debating - no one in their right mind would say LeBron (for all his basketball talent and chisled physique) is more athletic than Wilt if they ever saw Wilt up close (and I did). I also went to grad school and met Bo Jackson and would put Wilt in his rarest of athlete of all time class. Wilt was the most amazing player ever in the NBA and the most all around athletic. LeBron is arguebly not even the most athletic today - Philadelphia's Iguodala can do anything LeBron can athletically for one.

Wake me when you ever get paid to write as a sportswriter (as I have) or have worked around elite athletes as a sports physician - which I have including Shaq's high school.

[Galileo]

shawn kemp is a of an athlete. definitely worthy of debate.

I should have put Shawn Kemp on the list. He's taller than Jordan and a more explosive jumper.

Lebron should have been listed as well.

btw

Mark Price was a of an athlete and so was John Stockton.

[ChuckD]

Mark Price was a of an athlete and so was John Stockton.

By human standards? Yes. By NBA standards? Pedestrian and average come to mind.

[Galileo]

By human standards? Yes. By NBA standards? Pedestrian and average come to mind.

John Stockton is the alltime NBA leader in steals. That's because he is cat-quick like a cat.

[century]

By definition Karl Malone has to be ahead of Robinson given how he kicked Robinson's ass and Robinson was too afraid of him to do anything about it.

[MrChug]

I always thought that Shawn Kemp was a freak of nature for his size. Most of us here know some tall dude (over 6'6") that can barely walk much less do anything athletically and every inch you grow, the more difficult it gets.

Of that criteria, you have to say 5-0, Lebron, Kobe, Shaq, Michael (duh), David Thompson, Vince Carter, Dwight Howard, Yao Ming, etc. are pretty damn exceptional.

I'd like to say I could go on forever and point out the physical freaks, but I can't there are many more, but it's not endless in basketball. I hope you see my point.

Magic is pretty rediculous to the "athletic" argument though as great as he was...

[MrChug]

That's because he is cat-quick like a cat.

He was also dirt-dirty...like dirt.

[peskypesky]

Vinny Del Negro

[stretch]

Not worth debating - no one in their right mind would say LeBron (for all his basketball talent and chisled physique) is more athletic than Wilt if they ever saw Wilt up close (and I did). I also went to grad school and met Bo Jackson and would put Wilt in his rarest of athlete of all time class. Wilt was the most amazing player ever in the NBA and the most all around athletic. LeBron is arguebly not even the most athletic today - Philadelphia's Iguodala can do anything LeBron can athletically for one.

Wake me when you ever get paid to write as a sportswriter (as I have) or have worked around elite athletes as a sports physician - which I have including Shaq's high school.

I call bull .

How about you prove to me that he actually is better in all these aspects as you say? Until you do, you have zero backing and shutting the up at this point would be the only positive thing you could do.

[polandprzem]

As he did at Overbrook, Chamberlain again showcased his diverse athletic talent. He ran the 100-yard dash in 10.9 seconds, threw the shotput 56 feet, triple jumped more than 50 feet, and won the high jump in the Big Eight track and field championships three straight years.

wikipedia

[AC#21_TD ERA]

The greatest sportsman ever Michael Jordan at 13, come on he should at least be in the top 8. He actually flew with the ball for a few seconds. He defied gravity.



Now that's ridiculously athletic.

[anakha]

Methinks the whole argument over athleticism of people like Mark Price stems from the distinction between 'athletic' and 'skilled' getting a bit blurry.

[mavs>spurs2]

Methinks the whole argument over athleticism of people like Mark Price stems from the distinction between 'athletic' and 'skilled' getting a bit blurry.

yeah, but don't you agree that hes more the exception than the rule? most point guards are super athletic..think of the top point guards today...paul, parker, williams, nash, ai, are all lightning quick.

[mathbzh]

It is obvious that this list is biased with the skill level of the considered players.
Because, in the league you have a ton of players who are oustanding athletes (Stromile Swift, Mahinmi...) but average to bad basketball players. I don't know the history of the league well, but I think a lot of players have been more athletic that some of the listed ones.

[anakha]

yeah, but don't you agree that hes more the exception than the rule? most point guards are super athletic..think of the top point guards today...paul, parker, williams, nash, ai, are all lightning quick.

Wouldn't that phenomenon be more due to the upward trend in athleticism of players as a whole?

It's hard to look at just the current generation and conclude that this must have been the physical requirements of PGs in the past - it assumes too much.

[stretch]

I can't back up Rummpd on his claims of seeing Wilt or working at Shaq's high school, but I can tell you that on all accounts Wilt Chamberlain was a better athlete than LeBron in everyway. Wilt could jump higher, run faster, and last longer on the court than LeBron. On top of that Wilt is easily stronger than LeBron. Wilt always threw his dunks down with strong power, so strong in fact that he once broke another player's toe after a dunk. Also it is hard to understand just how big Wilt was. He is a good way to put it. Luke Jackson was 6'7" and 270, standing next to Wilt Jackson looked like nothing, and that was in his 6er days. Later in his carrer Wilt became bigger in the legs and sholders when he got hurt on the 70s Laker team. All he did with the majority of the season off was lift run rehab and play vollyball(thats when he started to play vollyball)

Take it from someone who is informed on this stuff, Wilt is a much better athlete than LeBron, I'm not saying anything against LeBron, but Wilt was an absolute freak of nature. He was truely a god among men.

and you are saying this entirely based off of what you REMEMBER about Wilt (which this was like 30-40 years ago). but how much do you know about lebron? have you seen him in person? do you know what kinds of things he is capable of? id put money on it that you dont know about lebron and what he can do. until you do, kindly shut up.

[MrChug]

and you are saying this entirely based off of what you REMEMBER about Wilt (which this was like 30-40 years ago). but how much do you know about lebron? have you seen him in person? do you know what kinds of things he is capable of? id put money on it that you dont know about lebron and what he can do. until you do, kindly shut up.

How ing old are you assholeSTRETCH? I mean, you've ALWAYS been known for your moronic posts, but I never thought you had no idea who Wilt was.