Is Lebron James the greatest pure athlete the world has ever known?

[kenetics]

Bo jackson runs a 40 in 4.13 and won championships in two sports.

True, but those athletes he played against are nowhere near today athletes. Bo was ahead of his time.

 

[kenetics]

don't want to be a-hole but american sports stars should never be in conversation as best athletes. imean lebron plays for 30 minutes on court 40 yards long and has gazilion breaks. nfl same thin there is two teamsthere and they stop and go every 45 seconds and baseball they stand around for 60% of game. i would let soccer players be candidates for pure athletes track and field as well but triathletes and team handball for it too WHY because these guys have too learn all skills in their sport from atack to defending

Soccer... You mean those athletes that flop everywhere? There not even close being top athletes.

 

[hillelslovak87]

Needs to be included in the discussion...

Chamberlain would destroy people at their own sports.

This is a guy who smoked a prime Jim Brown TWICE in one day in a foot race at some random party. Routinely picked up 500 lbs with one arm like it was nothing.

Broke a man's toe with a dunk. BROKE A MAN'S TOE WITH A DUNK.



Fucking Ali backed out of a fight with the guy.......

 

[gspieler]

Chamberlain would destroy people at their own sports.

This is a guy who smoked a prime Jim Brown TWICE in one day in a foot race at some random party. Routinely picked up 500 lbs with one arm like it was nothing.

Broke a man's toe with a dunk. BROKE A MAN'S TOE WITH A DUNK.



Fucking Ali backed out of a fight with the guy.......

 

[hillelslovak87]

Imagine Lebron trying this with Wilt waiting for him. LMFAO

 

[FyrFytr998]

LeCramp James? No.

 

[hillelslovak87]

LeCramp James? No.

Lebald James

Still think he's great, despite his questionable cow-towing to China. Dude does a whole lotta good for struggling people in America where he can. Foundations, College programs, housing programs and a lot of other things. A fine example, regardless of how you feel about his case for GOAT.

 

[bowened]

Chamberlain would destroy people at their own sports.

This is a guy who smoked a prime Jim Brown TWICE in one day in a foot race at some random party. Routinely picked up 500 lbs with one arm like it was nothing.

Broke a man's toe with a dunk. BROKE A MAN'S TOE WITH A DUNK.



Fucking Ali backed out of a fight with the guy.......

Damn, that part at 8:00 when he blocks two skyhooks in a row is ridiculous

 

[hillelslovak87]

Damn, that part at 8:00 when he blocks two skyhooks in a row is ridiculous

By most people's accounts, we're talking Hall of Famers, he was taking it easy on people. Dude racked up 50 A GAME in his third season, then the Sixers needed him to do more teamwork oriented work stretching the floor. So he just decided to dominate in other ways, and his assists skyrocketed, still maintaining over 30 pts a game too, and in an era where blocks weren't a stat.

I just don't see, given his speed and agility along with preternatural strength, how Michael Jordan, Lebron, Shaq, Hakeem or anyone else would be able to best him, or make it really close if going by prime for prime.

An interesting fact about that clip at 8:08, Even Wilt had trouble blocking the skyhook. So that's some special stuff blocking it twice in a row, caught on film from an era where it wasn't a given.

 

[Billthebutcher]

nope, not even close.

 

[FyrFytr998]

Lebald James

Still think he's great, despite his questionable cow-towing to China. Dude does a whole lotta good for struggling people in America where he can. Foundations, College programs, housing programs and a lot of other things. A fine example, regardless of how you feel about his case for GOAT.

He’s a GOAT philanthropist, but we’re talking about athletic greatness. The fact remains. There are basketball fans that won’t necessarily start a team with LeBron as a first pick, and they’re not wrong. MJ, Kobe, Wilt, Kareem.....all legitimate picks over LBJ.

 

[fckrajina1982]

Soccer... You mean those athletes that flop everywhere? There not even close being top athletes.

lol lebron will always be mlre athletic then center or pg , nfl center will be less athletic then wr or line backer baseball same they do not need to 0be best over all athletes they just have to be better the oposition gives them soccer athletics or team handball they have to deal with more then one defender or playing with out the ball. american sports athltes should never be in conversation for goat athlets

 

[Madmick]

He'd suck at endurance sports, sports which require you to be short, strength sports (too lanky) and skill sports. Also speed sports (track, sprint biking etc).

Most sports cept basketball and rowing I suspect (where being tall is advantageous).

No, Lebron wouldn't "suck" at any of these sports, especially 5-10 years ago in his athletic prime. That's why he's impossible to one-up as the world's GOAT athlete. He would be in the Top 0.001%-3.0% in the world in the competitive realm of pretty much any sport from any one of these categories (except the second) if he had devoted himself to them instead of basketball for his lifetime.

There are precious few sports in which he wouldn't excel. Gymnastics is one that comes to mind. That is definitely a sport where tall men never succeed. Hell, the apparatuses aren't even regulated at adequate heights to accommodate him. No, he wouldn't be great at cycling, either. Again, too much inherent mass due to height.

 

[Madmick]

Chamberlain would destroy people at their own sports.

This is a guy who smoked a prime Jim Brown TWICE in one day in a foot race at some random party. Routinely picked up 500 lbs with one arm like it was nothing.

Broke a man's toe with a dunk. BROKE A MAN'S TOE WITH A DUNK.



Fucking Ali backed out of a fight with the guy.......

He comes the Wilt bullshit. These athlete threads never fail to deliver it.

No athlete has ever had as many fish stories recirculated about him. Almost none of them are true. This is one example.

 

[StrikerKing]

I just typed a very lengthy response to this with stats, videos, and comparisons, and then it didn't upload and got deleted.

My main point was that LeBron is extremely gifted in terms of his combination of size speed and skills in basketball. However his ability in terms of physical athleticism as a compared to Olympians is mediocre-at-best. He's a classic example of being a jack of all trades but Master at none. Summary imo vs world class physical Olympic athletes:
Sprinting: not a chance
Throwers: even more so, not a chance in hell
Olympic weightlifters: LOL. Not in the same stratosphere.
Powerlifters and strongman: with his reach, maybe a good deadlift, but probably sucks at dl and bench. Way undersized.
Folk and greco wrestling: smashed
Boxing: actually think with proper focus and training he could have a chance
High jump: LJ doesnt have a world class vertical, but with training and his size he might be able to be succesfull, but he would be at a huge disadvantage based purely on his sub 40"" standing vertical.

Gymnastics, rock climbing, endurance sports, etc. and the like he would essentially be eliminated from on the basis of being physically impossible.

 

[gspieler]

No, Lebron wouldn't "suck" at any of these sports, especially 5-10 years ago in his athletic prime. That's why he's impossible to one-up as the world's GOAT athlete. He would be in the Top 0.001%-3.0% in the world in the competitive realm of pretty much any sport from any one of these categories (except the second) if he had devoted himself to them instead of basketball for his lifetime.

There are precious few sports in which he wouldn't excel. Gymnastics is one that comes to mind. That is definitely a sport where tall men never succeed. Hell, the apparatuses aren't even regulated at adequate heights to accommodate him. No, he wouldn't be great at cycling, either. Again, too much inherent mass due to height.

Of course stories from eyewitnesses will almost certainly be embellished. But even from what limited objective evidence there is, it's reasonable to conclude that Wilt was certainly among the most physicallly gifted big men in basketball history. To my knowledge, not a lot of film out there of 7-footers levitating ~3 ft above the ground.

 

[StrikerKing]

No, Lebron wouldn't "suck" at any of these sports, especially 5-10 years ago in his athletic prime. That's why he's impossible to one-up as the world's GOAT athlete. He would be in the Top 0.001%-3.0% in the world in the competitive realm of pretty much any sport from any one of these categories (except the second) if he had devoted himself to them instead of basketball for his lifetime.

There are precious few sports in which he wouldn't excel. Gymnastics is one that comes to mind. That is definitely a sport where tall men never succeed. Hell, the apparatuses aren't even regulated at adequate heights to accommodate him. No, he wouldn't be great at cycling, either. Again, too much inherent mass due to height.

Im curious to see your response to my last post. I in no way doubt LJ in how great he is in basketball, or do doubt he is a greal all around athlete. But sports are incledibly specialized, and to think he is is some sort of god of all athletic measurements is very myopic. lebron is great at what he does, but far from be8ng great at any one physical atttribute.

 

[HARRISON_3]

Shawn Michaels is better

 

[hillelslovak87]

He comes the Wilt bullshit. These athlete threads never fail to deliver it.

No athlete has ever had as many fish stories recirculated about him. Almost none of them are true. This is one example.

Which one? The broken toe story was confirmed by Johnny Kerr outright and the Brown story isn't too far fetched when you look at his collegiate track numbers. Dude was strong and absurdly quick for his size.

Seems pretty legendary that he's what, in his late 40s and son'ing Arnold and other bodybuilders?

 

[eworden78]

6’8” at 240 pounds that can run a 4.3 40-yard dash= beast.

Did you just decide to make up a number? What are you basing the 4.3 on?