boyst Posted June 8, 2012 Posted June 8, 2012 From what I understand wilt got consistently outplayed by bill Russell, all 6"9" 220 lbs of him. There's no chance a guy that small stops shaq in the paint , none , zero. How many fouls would Shaq have tho with out the nba shifting ita style in a way that benefit him
truth on hold Posted June 8, 2012 Author Posted June 8, 2012 How many fouls would Shaq have tho with out the nba shifting ita style in a way that benefit him What are you talking about? Nba did unthinkable and allowed zone defense BECAUSE no one could guard him one on one.
Joe Miner Posted June 8, 2012 Posted June 8, 2012 What are you talking about? Nba did unthinkable and allowed zone defense BECAUSE no one could guard him one on one. The NBA allowed zone defense, because the game turned into clear 1 side and let your best player go 1 on 1. Oh, and no one was playing defense anyway.
Hazed and Amuzed Posted June 8, 2012 Posted June 8, 2012 (edited) Bo Jackson. If the guy would have chosen a sport to focus on he would've been one of the best ever. In 1989 the guy hit 32 HR and had 105 RBI in 135 baseball games and ran for 950 yards in only 11 games for the Raiders. The guy was a freak. Edited June 8, 2012 by Hazed and Amuzed
Rob's House Posted June 8, 2012 Posted June 8, 2012 Judging on pure athletic ability I'd consider Barry Sanders, Michael Vick, and Allen Iverson.
K-9 Posted June 8, 2012 Posted June 8, 2012 For his size, who else was in his league? Wilt Chamberlain maybe? I didn't see him, but it's my understanding his playing weight was at least 50 lbs lighter than Shaq's. As an athlete, Shaq couldn't carry Chamberlain's jock. At one time, Wilt the Stilt was a world-class 440 (400 meter) runner which is considered the most challenging track race.
Pete Posted June 8, 2012 Posted June 8, 2012 As an athlete, Shaq couldn't carry Chamberlain's jock. At one time, Wilt the Stilt was a world-class 440 (400 meter) runner which is considered the most challenging track race. helluva volleyball player too
Mr. ChumChums Posted June 8, 2012 Posted June 8, 2012 Not that I watch much soccer (the other football), but what about some of the athletes from those sports? You have Pele, Ronaldo, Messi, Ronaldinho... just 4 of the only ones I can name. I mean, Messi's 5'7, and pretty much dominating the sport right now. Not sure what that says about his athletic prowess though.
DrDawkinstein Posted June 8, 2012 Posted June 8, 2012 A little late to this thread, but even before reading the responses I'm going to cast a strong vote for Bo Jackson.
KD in CA Posted June 8, 2012 Posted June 8, 2012 OJ deserves some consideration. He was part of a world record setting relay team at USC, not to mention one of the two or three most gifted RBs ever.
erynthered Posted June 8, 2012 Posted June 8, 2012 (edited) What about Triathletes? Or what about the decathlon athlete's The decathlon is a 10-event competition spread over two days: First Day: 100 meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400 meter run Second Day: 110 meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, 1500 meter run Most are picking single sport stars. Triathletes and decathlon athletes have to be good at many sporting catogories. Just a thought....... Edited June 8, 2012 by erynthered
Thisistheyear Posted June 8, 2012 Posted June 8, 2012 In my mind there shouldn't even be a discussion. Vincent "Bo" Jackson is the greatest pure athlete ever. Everything about him was elite. He had sprinter speed combined with explosive power. He hit 450 ft home runs. On more than one occasion he stole a base, ON A PICKOFF ATTEMPT. He ran up walls. He had two 90+ yard touchdown runs. He made linebackers look like speed bumps while averaging 5.4 yds/carry. His arm was legendary. Plus, the Tecmo Superbowl version of Bo is, unarguably, the greatest video game athlete ever. For those of you too young to have seen the greatest American athlete... My link
NoSaint Posted June 8, 2012 Posted June 8, 2012 (edited) Its an interesting debate - theres a lot of questions to haggle over are we talking most successful or most physically gifted? ie - how polished vs just physicality are we talking at their sport or the type where you hand him a ball/racket/strap him into skis and hes just gifted. are we talking rarest guy (least likely to be duplicated)? a guy like shaq though perhaps not the most "athletic" was certainly a rare speciman combining the size with skills. id vote Bo probably as hes the one that seems to erase most of the "what do you mean" type of questions In my mind there shouldn't even be a discussion. Vincent "Bo" Jackson is the greatest pure athlete ever. Everything about him was elite. He had sprinter speed combined with explosive power. He hit 450 ft home runs. On more than one occasion he stole a base, ON A PICKOFF ATTEMPT. He ran up walls. He had two 90+ yard touchdown runs. He made linebackers look like speed bumps while averaging 5.4 yds/carry. His arm was legendary. Plus, the Tecmo Superbowl version of Bo is, unarguably, the greatest video game athlete ever. For those of you too young to have seen the greatest American athlete... My link id be so curious to get something to benchmark him against. id bet a lot of guys (and i dont mean a ton, but more then the smaalll handful that have tried)could transcend sport boundaries but its so rare to even attempt. the classic "what would Lebron do at TE?" comes to mind. he was obviously among the best at two different though, and thats amazing. its always cool to see guys suit up for other challenges. even silly ones, like here in new orleans the saints do a charity softball game. some guys great, some guys less so. its fun to see them out of their elements though.... and then you get guys like little drew brees who wins the homerun derby batting from both sides of the plate. Edited June 8, 2012 by NoSaint
The Poojer Posted June 8, 2012 Posted June 8, 2012 Carl Edwards. Dude can make both right and left turns AND do backflips....i never saw Bo Jackson do a backflip...end of story!
bbb Posted June 8, 2012 Posted June 8, 2012 I offer Jim Brown. All American at Syracuse in football AND LAX. Led the NFL in rushing 8 out of the 9 seasons he played. Ran over, through, around and past would be tacklers at will. Plus he was great in the movie The Dirty Dozen. In hoops I'd take Wilt over Shaq any day. Jim Brown in the correct answer. Not only the greatest football player of all time, but at the time he was considered the greatest lacrosse player of all time.
K-9 Posted June 8, 2012 Posted June 8, 2012 Well, if versatility is the criterion, then how about Randy Smith? Three sport All American in college before becoming an NBA star.
The Big Cat Posted June 8, 2012 Posted June 8, 2012 For anybody questioning Shaq, forget about his final years in the league, and look no further than his rookie highlight reel. He was a man who defied what a man his size is capable of:
Recommended Posts