Fastest True Center in NBA History?

[no pun intended]

Who is the fastest true center in NBA History? I am saying true center so that people wouldn't say guys like Magic, who have played center before in their life but aren't labeled by that position. I think Olajuwon is pretty quick for his size, considering his post moves such as the Dream Shake.

[heyhey]

Sabronis is pretty fast in his prime. true center too.

[joyner82]

Probably D Robinson

[bomber]

Ronnie Seikly (SP?)

[Carbine]

Wilt, probably.

[New York Knicks]

I'm not sure about raw speed. But nobody in the history of the league was faster with the ball than David Robinson. That guy could move like a guard.

[DaniloGallinari]

How could anyone forget young Shaq.

[no pun intended]

I'm not sure about raw speed. But nobody in the history of the league was faster with the ball than David Robinson. That guy could move like a guard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW4uXlRGAF0

[DuMa]

D-Rob

[jstern]

Chris Dudley had a 42" vertical in his prime.

I actually read someone saying this, but they were probably, obviously kidding.

Probably Wilt, since track and field was his thing, and he thought basketball was for sissies.

[InspiredLebowski]

Of guys I actually saw, definitely David Robinson. I don't know if it was playing in SA in relative obscurity a lot of his career, Duncan surpassing everything The Admiral ever did with that franchise, whatever, but people never seem to talk about Robinson. Shame, dude was a damn athletic freak and an outstanding individual off the floor.

[SinJackal]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW4uXlRGAF0

That sure proves that Robinson wasn't really fast!

Oh wait, no it doesn't. It's just a highlight vid of one playoff series that has nothing to do with the topic. Useless post by you.

[Doctor K]

Wilt, probably.
/thread

[MasterDurant24]

Probably not considered a true center, but Ralph Sampson.

[no pun intended]

That sure proves that Robinson wasn't really fast!

Oh wait, no it doesn't. It's just a highlight vid of one playoff series that has nothing to do with the topic. Useless post by you.
Nah, I was just pointing out that Robinson isn't as quick as Olajuwon is when attacking and defending.

[OneMoreSucka]

Marcus Camby

[SinJackal]

Nah, I was just pointing out that Robinson isn't as quick as Olajuwon is when attacking and defending.

He wasn't "quicker", Hakeem had excellent ball fakes and footwork in the low post. Some of the best low post moves ever seen in the NBA. And also had a lot of 3pt shooting to ensure SA doesn't double him much (if at all). DRob was easily the most athletic center ever. He's arguably one of the top most athletic NBA players ever. (imo)

Career matchups, Robinson got the better of Hakeem 2 of every 3 times. That season Hakeem was just always beating him though. Not just in the playoffs either.

[Court Vision]

Anyone who says Wilt /thread needs to watch more hoops. I know you want to prove your hoops knowledge, but David Robinson was as fast and as tathletic of a true center I've ever seen.

D-Rob gets my vote.

[wang4three]

Of guys I actually saw, definitely David Robinson. I don't know if it was playing in SA in relative obscurity a lot of his career, Duncan surpassing everything The Admiral ever did with that franchise, whatever, but people never seem to talk about Robinson. Shame, dude was a damn athletic freak and an outstanding individual off the floor.

Favorite player of all time.

[ShaqAttack3234]

Definitely David Robinson. Here's a small sample. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKVqpXl3M18

For his size? Shaq was incredibly fast as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL6CYWJcx_I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xREPAcRSpE

[Stinky Dog]

samuel dalembert

[usdmef9]

Priest Lauderdale

[AirJordan&Magic]

Hakeem Olajuwon was pretty quick, and Shaq in his Orlando years was pretty quick for his size........But how can it not be David Robinson?

Wilt Chamberlain, from what I have read, was an pretty fast too.

[Rose]

Easily wilt or the admiral.

[jlauber]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Paex9-VxPbA

http://ezinearticles.com/?Wilt-Chamberlain---Track-and-Field-at-the-University-of-Kansas-(KU)-In-Addition-to-Basketball&id=4113288

http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/wilt/article10.html

"What an athlete he'd been. A decathlon champion in college. A professional-quality beach volleyball player into his 50s. And, according to the old football coach Hank Stram, Wilt could've been an NFL star.

"One year when Wilt was holding out on the 76ers," Stram said, "we invited him to an early training camp in the Catskills." This was when Stram's Kansas City Chiefs were an NFL dynasty in the making. "First thing we did was run him 40 yards."

Wilt ran in slacks and bare feet. He outsprinted the Chiefs' best running back, Curtis McClinton. "

[DuMa]

Where do you think Javale McGee comes on that list?

[InspiredLebowski]

Where do you think Javale McGee comes on that list?His turtle head gives him an unfair advantage. Seriously though, I'd barely call him a true NBA player, let alone true center.

[gutterballer733]

Ryan Hollins has a track and field background and he's built kind of like a gazelle. I bet he can fly

[ShaqAttack3234]

I'll throw in Greg Oden coming out of college, he was faster than a lot point guards at the pre-draft camp, iirc and a true freak athlete.

Dwight Howard is fast as well.

[1987_Lakers]

Robert Parish deserves a mention. One of the best running centers in his day.

[Dave_520]

Without question David Robinson... if you read Cameron Stauth's book on the Dream Team he mentioned that David was not only EASILY the fastest center i the league, but the fastest player on his TEAM at that time. From baseline to baseline its no contest, even with phenoms such as Dwight Howard.

Quickness I would say its near even between him and Olajuwon but actual speed there is no question the D-Rob is still by far and away the fastest center in history (but with all the athletes being produced now, it may well change some day soon).

[jlauber]

One more time...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Paex9-VxPbA

Wilt was a SPRINTER at Kansas for cryingoutloud. He was a member of their 4x100 relay team, and he ran the 440 and 880. And, as I posted previously...he outran the Chiefs fastest running back, in a 40 yard dash, in a tryout conducted by Hank Stram.

[moe94]

Forget speed, I'd say DRob is the greatest physical specimen to ever play in the NBA. He was straight up built like a terminator.

[Dave_520]

One more time...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Paex9-VxPbA

Wilt was a SPRINTER at Kansas for cryingoutloud. He was a member of their 4x100 relay team, and he ran the 440 and 880. And, as I posted previously...he outran the Chiefs fastest running back, in a 40 yard dash, in a tryout conducted by Hank Stram.

I'd be willing to bet D-Rob had close to a 4.3-4.4 40yd time as well...

[jlauber]

I'd be willing to bet D-Rob had close to a 4.3-4.4 40yd time as well...

I couldn't tell you. Wilt, by his own admission (take that as you want) said that he ran a 4.4 40.

One more comment on Wilt. He is credited with a 10.9 100 yard dash in high school. Not sure where that came from. In one of his books, he made the comment that one of his teammates at Kansas, Ernie Shelby, ran a 9.3...and that Shelby was one of the few sprinters he ran against who could beat him in 100 yards...and it was close. My gut feeling is Wilt ran at least a 9.9 100 yard dash.

I'm not sure if he was the fastest NBA player ever (Iverson?)...but he reportedly beat Hal Greer and others in footraces in practice. Those who saw Greer play would attest to his quickness.

In any case, in terms of pure athleticism, Wilt was probably without peers in the NBA. 4x100 sprinter, 440, 880, high jump (champion BTW), long jumper, tyriple jumper, shot put. And one more time, Stram felt that Wilt could have been an all-pro at several positions in the NFL. Chamberlain also had two legitimate offers to fight Ali, and after he retired he helped for a professional; volleyball league, and was considered very good at it, despite approaching age 40. Not only that, but he was widely considered among the strongest athletes in the world in the 60's and 70's. He reportedly was bench pressing over 500 lbs back then (when the world record was something like 625), and was even seen bench pressing 465 lbs late in his 50's. Not only that, but there were NBA teams that legitimately pursued him into his late 40's...and even at age 50!

[FCN]

Marcus Camby

Good call. He used to be great on the fast breaks w/ Sprewell.

[YouGotServed]

It's pretty clear that D-Rob wasn't fast enough to hang with Olajuwon.

Olajuwon is the faster center between those two.

[1~Gibson~1]

Big Z :lol

*sorry for making an unfunny comment, i just had to do it*

[LAClipsFan33]

Wilt Chamberlain

[Se]

Robinson or Olajuwon

[DuMa]

It's pretty clear that D-Rob wasn't fast enough to hang with Olajuwon.

Olajuwon is the faster center between those two.

David was faster as a player as in sprint for sprint but being faster doesnt always translate into being a better basketball player. Hakeem was just simply better fundamentally and reacted quicker to everything (defense, the ball, etc)

[Psileas]

Not even a mention of Bill Russell? I wish I could find that video that showed a play from an NCAA game when he dribbled half the court and layed the ball in, stepping from almost the FT line.

EDIT: Found it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTldjWX7yFg#t=5m22s

[jlauber]

Not even a mention of Bill Russell? I wish I could find that video that showed a play from an NCAA game when he dribbled half the court and layed the ball in, stepping from almost the FT line.

EDIT: Found it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTldjWX7yFg#t=5m22s

:applause:

[LAClipsFan33]

Not even a mention of Bill Russell? I wish I could find that video that showed a play from an NCAA game when he dribbled half the court and layed the ball in, stepping from almost the FT line.

EDIT: Found it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTldjWX7yFg#t=5m22s

Ohhh Sh!t I think he could have dunked that if he wanted to. Russell got ups

[Rake2204]

Definitely David Robinson. Here's a small sample. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKVqpXl3M18

Thanks for the link, that clip was the first thing I thought of when I heard "fast center". Robinson is the fastest center I've seen play firsthand (covering the rough time span from 1990-2010). He also appears to be the most comfortable dribbling at a high speed, not as much "patting" of the ball going on.

From what I've read and the small clips I've seen, Wilt was all-everything, but sometimes it's just not fun to come in and say, "Yeah, it's probably Wilt" and then call it a day. That's why I went with the "Amongst those I've watched" angle.

[1~Gibson~1]

Not even a mention of Bill Russell? I wish I could find that video that showed a play from an NCAA game when he dribbled half the court and layed the ball in, stepping from almost the FT line.

EDIT: Found it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTldjWX7yFg#t=5m22s
lmao...Russell's hops were so amazing that the video looks fake

[Dave_520]

Ive read Wilt's book and all the various accounts of his accomplishments, and while I dont doubt many of them, some of them seem a bit stretched. However is that really a surprise coming from Wilt?

Things like a 500lb bench press seem ludacris (I am a former amateur powerlifter and bodybuilder), and 500lbs on the bench is no small feat even after years of training.

Now I understand Wilt was a freak of nature, Im just saying I take a lot of what he says with grain of salt.

[jlauber]

I don't have time to make a more detailed comment on Wilt's legendary strength right now. I'll let Abe handle the rest of that...but here is a great link about the bench-press by a lanky seven footer...

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f2/stop-understimating-ufc-fighters-strength-because-body-shape-745999/index6.html

"I appreciate your comments. Remember, however, that long limbs do not mean you can't bench press excellent poundages. Wilt Chamberlain, the 7' 2" skinny elite basketball player had very poor mechanical advantages for the bench press. His chest was flat, and his arms were skinny and really long! Nonetheless, he was able to bench press 500 lbs! Nobody would believe this by looking at him. His bench press figures have been verified and are widely known. You can find documentation of it on the web. He just happened to have freakishly dense muscles, and excellent genetics when it came to all the other factors that result in brute strength.

Shaq O' Neil, however, can "only" bench press 450 lbs even though he has much thicker arms, more overall mass, shorter arms and a thicker chest. Shaq has to compensate for not being as gifted as Wilt in some areas.

If you are at a very high level in some areas, you can compensate for a weak area. To be the VERY best, however, you need to be elite in ALL AREAS. That is why Wilt could never bench press 700 lbs without support gear. For that, he would have needed better leverages, shorter arms, and a bigger chest."

[LosBulls]

Does anyone have a picture of D-Rob with no shirt on? No homo I just want to see how well he took care of his body.

[Dave_520]

Freakishly dense muscles? Does he mean freakishly strong muscles and dense tendons and ligaments? Muscle density is directly related to mass.

Anyway, I cant verify if Wilt could have pressed that much weight, or if Shaq could bench 450 (Ive read he can up 250, which isnt bad and seems much more reasonable in the neighborhood for basketball players) but once you get into the realm over 405, the neural aspect, CNS activation, specific form, etc come much more heavily into play.

I wont say he couldnt bench that much, but I would bet against it, without second thought.

[jjayfive]

olajuwan, wilt, and d-rob come to mind...

[LMS4]

olajuwan, wilt, and d-rob come to mind...

Yeah thats basically the only ones who come to mind, unless you throw in a younger Shaq.

[SoCalMike]

How could anyone forget young Shaq.

don't confuse quick with fast.. shaq has never been fast but he was definitely quick in his prime.



:pimp:

[ShaqAttack3234]

don't confuse quick with fast.. shaq has never been fast but he was definitely quick in his prime.



:pimp:

Check out the videos of Shaq on the break with Kobe, he got down court in a hurry.

[Pointguard]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Paex9-VxPbA

http://ezinearticles.com/?Wilt-Chamberlain---Track-and-Field-at-the-University-of-Kansas-(KU)-In-Addition-to-Basketball&id=4113288

http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/wilt/article10.html

"What an athlete he'd been. A decathlon champion in college. A professional-quality beach volleyball player into his 50s. And, according to the old football coach Hank Stram, Wilt could've been an NFL star.

"One year when Wilt was holding out on the 76ers," Stram said, "we invited him to an early training camp in the Catskills." This was when Stram's Kansas City Chiefs were an NFL dynasty in the making. "First thing we did was run him 40 yards."

Wilt ran in slacks and bare feet. He outsprinted the Chiefs' best running back, Curtis McClinton. "

Great post as always Jlauber. In that video you see Wilt only takes roughly two steps from half court to the top of the key. He would have done it easily if he isn't anticipating where the ball is going and gathered his speed before getting there. Great footage in proving an approximate in the triple jump and broad jump feats.

[ZenMaster]

Nobody beats Wilt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Paex9-VxPbA&videos=PDOwJiUroZs

[Pointguard]

Freakishly dense muscles? Does he mean freakishly strong muscles and dense tendons and ligaments? Muscle density is directly related to mass.

Anyway, I cant verify if Wilt could have pressed that much weight, or if Shaq could bench 450 (Ive read he can up 250, which isnt bad and seems much more reasonable in the neighborhood for basketball players) but once you get into the realm over 405, the neural aspect, CNS activation, specific form, etc come much more heavily into play.

I wont say he couldnt bench that much, but I would bet against it, without second thought.

I think density is the right word. Earl Boykins is 5'5 and 135 lbs and bench presses 315 pounds. Which is really about the same as what Shaq does. That has to be muscle density and nothing to do with mass. Wilt weighed a little more than 2 Boykins and Wilt's mass would be a factor when you consider Chest/Wings/Torso size when doing a proportionate upscale of Boykins (not even suggesting that Wilt should double his output 630lbs tho). And Wilt's strength is legendary.

Wilt was of unbelievable strength. Arnold Schwartenagger said Wilt was one of the strongest people he ever met. And the terminator was around when steriods were rampant and Wilt wasn't into that.

Wilt dislocated power house Gus Johnson's arm on a dunk. Both KC Jones (235 lbs) and Paul Silas (245 pounds) talked about how he freightened them while picking them up. Bob Lanier (245 lbs) talked at his HOF induction press conference of his most amusing moment in the sport was when Wilt picked him up and moved him like a coffee cup to get position.

Johnny Kerr said ""Once Wilt got upset with me and dunked the ball so hard it went through the rim with such force that it broke my toe as it hit the floor." There are no other basketball stories like Wilts and none of the quoted above come from him.

[jlauber]

I think density is the right word. Earl Boykins is 5'5 and 135 lbs and bench presses 315 pounds. Which is really about the same as what Shaq does. That has to be muscle density and nothing to do with mass. Wilt weighed a little more than 2 Boykins and Wilt's mass would be a factor when you consider Chest/Wings/Torso size. And Wilt's strength is legendary.

Wilt was of unbelievable strength. Arnold Schwartenagger said Wilt was one of the strongest people he ever met. And the terminator was around when steriods were rampant and Wilt wasn't into that.

Wilt dislocated power house Gus Johnson's arm on a dunk. Both KC Jones (235 lbs) and Paul Silas (245 pounds) talked about how he freightened them while picking them up. Bob Lanier (245 lbs) talked at his HOF induction press conference of his most amusing moment in the sport was when Wilt picked him up and moved him like a coffee cup to get position.

Johnny Kerr said ""Once Wilt got upset with me and dunked the ball so hard it went through the rim with such force that it broke my toe as it hit the floor." There are no other basketball stories like Wilts and none of the quoted above come from him.

Excellent post. Of course those stories are actually just the tip of the iceberg. For those that claim that Wilt "exaggerated" his feats...the vast majority of these incredible stories were/are told be someone OTHER than Wilt.

[Chalkmaze]

Gheorghe Muresan

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

[SinJackal]

Does anyone have a picture of D-Rob with no shirt on? No homo I just want to see how well he took care of his body.

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/81802043/Sports-Illustrated

All I could find. Sorry, kind of dark.

[TechnicalFowl]

Nobody beats Wilt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Paex9-VxPbA&videos=PDOwJiUroZs

That looked like Wilt was on turbo NBA Jam style.