Is LeBron the greatest athlete of all time?

[Zodiac]

Herschel, are people forgetting that the guy is winning MMA Bouts at age 50.

[La Frescobaldi]

I always sit in wonder at the short-sighted threads that talk about "all time."

All time basketball player is one thing.

Anybody on ISH ever watch ancient Greek wrestlers?

Ever see a Roman Gladiator?

What about an Aztec warrior in full cry racing down the court bumping a rubber ball off his elbow trying to push it through a circle high up on the wall? Ullamaliztli players had to be some kinda athlete!!

How you gonna talk about all time anything?

And to talk about LeBron when there's guys like Jim Thorpe within recent history.

just amazing

[The Iron Fist]

Throw Jackie Robinson in the mix as well.

[RaininThrees]

I always sit in wonder at the short-sighted threads that talk about "all time."

All time basketball player is one thing.

Anybody on ISH ever watch ancient Greek wrestlers?

Ever see a Roman Gladiator?

What about an Aztec warrior in full cry racing down the court bumping a rubber ball off his elbow trying to push it through a circle high up on the wall? Ullamaliztli players had to be some kinda athlete!!

How you gonna talk about all time anything?

And to talk about LeBron when there's guys like Jim Thorpe within recent history.

just amazing

Click back a page to see Thorpe.

[eddiem4s]

I put the incredible Mark Madsen up there alongside the all powerful Danny Ainge.

[AngelEyes]

Bo Jax was an all star with the best players of his era, and an all pro with the best players of his era. Michael Jordan tried baseball and didn't do shit. Dave Winfield was drafted by the three major sports leagues in america. Just because an athlete is gifted at one sport, doesn't mean he will excel at others because hes big and fast. Some of the best baseball players of all time weren't the fastest or strongest because thats a sport that requires incredible hand/eye coordination. So no, he doesn't almost win by default when there have been better athletes in history.

Bo Jackson was playing baseball his entire life, Jordan hadn't played baseball since high school and picked it up again when he was 31. Most baseball players who aren't using PEDs are already past their prime or nearing the end of their prime at this age, not a fair comparison. If Jordan had kept playing baseball and had been serious about it at a much younger age, say 21, he would have been far more successful.

[Kellogs4toniee]

I always sit in wonder at the short-sighted threads that talk about "all time."

All time basketball player is one thing.

Anybody on ISH ever watch ancient Greek wrestlers?

Ever see a Roman Gladiator?

What about an Aztec warrior in full cry racing down the court bumping a rubber ball off his elbow trying to push it through a circle high up on the wall? Ullamaliztli players had to be some kinda athlete!!

How you gonna talk about all time anything?

And to talk about LeBron when there's guys like Jim Thorpe within recent history.

just amazing

Lol your taking this way too seriously. I think its safe to "assume" OP is talking about only modern sports, since you know... no one knows anything like name, height, speed of the warriors of old.

[La Frescobaldi]

Nope.

7-1 1/16th w/o shoes
7-8 wingspan
9-7" standing reach
11.5" hand spread
9.5" hand width
258lbs-327lbs

*4.6 40 in barefeet @ 290lbs
*Convinced a HOF pro football coach he'd be the greatest football reciever of ALL TIME
*Ali stated after scouting Wilt practicing, that he'd be a tougher opponent and more skilled than Joe Fazier in the boxing ring
*Worked out with Arnold, and even Arnold was in awe about his raw strength
*2 time big-eight NCAA high jumper, jumped 6-7.75 in the pre fosbury high-jump era - also was elite at the HS level in the 440, long jump, and in the NCAA also competed in triple jump
*Professional Volleyball player
*Owns the NBA record book to this day. Nobody touches his records even 50 years later, how many sports have had athletes with records for that long, let alone the NUMBER of records he has? He was so damn dominant at the sport of basketball people to this day desperately search for excuses to explain his achievements.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwvdsi6gLl8

Lebron also has the "multi-sport gifted athleticism" thing going for him. And has an insane body that is rarified in sports. Lebron actually is on par with Wilt in many things, perhaps even exceeding him in a few by small margins. But Lebron is miles behind Wilt in terms of two very important categories.
Size, and strength.

Wilt Chamberlain is the greatest athlete I have seen in my lifetime.

[plowking]

I haven't even been watching much football lately, but off the top of my head...


Peterson: http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings...2007&genpos=RB

6'1 217 lbs
40 time: 4.37
Max Bench press is apparently 350 lbs
38 inch vertical leap




Patrick Willis: http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings...007&genpos=ILB

6'1 242 lbs
40 time: 4.37 as well
Can bench press 225 lbs for 22 reps
39 inch vertical leap

Endurance is part of being an athlete. None of them could run out a basketball game for 40 minutes. While Lebron can put up comparable numbers on nearly all explosive activities bar the bench press. In fact, I'd say his running vertical is better. And his 40 time would be on par, at 6'9 and far heavier than both.

[The Iron Fist]

Bo Jackson was playing baseball his entire life, Jordan hadn't played baseball since high school and picked it up again when he was 31. Most baseball players who aren't using PEDs are already past their prime or nearing the end of their prime at this age, not a fair comparison. If Jordan had kept playing baseball and had been serious about it at a much younger age, say 21, he would have been far more successful.

Jordan played baseball since he was a kid, he just sucked at it.

[AngelEyes]

Jordan played baseball since he was a kid, he just sucked at it.

He played in high school and stopped when he was about 15 or so. It was actually a minor achievement that he was able to be as good as he was, even if his average was putrid. He was actually improving in his last stages as a baseball player, even some of his minor league coaches mentioned this. If he had stuck with baseball through high school and maybe played it in college and tried to play in the minors in his early 20's, well then he would have been much improved.

[KOBE143]

No

GOATbrook

[pauk]

Jordan / Lebron / Shaq / Wilt

[RoundMoundOfReb]

Basketball players are generally better pure athletes than football players. Bigger divas and not as tough though.

[Kovach]

No, it is clearly Tiger Woods. He has won more ESPY awards than any other athlete.