I thought this would be an interesting question to ask.

I'd go with Lebron due to his size, strength, quickness, hops, and speed all being phenomenal. I'd probably put earl boykins second surprisingly - he can bench press 300+ lbs at 5'5" and is one of the quickest players in the L.

Probably Lebron. But good point about Boykins. His conditioning is pretty impressive, and it doesn't stand out more due to his size. Just because he doesn't dunk over anyone doesn't mean he's not one of the most athletics players of the NBA.

tHe_dIsEaSe wrote:I'd probably put earl boykins second surprisingly - he can bench press 300+ lbs at 5'5" and is one of the quickest players in the L.

300 pounds! Really! That has got to be close to the best someone his height has done. That is real good for someone who plays a game of speed as well

migya wrote:

tHe_dIsEaSe wrote:I'd probably put earl boykins second surprisingly - he can bench press 300+ lbs at 5'5" and is one of the quickest players in the L.

300 pounds! Really! That has got to be close to the best someone his height has done. That is real good for someone who plays a game of speed as well

Yeah, for a 133 pound guy to bench 300 is pretty damned impressive

tHe_dIsEaSe wrote:

migya wrote:

tHe_dIsEaSe wrote:I'd probably put earl boykins second surprisingly - he can bench press 300+ lbs at 5'5" and is one of the quickest players in the L.

300 pounds! Really! That has got to be close to the best someone his height has done. That is real good for someone who plays a game of speed as well

Yeah, for a 133 pound guy to bench 300 is pretty damned impressive

tHe_dIsEaSe wrote: I'd probably put earl boykins second surprisingly - he can bench press 300+ lbs at 5'5" and is one of the quickest players in the L.

After reading the poll question, my initial answer was Lebron, but after reading this little fact about Boykins, I figure it has to be him...

uhh...ima go with boykins on this one. the lil guy doesnt only have heart, but he will drive on the tallest men the NBA can give to him and find ways to score. and yea, after reading that quote, definitely earl.

I really miss him on the Warriors. He used to kick arse in the 4th quarters.


Hopefully Monta can be like that

yup he did. we've let go a couple good warriors over the years. arenas, boykins, jamison. van exel was pretty much a non factor cuz he got injured so much.

Boykins wasn't a star but played like one in spurts and that made the team a whole lot better. The Nuggets just need Camby healthy and with the players they have they could be a top 4 team in the West

well, if it's not a pound for pound question, I gotta take Lebron

No Ben/Iggy/D.Howard/Amare ? Well, from the list ( pound for pound ) Earl & Shaq stand out. Overall, Bron ( @ 18-19 yrs old ) standing 6-7 to 6-8 @ or around 240 lbs his rookie season set a new bar for me.---***030***---

I'd need an "other" option. Alonzo Mourning is still the most impressive physical player in the league to me (kidneys or not). As a man two years removed from a kidney transplant (along with being in his 13th season... so he's undeniably not what he used to be), he still managed to average over 4 swats a night in that 18-game stint where Shaq was hurt (not to mention logging 3rd in the league in blocks per night with barely 20 minutes a game)... and it's because he's a freak of nature.


This is a perfect example of what Mourning was (and still is) all about. 2 inches shorter than his average competition, Mourning was still able to sky above the tin, push out that tree-branch of an arm of his, and send opponent's shots towards the scorers table. Nobody did it better. Nobody ever will.

Mourning was, maybe, the most athletic center of his time, but right now he ain't anymore. He looks athletic, but the fact is that he'll only give you around 20 good minutes per game.

And that's 18 minutes more than most centers...

About Shaq... I don't know. Stronger than any other, yes, but I'm not sure he's so athletic as a whole.

Yes, but the athletic quality of those 20 minutes a game is above 99% of the other players in the league. Zo's conditioning is more attributed to what his body will give him, rather than how hard he works. If he had good kidneys (and no nagging doctors), he could still log 35 minutes a game. He's in THAT good of shape (even in the twilight of his career).

The only other guy who could do what Mourning did (as far as overall ability) was David Robinson... and The Admiral had a couple inches on Zo (which didn't stop Alonzo from averaging a block or two more than David most seasons). Pound for pound, I don't think anybody outperformed Zo in the key. He was a machine in his day (and still shows us flashes of it, sometimes).

And, I agree, Shaq doesn't have the hops or the speed to be regarded as the "most athletic" player in the league. The strongest? For sure. But that's about it.