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[Kung Fu Jedi]

Okay, here's one that will be obscure to most of you. This is Team Nike, the most dominant adventure racing team in the world. In the photo they're crossing the finish line to a race called Primal Quest, which is 600 miles long over 10 days of non-stop racing though backcountry. When I say non-stop, I mean they often don't even stop to sleep.

In last year's race, Nike finished the 548 mile course in like 5 days and 11 hours, having run, mountain biked, and kayaked their way through the Rocky Mountains in Montana. These guys are endurance athletes like no other, they're just not well know amongst the mainstream.

 

[SolidSnakex]

steffi graf perhaps?
22 grand slams

Margaret Court was more impressive as far as tennis players goes. She has 24 singles Grand Slams, 19 women's doubles Grand Slams and 19 mixed doubles Grand Slams.

 

[arstal]

Jim Thorpe?

 

[Zeliard]

I don't think Gretzky scored more goals than every other team in the league except one did he? He changed the sport of baseball far beyond anything Gretzky or Wilt Chamberlain did . I mean, he won 94 games as a pitcher before he moved to hitting full-time! Curt Shilling has won 216 games in his entire career and Babe Ruth won 94 before going out and hitting 714 home runs.

Wilt Chamberlain led the league in assists once.

 

[Herpes Reasons]

Margaret Court was more impressive as far as tennis players goes. She has 24 singles Grand Slams, 19 women's doubles Grand Slams and 19 mixed doubles Grand Slams.

women's competition is more competitive in graf's time then in Margaret's.
Margaret was just way ahead of her time. if they we're to play head to head in their peaks, graff would destroy her. no arguing that.

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

women's competition is more competitive in graf's time then in Margaret's.
Margaret was just way ahead of her time. if they we're to play head to head in their peaks, graff would destroy her. no arguing that.

But that is the thing, you can only take what the athlete did in her/his own time with her/his own competition. Would Wilt score 50ppg today? Probably not. Would he avg 23 rebounds pg for his career today? Probably not. However, that doesn't matter as its all what if's. What we do know is that with the competition he faced he was the most dominant player ever. More dominant with his competition than any basketball player was before or since with their own competition.

 

[Sol..]

Yes, but a big part of the reason Michael Jordan was so dominant in basketball was very much due to his athleticism. He was simply faster and considerably more explosive than virtually everybody else on the court, even point guards. The whole "Air Jordan" thing came about because the guy spent half his playing time in the 80s flying above people's heads, and he did it when that sort of thing was rare at the time (despite Dr. J's antics).

when you watch old MJ clips you really get to see why people put him up there. Some stuff was unreal.

I still gotta put Labron slightly above him though *dives behind a box* He's like 270 pounds man. His game sometimes looks like Mike's but he's fuckin 270 man. Nobody else finds that unfucking real? But then again bball has had some of the craziest athletes. They got midgets that can fly, Fatties prancing around like Ballet dancers, and big men flying seemingly above the clouds. What an amazing game eh?

 

[Herpes Reasons]

But that is the thing, you can only take what the athlete did in her/his own time with her/his own competition. Would Wilt score 50ppg today? Probably not. Would he avg 23 rebounds pg for his career today? Probably not. However, that doesn't matter as its all what if's. What we do know is that with the competition he faced he was the most dominant player ever. More dominant with his competition than any basketball player was before or since with their own competition.

are you saying kobe is a better offensive player than michael jordan, because that's how i read it.

 

[Ironballs]

Babe Ruth.

Josh Gibson

are you saying kobe is a better offensive player than michael jordan, because that's how i read it.

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

are you saying kobe is a better offensive player than michael jordan, because that's how i read it.

No. Even statistically Michael is greater still than Kobe. My point is its unfair to take ones competition into account when judging who is greatest across generations.

 

[Weenerz]

Need more pictures of this broad.

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

Josh Gibson

BOOM HEADSHOT! BTW, Satchel Paige and Oscar Charleston were not too shabby

 

[Herpes Reasons]

No. Even statistically Michael is greater still than Kobe. My point is its unfair to take ones competition into account when judging who is greatest across generations.

kobe has reached 24,000pts quicker than anyon else...

 

[Sol..]

Josh Gibson

Man i wish i could see that guy play. The things they said he did....It has to be fake.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

Wilt Chamberlain led the league in assists once.

Oscar Robertson averaged a triple double for an entire season. Think about that one!

 

[Future PhaZe]

Roger Federer, though it's close and I'll have to reconsider if Lance Armstrong wins this Tour de France.

Lance Armstrong:

Resting heart rate: 32 bpm
VO2max: 83.8ml/kg/min
Lactate threshold heart-rate: 178 bpm

What in the FUCK?!

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

kobe has reached 24,000pts quicker than anyon else...

He played more games before 30 than anyone else... Michael came into the league at I believe 21-22, Kobe already had 3 years on him. Kobe is the greatest offensive player this generation however I still put MJ higher. That may change depending on what Kobe does for the next few. I still rank Wilt as the greatest offensive player ever.

Edit. BTW, I still rank Magic as a greater offensive player than Michael. If you take the number of assists that both players avg pg, their points pg for their career, Magic Johnson contributes to two points more than Michael. Not to mention that Magic out rebounded Michael for his career and had a better field goal percentage.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

He played more games before 30 than anyone else... Michael came into the league at I believe 21-22, Kobe already had 3 years on him. Kobe is the greatest offensive player this generation however I still put MJ higher. That may change depending on what Kobe does for the next few. I still rank Wilt as the greatest offensive player ever.

Generally those "fastest to X points" records are based on games played and not age.

 

[Neo C.]

And in contrast to MJ, he could actually be a very good football player as well (played both sports during the highschool IIRC). There aren't many athletes who could choose in which kind of sport they want to dominate.

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

Generally those "fastest to X points" records are based on games played and not age.

http://www.interbasket.net/news/171/2007/12/24/kobe-youngest-but-not-fastest-to-reach-20000-points/

This is for 20,000 points.

 

[levious]

Generally those "fastest to X points" records are based on games played and not age.

for Kobe, it was youngest player to reach...

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/29131668/

Wilt Chamberlain was formerly the youngest at 30 years, 176 days. He still ranks as the fastest to 23,000, reaching it in 606 games, while Bryant, who came straight from high school to the NBA, reached it in his 917th game.

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

for Kobe, it was youngest player to reach...

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/29131668/

Thank you.

 

[Herpes Reasons]

He played more games before 30 than anyone else... Michael came into the league at I believe 21-22, Kobe already had 3 years on him. Kobe is the greatest offensive player this generation however I still put MJ higher. That may change depending on what Kobe does for the next few. I still rank Wilt as the greatest offensive player ever.

Edit. BTW, I still rank Magic as a greater offensive player than Michael. If you take the number of assists that both players avg pg, their points pg for their career, Magic Johnson contributes to two points more than Michael. Not to mention that Magic out rebounded Michael for his career and had a better field goal percentage.

well fuck man, why couldn't you have said that in the first place?
btw, kobe reached 23,000pts in the least amount of games played. at 606 games.
edit:wilt i mean

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

well fuck man, why couldn't you have said that in the first place?
btw, kobe reached 23,000pts in the least amount of games played. at 606 games.

Check again.

Kobe would have a much higher points per game had he done it the fastest rather than the youngest.

His career avg is only 25.1 ppg. That is fantastic but it is still 5 points less than Michael and Wilt. How is Kobe going to reach that plateau quicker when he is avg 5 points less pg?

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

for Kobe, it was youngest player to reach...

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/29131668/

It goes to show you that records can be made up for just about anything. Skipping HS and going to the NBA at a younger age didn't occur when those older players all spent four years in college before turning pro. The age "record" is meaningless compared to games played really.

 

[Kastro]

Yes, but no, go play pool for 4 hours....then go play golf for 4 hours on a summer day, walk, dont ride, and play from the pro tees.

Its amazingly exhausting, I've done this 2 times with friends for a "lets see how we would be if we were pro's lol's"...when you swing hard 120 times while walking 4 miles in the heat, its rough.

that's artificial though.. most of the exhaustion comes from not actually playing golf.

 

[Herpes Reasons]

Check again.

i meant wilt.

 

[levious]

It goes to show you that records can be made up for just about anything. Skipping HS and going to the NBA at a younger age didn't occur when those older players all spent four years in college before turning pro. The age "record" is meaningless compared to games played really.

it did, I believe Moses Malone played at age 18/19. And Jordan came out a year early.

 

[cashman]

I don't think Gretzky scored more goals than every other team in the league except one did he? He changed the sport of baseball far beyond anything Gretzky or Wilt Chamberlain did . I mean, he won 94 games as a pitcher before he moved to hitting full-time! Curt Shilling has won 216 games in his entire career and Babe Ruth won 94 before going out and hitting 714 home runs.

They played in completely different eras. Pitchers pitched about every other day during ruth's era.

 

[Blackface]

Mike Tyson isn't even a top 5 boxer of all time.

If we are talking ATHLETES. Bo Jackson. Without a question.

NFL pro bowl, and MLB all-star game IN THE SAME year. Also was recruited to compete in sprint events in the Olympics, but declined.

If we are talking best at their sport, Wayne Gretzky, probably Roger Federer by the time he retires.

Mike Tyson like I said, is not even the best boxer ever. Many rankings don't have him in the top 10.

The concesus best boxer to ever put on gloves is Sugar Ray Robinson.

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

well fuck man, why couldn't you have said that in the first place?

Yea, I think Magic is very underrated by many folks when it comes to offensive efficiency and what he meant to the Laker's offense. The dude avg 11+ assists pg, 20 ppg, and 7 rebounds? That is just disgusting. Steve Nash for his career is at 14ppg, 8apg, and 3 turnovers. He has 3 less assists pg than Magic and the same amount of turnovers with 6 less points and 4 less rebounds and was considered for a few years the greatest point in the game. Magic is just in another stratosphere.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

it did, I believe Moses Malone played at age 18/19. And Jordan came out a year early.

I don't think of the Jordan era as older players. Maybe because I'm an older GAF-fer. :lol I'm speaking of guys like Wilt, Kareem, Oscar Robertson, and so on. It wasn't until Magic's era that guys really started coming out early even. In the real old days they played four years of college, period.

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

Mike Tyson isn't even a top 5 boxer of all time.

If we are talking ATHLETES. Bo Jackson. Without a question.

NFL pro bowl, and MLB all-star game IN THE SAME year. Also was recruited to compete in sprint events in the Olympics, but declined.

If we are talking best at their sport, Wayne Gretzky, probably Roger Federer by the time he retires.

Mike Tyson like I said, is not even the best boxer ever. Many rankings don't have him in the top 10.

The concensus best boxer to ever put on gloves is Sugar Ray Robinson.

This man knows his sports.

 

[Zeliard]

Oscar Robertson averaged a triple double for an entire season. Think about that one!

The guy almost averaged a triple double over his entire career with everything added up and averaged out.

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

I don't think of the Jordan era as older players. Maybe because I'm an older GAF-fer. :lol I'm speaking of guys like Wilt, Kareem, Oscar Robertson, and so on. It wasn't until Magic's era that guys really started coming out early even. In the real old days they played four years of college, period.

Wilt came out early I do believe. But yea, I get your point.

 

[levious]

I don't think of the Jordan era as older players. Maybe because I'm an older GAF-fer. :lol I'm speaking of guys like Wilt, Kareem, Oscar Robertson, and so on. It wasn't until Magic's era that guys really started coming out early even. In the real old days they played four years of college, period.

I said Moses Malone (not Karl in case that's confusing you) first, and he wasn't the first to do that. And Wilt was a globetrotter after his junior year, it was shortly after that that the NBA allowed players to leave early.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

The guy almost averaged a triple double over his entire career with everything added up and averaged out.

Right. He was amazing and often overlooked.

I said Moses Malone (not Karl in case that's confusing you) first, and he wasn't the first to do that. And Wilt was a globetrotter after his junior year, it was shortly after that that the NBA allowed players to leave early.

I read and understood what you wrote, and know the difference between Moses and Karl, thanks. But, I stand corrected on the number of people coming out early. It still wasn't common, but it happened. That doesn't make the "Youngest to do X" thing any more relevant. Games played is still a better indicator.

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

Right. He was amazing and often overlooked.

Yup, partially because he never won a ring until Kareem came and by then Oscar was second fiddle.

 

[Zeliard]

Right. He was amazing and often overlooked.

By the general ESPN-watching public, maybe, but he and Magic Johnson are pretty widely ackowledged by basketball heads as the two greatest point guards the game has seen.

 

[levious]

I read and understood what you wrote, and know the difference between Moses and Karl, thanks.

ok, I was wondering why you said Jordan era in response to my mention of Moses Malone, although I think he was still playing when Jordan was a rookie, not sure.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

By the general ESPN-watching public, maybe, but he and Magic Johnson are pretty widely ackowledged by basketball heads as the two greatest point guards the game has seen.

True. Sportsfans know and respect him. You just don't see him get mentioned in threads like this one often.

ok, I was wondering why you said Jordan era in response to my mention of Moses Malone, although I think he was still playing when Jordan was a rookie, not sure.

Moses played until 1995, so well into the "Jordan Era".

 

[SolidSnakex]

women's competition is more competitive in graf's time then in Margaret's.
Margaret was just way ahead of her time. if they we're to play head to head in their peaks, graff would destroy her. no arguing that.

You open a very big can of worms with that though. The modern athlete is stronger and faster than athletes of previous eras. You'll have to start looking at the greats and ask "Could they do that now?" and the general answer is going to be absolutely not.

 

[levious]

Moses played until 1995, so well into the "Jordan Era".

cool, didn't realize that.

 

[Herpes Reasons]

And in contrast to MJ, he could actually be a very good football player as well (played both sports during the highschool IIRC). There aren't many athletes who could choose in which kind of sport they want to dominate.

 

[CajoleJuice]

:lol :lol :lol

I so want to see that footage of him getting dunked on.

 

[Cyan]

Jim Thorpe?

.

 

[SS4Gogita]

I bet all of you saying "lol golfers aren't athletes" either A) Don't know the definition of athlete or B) Have never played an 18-hole course without a cart, let alone an 18-hole course 4 days in a row.

Athlete: a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

Golf absolutely requires stamina, strength, and skill.

 

[Sol..]

Mike Tyson isn't even a top 5 boxer of all time.

If we are talking ATHLETES. Bo Jackson. Without a question.

NFL pro bowl, and MLB all-star game IN THE SAME year. Also was recruited to compete in sprint events in the Olympics, but declined.

If we are talking best at their sport, Wayne Gretzky, probably Roger Federer by the time he retires.

Mike Tyson like I said, is not even the best boxer ever. Many rankings don't have him in the top 10.

The concesus best boxer to ever put on gloves is Sugar Ray Robinson.

I think we all know mike isn't the top boxer..some of us just argue he's the most athletic

 

[D4Danger]

:lol :lol :lol

I so want to see that footage of him getting dunked on.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=365026

 

[SolidSnakex]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=365026

I think he's talking about the footage of Lebron getting dunked on. It happened at Lebron's summer camp and Lebron had Nike take away all of the footage.