Max(in their prime) Vertical Leaps for Kobe, Shaq, and other NBA Stars
Jack White
this would be a good time for this topic.
Here's a list of known vertical leaps of a few well known NBA players
and other athletes.
You also have to realize that a one step jump and a running jump will
produce a few more inches of altitude than a standing vertical leap.
Here's the list.
http://www.geocities.com/jumpman30000/vertical.html
NBA
Michael Jordan - 48" (Chicago Bull Days)
Vince Carter - 43"
Steve Francis - 43"
Antonio McDyess - 42"
Allen Iverson - 41"
Shawn Kemp - 40" (Seattle Sonic Days)
Rex Chapmann - 39"
Kobe Bryant - 38"
Desmond Mason - 38"
Shaquille Oneal - 32"
Lamar Odom - 32"
Karl Malone - 28"
Retired Players
Spud Webb - 46"
Dee Brown - 44"
Harold Miner - 44"
Dominique Wilkins - 42"
Julius Erving - 41"
Larry Nance - 40"
Ralph Sampson - 36"
Magic Johnson - 30"
Other High Verticals (Non-NBA)
Michael Wilson (Globetrotters) - 51"
Reggie Thompson (Jumpsoles) - 53"
Ronnie Fields (CBA) - 48"
Melvin Levett - 45"
NFL
Randy Moss (NFL) - 51"
Jevon Kearse (NFL - 265 lbs) - 40"
NCAA
Brandon Dean (NCAA - Arkansas) - 39"
The numbers seem to be right on the money for most of these in my
opinion.
I remember having an arguement when I was a little kid, and I said
that Michael Jordan had about a 42" vertical in my opinion and all
these kids were saying that they knew for a fact that he had a 48"
vertical because they'd read it in SI.
The numbers for Jordan, Michael Wilson, and Randy Moss do seem kind of
high.
I don't really watch much football so I really don't know if Moss
really is as great an athlete as the numbers say.
I do realize that many NFL players(especially WRs, CBs, etc) are world
class athletes as far as speed, leaping ability, etc is concerned.
I've seen Cunningham run and jump like Carl Lewis or Mike Powell with
my own eyes and I have no doubt that he could dunk from the freethrow
like in his prime so I don't underestimate what kind of athletic
ability some NFL players have.
I've seen Michael Wilson finish 2nd in a dunk contest to Darvin Ham,
and although Wilson was a good leaper, it didn't seem like he was as
good as the humbers say. On the other hand Wilson does have the world
record for dunking on the highest rim.
The best leapers I've ever seen with my own eyes would have to be Spud
Webb, Stephon Marbury(in his college days), and Ronnie Fields.
I think the world was really robbed of a slam dunk contest of the ages
between Ronnie Fields and Vince Carter with Ronnie's untimely death.
The best with a combination of height, armlength, and leaping ability
I've ever seen is Ralph Sampson.
Ralph probably had to worry about hurting his head on the backboard or
rim more than any player in NBA history.
If Ralph had tried to break that dunking on the highest rim record,
then there's no way Michael Wilson or anyone today would be able to
even tie it let alone break it.
Shaq had a very respectable vertical for a center in the Orlando days,
and Shaq probably had the best leaping ability, quickness, speed, etc
of any person that's both above 7 feet tall and also over 300lbs in
the history of the world back in the Orlando days.
I think David Robinson and Hakeem would both be a notch above Shaq if
they were listed on this list, but they were both 50 to 60 lbs lighter
than Shaq in his prime, and 90 lbs lighter than Shaq of today so it's
a slightly unfair comparison.
David Robinson is actually the 2nd best I've ever seen with my own
eyes in the combination of height, armlength, and jumping ability
after Ralph Sampson.
According to Wilt Chamberlain, he had a 50" vertical in his prime.
If that were indeed true, then that would even put him ahead of Ralph
Sampson and Wilt could have set the dunking on the highest rim record
and it would not be broken for more than a hundred years or maybe even
several hundred years.
I don't know if Wilt was as great a leaper as he says, but he could
highjump well over 7 feet WITHOUT even using the Fausbury Flop
Technique.
That alone does indicate that he did have some serious springs in
those feet, but I don't know if that alone indicates that the 50"
number is correct.
Kobe really is only about a B+ leaper, and he has small hands on top
of that.
I will say that Kobe does maxamize what he does have to the best of
his ability.
You can't really expect someone with Kobe's small hands and his
leaping ability to be a better dunker than he is.
Kobe just doesn't have the hands to do some of the Jordan and Carter
dunks even if he did have the leaping ability.
The Slam Dunk contest is getting sorrier and sorrier year by year. The
Vince Carter, Mcgrady, Francis one was great because they were
superstars just like back in the day when you used to have superstars
like Nique, Jordan, Kemp, Drexler, Dr J, etc in the contests.
It really sucks when some of the best dunkers don't even enter the
contest.
K-Mart for example is one of the very top dunkers in the NBA and it's
sad that he'll never be in a dunk contest.
A lot of great dunkers like McDyess, Eddie Robinson, etc have been too
chicken to enter the dunk contests and give the fans what they want,
and have thus even lost a lot of their jumping ability due to age and
injuries, etc.
What happened to guys like Kemp and Drexler who entered contests to
give the fans what they wanted even at the risk of losing over and
over again?
A lot of these guys today are too chicken and their egos are too
fragile to enter the slam dunk contest because of the risk of losing.
Look at a guy like Turbo who risks breaking his neck with some of
those dunks and ending up like Chris Reeves just to entertain the
fans, and these NBA stars who get paid millions of bucks are too
chicken to even enter a Slam Dunk Contest to entertain the fans.
Tyler Sherkin
too low, he has a vert like Jordan did. And Spudd Webb, didn't he have a
50? He did 360's and stuff at 5'7...
"Jack White" <jack...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:228e6376.0301...@posting.google.com...
Basketor
Ammammata
> Wilt had a 55 off one foot, I read somewhere. And Vince's vertical
> looks too low, he has a vert like Jordan did. And Spudd Webb, didn't
> he have a 50? He did 360's and stuff at 5'7...
>
quote please, you and the other guy, No.500ForU
Thankyou
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Marshall J
"Tyler Sherkin" <t_sh...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:b11e55$7q1$1...@informer1.cis.mcmaster.ca...
> Wilt had a 55 off one foot, I read somewhere. And Vince's vertical looks
> too low, he has a vert like Jordan did. And Spudd Webb, didn't he have a
> 50? He did 360's and stuff at 5'7...
>
The meaning of SBN has just reached new heights. Actually wanting to
discuss vertical leap with Jack White!
Tiberon
Marshall J <c...@bigpond.net.au> wrote in message
news:jq_Y9.8550$7y2....@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>
> "Tyler Sherkin" <t_sh...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:b11e55$7q1$1...@informer1.cis.mcmaster.ca...
> > Wilt had a 55 off one foot, I read somewhere. And Vince's vertical
looks
> > too low, he has a vert like Jordan did. And Spudd Webb, didn't he have
a
> > 50? He did 360's and stuff at 5'7...
> >
>
> The meaning of SBN has just reached new heights. Actually wanting to
> discuss vertical leap with Jack White!
SO?
Tyler Sherkin
first time I've actually noticed him posting...
"Tiberon" <we...@concentric.net> wrote in message
news:b121ai$j...@dispatch.concentric.net...
bryg...@charter.net
"Marshall J" <c...@bigpond.net.au> wrote in message
news:jq_Y9.8550$7y2....@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>
> news:b11e55$7q1$1...@informer1.cis.mcmaster.ca...
> > Wilt had a 55 off one foot, I read somewhere. And Vince's
vertical looks
> > too low, he has a vert like Jordan did. And Spudd Webb,
didn't he have a
> > 50? He did 360's and stuff at 5'7...
> >
>
> The meaning of SBN has just reached new heights. Actually
wanting to
> discuss vertical leap with Jack White!
What are you talking about? This is a quality post.
Bryan