Ended on Wilt....perfect. Everyone talks about Wilt being the strongest in B-ball , when really, he was one of, if not THE strongest person on the planet. At least the strongest 1 with agility on top of all that. An all-natural freak of strength , agility & jumping ability.
If Artis and Wilt had access to today’s knowledge and resources of Strength Training, Nutrition, Surgical Procedures and Rehabilitation/Recovery methods, they would dwarf Shaq completely. (Since both were taller and naturally stronger). I’m not even going to get into PED’s.
Wilt would've beat Shaq O'Neal in arm wrestling then arnold schzenegger & wilt would've blow away Shaq O'Neal in the weights room, warm up at 500 pounds , 500 pounds weight rooms requirement for bench press , Shaq O'Neal not was invited
My 6 ft 10 Dad ran into Wilt on the OLD Hotel Cuse elevator back in the early 60s when he went to pick my Mom up from work there. Dad said that Wilt wascat least 7.2. But it was like walking into a concrete wall. Wilt helped Dad up and motioned for Dad to "shhhhh". So Dad did and Wilt went out with a beautiful woman. Dad was too shocked to ask for Wilt's autograph. Back then, players weren't allowed to go out at night. But nobody told Wilt what to do. EVER. Thecold man said that Wilt pumped Iron and it showed. He was built like a tank. Can't say that about Shaq, who let himself go in his later NBA years.
Wilt was and I do not think there is a close second ....the story's I hear about him are incredible . The rest of NBA was lucky that he was a nice guy because if he wasn't there would've been some major damage to cheap shotting guys like clyde lovellette who deserved it and got flattened by wilt one time
Oddly enough, as strong as Wilt was, he really had a lot of finesse to his game. A surprisingly high percentage of his shots were either a fadeaway or a finger roll. Artis and even more so Shaq relied on pure power.
Shaq had the footwork, baby hook, could run the floor in his younger days and was a great passer out the double team on the low post he wasn’t just brute force. He had good touch
That’s because wilt didn’t want to be known as a brute strength guy he wanted to show his athleticism on the court but not like he couldn’t play like Shaq and Ron artest if he really wanted too.
I think it's easily Wilt, because his strength caused at least 2 players to get injured - He once dunked the ball so hard that the ball broke Johnny "Red" Kerr's toe - He blocked Gus Johnson's dunk and dislocated his shoulder
WILT: GOAT. Could run a 4.5 40, leaving Shaq on the bench and out of breath. Wilt: 600 lb press. Shaq: 450. Wilt track and field star (like Russell). Shaq: out of breath. WILT wouldn’t back down opponents for fear of injuring them.
Wilt, Shaq then Artis but I never hear anyone talk about the strength of Wes Unseld. He was built like a tank. I remember guy bouncing off him like they hit a wall when he set picks.
@ShinetheLightofTruth Julius Erving has said more than once that "Wes would hurt you". I'm privileged enough to have seen most of Julius' career, including his last two seasons in the ABA and I can't recall ever seeing him dunk on Unseld.
@Edward Monix I got that. Ballard and Grevey.... even Bobby D all guarded Doc at different times. However, this video is about the strongest players in basketball and I was simply using Julius' testimony about Unseld to agree with @ShinetheLightofTruth. Elvin Hayes didn't guard Doc too much either, but Doc posterized Hayes a couple of times. I saw those dunks with my own eyes. I don't recall Doc ever catching Wes though. Keeping it related to this subject of strength... Artis Gilmore was stronger than Shaq according to Robert Parish, yet Doc saw fit to challenge The A-Train, but was still reluctant to deal with Wes Unseld because in Doc's own words, "Wes would hurt you". btw: Mahorn was Unseld's replacement. He was drafted and tutored by Unseld during Unseld's last season as a player.
Pete Newell knew a lot about basketball, more than almost anyone on the Internet. You don't have to agree with his conclusion, but respect his opinion.
Great topic for a video, well done! I saw all three players play and in my opinion, Wilt was easily the strongest player of all-time, much stronger than Shaq. Shaq was thicker later in his career but Wilt was leaner. Wilt played in an era where offensive fouls were called much tighter whereas Shaq could basically push players backwards then dunk on em. 😂 I think if Shaq played in the same era as Wilt and he tried that with Wilt, it would have been game over with Wilt destroying Shaq. Wilt was taller, stronger and wider through the upper body than Shaq. That handshake video says everything. Artis was super strong, of course, but he was no Wilt. The one quote that surprised me was Pete Newell's quote about Shaq. Newell is one of the greatest coaches ever but I think he's in the minority on that issue.
As far as Pete Newell's quote is concerned; it doesn't matter what he said on this topic because Robert parish's quote nullifies it. Parish, who actually PLAYED ON THE COURT, with Artis and Shaq had to PHYSICALLY FEEL THEIR STRENGTH. His opinion counts most, or any other player that ACTUALLY PLAYED against BOTH of them. Everyone knows that Wilt was stronger than Artis. Artis, himself admits it IN THIS VIDEO. Watch the game in 1972 when Wilt was 35 and past his prime, he moves Artis around with ease. I respect Pete Newell immensely, for his coaching and knowledge, but even his opinion can be wrong.
There is one thing though - Wilt faced Gilmore when he was a skinny rookie. I know that Wilt was past his prime, but he had around 60 lbs advantage on him. Prime Gilmore is a different beast. About Parish quote - again, Parish compared rookie Shaq with prime Gilmore.
@@70sfan you are right. The last 5 years of Artis career he was much bigger. Probably at the 300 pound mark. He was as strong as wilt to me on the court. In weight room I don’t know.
If you put Wilt in his prime up against any center every to play the game in their prime its no contest. Shaq would never be able to do to Wilt what he did to Centers in his era. So having seen both play it Wilt who who is probably the best athlete to ever play the game reguardless of position.
Wilt wood simply wear Shaq out & over-power him. And i dont say that lightly, as Shaq was a damn monster on the court!! Shaq was super-human , but he should of prayed to Wilt , cuz WIlt was a GOD , ya know? ^ ^
Yes, Wilt liked to brag, but I don't remember ever seeing him pound his chest, or glare at his opponents. He also made what he did look easy, without actually bulling his defender. By simply turning his shoulders, or putting up an arm, or taking a couple of casual steps backwards, he could clear out a defender. I didn't get to see much of Artis playing, which I regret a little, but it appears he didn't brag on himself, but played much like Wilt, with no glaring, or chest pounding, and making it look easy. Both were athletic and pretty graceful. I have to give Shaq credit for being great, but he came on like a freight train, bullying his opponents, pounding his chest and glaring, not to mention the, sometimes severe, multitude of offensive fouls that the management permitted, and probably encouraged, because it filled seats and sold product.
Lol, you can be watching Gilmore's blocks like "damnnnnn" and then think to yourself "but we haven't even gotten to Wilt's blocks yet and his blocks make Gilmore's not even look so crazy, wtf".
Wilt is the strongest player ever. The most powerful might be the prime version of Shaq-who could generate immense-but short-bursts of strength because of his quickness.
@@70sfan well, Wilt being in the top spot to me is without question. His feats of strength and power are the stuff of legends. From picking up 200+ lb men with one arm (my father vividly remembers watching him pick Russell up off the ground with one arm after having knocked Bill to the ground) to dislocating Gus Johnson’s (a player known for being one of the most powerful in the league at the time) shoulder blocking one of his dunks, to picking up 270 lb opponents “like a tea cup” and moving them out of the way so that he could get into better position in the paint, etc.., For the other two I’m mostly going by grip strength (truly powerful people often have crushing grip strength), watching that handshake exchange between Wilt and Shaq and contrasting it to Wilt and Artis’s handshake, and watching Artis jump to block those shots vs watching Shaq block shots. I don’t know of the same amount of feats of strength for Gilmore as Wilt has, but I also don’t know of any for Shaq either. I would credit the stories of players being banged up after playing Shaq mostly to the fact that the refs didn’t call him for charging and allowed him to basically shoulder check his way into the paint. Contrast that to play during Wilt’s/Artis’s time where Offensive players would pretty much automatically get called for the Offensive Foul anytime they lowered their shoulder into a defender while trying to maneuver in the paint. So to me that’s not really an impressive feat of strength. Nor are his broken backboards, which I attribute mostly to his weight and his tendency to hang on the rim after dunks.
By the later part of his career I think Artis was as strong as Wilt was. Both about at the 300 mark in weight towards end of career. Wilt besides his incredible strength was incredible athlete. Shaq weighed more then wilt or Artis, and he is certainly in conversation for strongest. Shaq barreled in using his weight and size. It’s all debatable of course. Most polls I have seen has wilt number 1. Gilmore 2 and Shaq 3
ARTIS was so STRONG.. people never know how strong ARTIS is.. his the WILT CHAMBERLAIN of the ABA.. AND his the only guy that went toe to toe against WILT in 1972.. I think it's a tossup between WILT and ARTIS..
Artis said Wilt moved him around like he was a toy.Bob Lanier said the same thing and Lanier was about 280 lbs.If u want to know whos the strongest let the players tell it.It was Wilt.Could Artis or Shaq bench 600 lbs?Barlkley might have stronger than Shaq.Rodman could push Shaq off the block.. Malone too a nd Rodman only weighed about 220 so how strong were those guys really?
It's sad to see how NBA allowed their superstars to break the rules for fan entertainment . Shaq clearly the worse using his body to bump defensive players completely out of position....that's illegal but NBA won't call it. Artis Gilmore not as bad as Shaq but he definitely used his body to bump players . Wilt played the game fair he used finesse to score he was the strongest but he didn't use his body to bump defenders out of position....Even if wilt did, the NBA during that time called that kind of offensive foul crap .
Only reason wilt didn't bump because offensive foul calling was the worst during the 60s. Even the slightest push/bump would be called a charge. And the 'bumping' is the essence of the post-up. You don't just dribble for 20 seconds hoping your defender would get tired of seeing you pound the ball in front of him.
@@3isthenew1 Is the defender allowed to bump the offensive player out of position?? No the offensive player is not allowed and will be called for a foul ,so why is the deffensive player allowed to bump then? Because NBA promotes scoring ,scoring is fan entertainment. The advantage a center has over other positions is its size being taller,bigger is advantage to get closer to the basket with a higher chance of making a field goal .The rules should not change to fit fan entertainment ,which decreases lack of player fundementals. All players need to adapt to scoring the proper way in some form of shooting ,like wilt, kareem,walton,cowens , hakeem. Players allowed to bump defenders out of position to get easy buckets is not a skill and not real basketball. People can believe that's how the game is now and the players are great but in truth shaq ,Artis Gilmore ,barkley or any player that illegally bumps in reality is not that great.
Scottie did. It were hard bumps. Kobe experienced it. And again, that's the essence of the post-up--to get position down low. No replies coming from me after this
@@3isthenew1 Kobe and scottie were bumping to get position? Any bumping by any player whatever position is offensive foul...kobe and scottie are two stars that give fans entertainment and nba ratings so bumping is allowed. Players need to bump to score easier without actually being a scorer. If a player can't shoot from their position distance then their really not as good offensively as they appear.
@@7omni748 that’s personal preference of you not a fact. What u like or don’t like doesn’t change the fact that these guys are extremely skilled and use their bodies or their advantage. Nothing wrong with that get over your personal biases.
Wilt wasn't just stronger, he was bigger and taller than Shaq also: Wilt and Shaq TV commercial: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DL6yNIFd65c.html Wilt Shaq handshake: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bU43dTuMuig.html Ever since Stern became commissioner and the Draft became big business. Player's heights and weights have been exaggerated.
@@70sfan Well this is just evidence that mass alone does not equate to great strength. Strength has more to do with Tensile strength, Calcium Synapses, Synchronization and Force production of Motor units. This is why Shaq fan boys, young people and ESPNites can’t handle it when you tell them Wilt was stronger. They think bigger means stronger. They are ignorant and narrow minded. Artis and Wilt were both stronger than Shaq PERIOD and I actually like Shaq.
@@70sfan If Artis and Wilt had access to today’s knowledge and resources of Strength Training, Nutrition, Surgical Procedures and Rehabilitation/Recovery methods, they would dwarf Shaq completely. (Since both were taller and naturally stronger). I’m not even going to get into PED’s.
While Shaq is athletic for his size, I think Artis and especially Wilt are way more athletic. All 3 are fast and agile for their size and can jump very high. Wilt in his prime can dunk from behind the free throw line. But Shaq was playing on average of nearly 35 minutes a game while Artis and Wilt are playing 40+ minutes per game. Artis and Wilt can play the whole match many times if they wanted to. Shaq tried to the same but only did it a few games before going to back to his usual performance.
@@abdullahussien6683 if Shaquille o'neal was an offensive lineman I would be alot more impress,ben Wallace was very strong too, ,, the Canadian arm wrestling champion 🏆called Shaquille o'neal the strongest non professional he has ever armwreslial
So while I do think Wilt is probably the strongest player ever and was probably faster than any other center, I still think Shaq is a more physically dominating player. Wilt seemed to have far more tricks to pull from which he would utilize instead of just overpowering his defender. It really seemed like he wanted to prove he was skilled. Shaq on the other hand would just overpower players every single play.
Wilton Norman Chamberlain was an anomaly and could've been more aggressive if he wanted to take people down or run over the less physical like Shaq. He said he preferred to be skillful and compete with abilities over strength. Wes Unseld was considered a real brick shithouse but was limited to a 4" vertical.
Yeah, it's tough to go against Shaq here. I think Gimore is vastly underrated in that regard though, simply because he was a worse player than these two.
I grew up watching Wilt, Kareem and Artist if Shaq had had their stamina, especially Wilt's, then I have a bit more respect for him. Only rule changes, referee decisions and the ability to push and shove like a twat made Shaq a "great" player.
Wilt said Shaq got away with murder and if he played against him in his era Shaq would be dumbfounded and would not be as good as he is. Shaq was pretty great but he could have been so much better and him being an unsportsmanlike asshole to players doesn't make him the self proclaimed "most dominant player ever". "I wanted to be the most dominant player ever" so you foul guys like 3 or 4 times or more on each play? That's not dominance that's like what wilt says getting away with murder! Almost all of wilt's interviews are very insightful on the game of basketball he was a much more intelligent player and person than people give him credit for.
I think Artis Gilmore was the strongest 💪 NBA player ever. Most fans i think Wilt Chamberlain was far superior. Artis Gilmore didn't brag and wasn't flashy. I think Arits Gilmore is underappreciated by fans.
Well said. Of all the people in NBA history, i think Darryl Dawkins & Shaq, in that order , wood have given WIlt the most trouble... But i dont think either of them cooda stopped him!
@@bobdavis3357 tell that to 18k points 13k reb 2k blks. How could u say someone who will end his career with 20k 15k 2k being one of only 2 other players to do so, be the best defender in the game for 3 years, lead the league in multiple categories, have a shit ton of franchise records for several teams, lead teams to deep playoff runs, and have no real Skill? How does that make sense to you? Watch basketball and stop listening to the Media. Howard not being hakeem Olajuwon doesn’t mean he wasn’t skill. He was an elite shot blocker. He is one of the most prolific rebounders of all time. That takes skill. Dennis Rodman wasn’t a skilled scorer. Dikembe wasn’t a skilled scorer. Ben Wallace as well. Deandre jordan. Andre Drummond. All guys who were elite defenders and rebounders. None of them are touching 20k points with a 10 ft pole. But Howard will. How is it that of all the defense first players in history, only he is in the 20000 pt club? Because HE WAS SKILLED? Not the greatest scorer obviously. But he want the worst either.
By the later part of his career I think Artis was as strong as Wilt was. Both about at the 300 mark in weight towards end of career. Wilt besides his incredible strength was incredible athlete. Shaq weighed more then wilt or Artis, and he is certainly in conversation for strongest. Shaq barreled in using his weight and size. It’s all debatable of course. Most polls I have seen has wilt number 1. Gilmore 2 and Shaq 3
Wilt was always stronger than all three later on in his career he was over 300 pounds and he did not look like it. That's when you know he's pure muscle unlike Shaq. When I played pick up games in highschool I was 5'11 170-180 pounds and I was much stronger then kids that were 6'3 240. People say Shaq was heavier and therefore stronger then wilt and artis but weight doesn't mean shit if you're not well conditioned. Wilt is the strongest player of all time Ben Wallace should also be in that conversation as well along with other players but people overrate size and weight way too much when it comes to strength.
I would Agree that Artis in the latter part of his career was as strong as Wilt was. When Wilt went against Atis that one time in 1972. Aris was a 240 pound 22 year old rookie. Later on Gilmore was up to 300 pounds like Wilt was. Shaq would not have bullied either one of them. Both of them were stronger.
