Better Athletes NFL or NBA players?

[inquisitive]

NFL

[Onus]

There's different types of athleticism needed in basketball than in football. In Basketball you want to be lean so that you can run up and down the court a few times (stamina), have body control while you're jumping in the air, etc. Football is more geared towards explosive athleticism, where they work out incessantly to run straight and push through piles. So they work towards being run jump athletes rather than complete control of their body.

[Froob]

Probably NFL, there are some pretty crazy fast linebackers like Patrick Willis. Vince Wilfork is pretty incredible, moves fast and has good change of direction for a 350+ linemen.

[tiderulz]

You're comparing Apples to Oranges here.

There is nothing on the football field that requires the eye hand coordination, finesse and dexterity of LeBron James taking the ball the length of the court in traffic for a dunk.

There is nothing on the basketball court that compares to the athletic power and strength of Adrian Peterson, fighting off tacklers on an 80 yard run for a touchdown.

this. they are both great athletes (when they want to be) but they strengths are not similar.

[Zubby]

Ok what do you want to say then? 98%? 97%? It's an absolute minimal amount of guys who play for love of the game in either sport.

Then they would play Baseball... Baseball needs great athletes for outfield especially center field, and infield players like SS & 2nd who have to cover so much ground.

I'd say most players, play because they love the game there are the few, that play for the money but those guys don't last long... All the guys like CP3, Kobe, KG, Harden etc can go one forever play because they love the game.

You see all those retired guys still playing pick up basketball, they don't do that for money.
The ones who can't play due to injuries still speak of how much bball they watch.

A guy like McGrady who loved Bball and baseball is still playing Basketball even though he has made millions and has a lifetime contract with Adidas, because he loves the game and not ready to give it up.

Sorry no, it is a known fact Bo Jackson did not lift weights. It takes a unique muscle group to have good body control. That is NATURAL athleticism. As someone said earlier just running up and down a basketball court is harder than anything done in foot ball.

Then soccer would have better athletes than the both of them... WR/CB would have no problem with the endurance.
Attending OSU the best athletes I played against in pickup were always the football players, Stoneburner & O'neal were amazing. Stoneburner way to strong and fast, O'neal was hard to keep up with. Cook, Lighty, Hunter were the basketball players and their athleticism didn't blow me away, Lighty was pretty amazing athletically but the football guys were better.

[prophet_of_rage]

Football players are better run/jump athletes than basketball players. Basketball players are more rare because you have to be run/jump/tall/cardiovascularly conditioned.

If you're just talking run/jump athleticism. ie how high can you jump, how fast can you run, how much can you bench then football players kill basketball players. The average basketball vert is only 28 inches. In football it is around 36.

If you're talking about the overall hand-eye, hand-foot coordination as well as stamina then it is basketball players. Only soccer requires more stamina than basketball and basketball is the only sport in the world that has a pivot foot, requiring a different kind of foot coordination.

[BubbaTee]

NBA players have a better chance of making the NFL than NFL players making the NBA,,,,A GATES, MARCUS POLLARD,JOEY GRAHAM, Tony Gonzalez.

Charlie Ward didn't look athletic on the basketball court but yet dominated the QB POSITION IN COLLEGE. Which makes me believe Allen Iverson would've been a great college QB

That's a terrible argument, you're confusing skill at one sport vs skill at another sport with athleticism.

Michael Jordan was a terrible baseball player but he dominated in basketball. By your logic, that would mean baseball requires more athleticism than basketball.

Everyone is better at one sport than another. Even Bo Jackson - he was a good baseball player but a HOF-caliber football player. It's not because he somehow became more athletic on the football field, he was just better at one than the other.

That's because MJ couldn't hit a breaking ball to save his life.That's different than athleticism. But once he got on the base pads he proved he could steal bases with ease even being at 6'6 (6'4 MASS).LOL

Jordan was a mediocre base-stealer despite being an elite athlete. His SB% was 63%, and that was in AA ball. Paul O'Neil stole 22 bases in 25 attempts (88% SB%) for the Yankees when he was 38 years old, and he was never a great, Jordan-esque athlete even in his prime.

And yes, hitting a breaking ball is a skill. So is shooting a jumpshot or catching a football. Which is why your list of "guys who are better at football than they are at basketball" is completely irrelevant to the topic of athleticism. All it means is that those guys have better football skills than basketball skills, just like Jordan had better basketball skills than baseball skills.

[CablexDeadpool]

LOL @ people talking about Natural Athleticism and all this other BS...

There is such thing as plyometrics...and every run and jump athlete does those...

And LOL @ body control

NFL athletes are elite even down to the scrub 4th or 3rd wide receiver.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFcsWB6CgOw[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzyiX29DB6o[/youtube]

[BubbaTee]

If you're talking about the overall hand-eye, hand-foot coordination as well as stamina then it is basketball players. Only soccer requires more stamina than basketball and basketball is the only sport in the world that has a pivot foot, requiring a different kind of foot coordination.

I'm sure that's news to boxers and tennis players. And distance runners and swimmers. And cyclists. And triathletes. And cross-country skiers. And wrestlers.

[BubbaTee]

Money talks bro. Let me make it simpler for you.

99.9999% of people are motivated by money. Athletes are people. Therefore 99.9999% Athletes are motivated by money.

The NBA pays more than the NFL, therefore Athletes are going to be more attracted to the NBA.

Not sure if trolling...

If you're serious, then did you take Logic 101 at an insane asylum or something?

Your logic -> 60% of people are Asian. NBA players are people. Therefore 60% of NBA players are Asian.

Sorry, pearls before swine.

If you disagree with my premise of 99% of Athletes being motivated by money, that's fine. I was just trying to make the complete argument for you. I'm sure everyone pretty much everyone else on the board finds it a very reasonable premise.

If money was everything, then they'd be playing baseball instead of basketball.

NBA players right now with salaries of $20M+/yr:
Kobe
Roy
Dirk
Arenas

MLB players right now with salaries of $20M+/yr:
Alex Rodriguez
Albert Pujols
Joey Votto
Prince Fielder
Joe Mauer
Mark Texeira
CC Sabathia
Matt Kemp
Adrian Gonzalez
Carl Crawford
Johan Santana
Ryan Howard
Cliff Lee

MLB's CBA (which lacks a salary cap) allows for higher max salaries than the NBA's. And contracts can be guaranteed for a lot longer than NBA max contracts are. If it was about just chasing money, then Kyrie Irving would've spent his childhood working on his curveball instead of his jumpshot.

[Respect My Mind]

LOL @ people talking about Natural Athleticism and all this other BS...

There is such thing as plyometrics...and every run and jump athlete does those...

And LOL @ body control

NFL athletes are elite even down to the scrub 4th or 3rd wide receiver.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFcsWB6CgOw[/youtube]

Dude a scrub like Gerald Green is more athletic

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOzo4pHTZ-M[/youtube]

Jump, Catch, Windmill, Throw-down. NFL players couldn't even do this on a 9 foot rim.

[nuposse04]

Basketball is a game that has success predicated a bit more on finesse skill. While skill is absolutely in some ways in the NFL, the NFL is a grown man's game. There are few NBA players that would be average in the NFL. I think LBJ could a pass catching TE, but he'd get abused in run blocking. Most NBA players would be.

Relative to their size, I think NFL players are more quick and considerably more strong then NBA players. NBA player's have higher max vertical reaches...but that doesn't really matter much in the NFL, especially if you're not strong enough to get popped by elite safeties in the NFL.

I'd like to see LBJ play DB against a guy like Megatron, Vernon Davis or Julio Jones, that would be amusing.

[hype_2004]

LOL @ people talking about Natural Athleticism and all this other BS...

There is such thing as plyometrics...and every run and jump athlete does those...

And LOL @ body control

NFL athletes are elite even down to the scrub 4th or 3rd wide receiver.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFcsWB6CgOw[/youtube]

Dude a scrub like Gerald Green is more athletic

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOzo4pHTZ-M[/youtube]

Jump, Catch, Windmill, Throw-down. NFL players couldn't even do this on a 9 foot rim.

NFl players also are not 6'8 with a standing reach close to 9 feet, NFL skill positional players are equal to superior athlete to Gerald Green they're just a tad bit on the short side of 6 feet.

[G-UNIT]

Apples to oranges
They both have elite athleticsim, just different styles.

[Ice Trae]

NFL, no doubt.

[JustaKnickFan]

LOL @ people talking about Natural Athleticism and all this other BS...

There is such thing as plyometrics...and every run and jump athlete does those...

And LOL @ body control

NFL athletes are elite even down to the scrub 4th or 3rd wide receiver.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFcsWB6CgOw[/youtube]

Dude a scrub like Gerald Green is more athletic

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOzo4pHTZ-M[/youtube]

Jump, Catch, Windmill, Throw-down. NFL players couldn't even do this on a 9 foot rim.

NFl players also are not 6'8 with a standing reach close to 9 feet, NFL skill positional players are equal to superior athlete to Gerald Green they're just a tad bit on the short side of 6 feet.

How do you know that NFL athletes can easily do what Gerald Green just did? Did you see them dunk?

This is the stupid argument that goes on with NBA vs NFL. It's easy to find simple athletic stats for NFL players, but it's tough to find them for NBA players. It's easy to find those kinds of crazy dunks that exhibit elite athleticism for NBA players, but tough to prove that NFL players can actually do the same dunks.

Yeah you can look at vertical, but that doesn't measure said athlete's body control and ability to catch a basketball in mid-air and move your arms while holding it.

Basically, it's impossible to prove which sport has better athletes. I can't stress enough how much of a stupid debate this is. It's impossible to prove but there are people hell-bent on proving that their sport has the better athletes.

[BubbaTee]

LOL @ people talking about Natural Athleticism and all this other BS...

There is such thing as plyometrics...and every run and jump athlete does those...

And LOL @ body control

NFL athletes are elite even down to the scrub 4th or 3rd wide receiver.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFcsWB6CgOw[/youtube]

Dude a scrub like Gerald Green is more athletic

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOzo4pHTZ-M[/youtube]

Jump, Catch, Windmill, Throw-down. NFL players couldn't even do this on a 9 foot rim.

The difference is Gerald Green is an elite athlete compared to the average NBA SG/SF. Jerome Simpson isn't an elite athlete compared to the average NFL WR. If Jerome Simpson was at this year's NFL combine, his 37.5" vertical would have him tied for 23rd place. Gerald Green's own 39" vertical would leave him tied for 13th place at the 2013 NFL combine.

Oh, and some of the guys at the combine who jump higher than Green? They also run 40 yards in the 4.4-4.5s range, and do 15+ reps of a 225-lbs bench press. At the NBA Combine, Green could only manage 7 reps of a 185-lbs bench press, and it took him 3.2s to run 23.5 yards (3/4 court sprint = 70.5 feet = 23.5 yds).

Basically you had to put up one of the NBA's best athletes at his position to stack up with an NFL player who isn't even close to being among the best athletes at his position. Green's athleticism doesn't even stack up to the most athletic college players, let alone the pros.

[90sAllDecade]

NFL

Take players with the same weight and height (like PG & G/F versus CB/Safety & WR) and the hard evidence like vertical tests, lifting and sprints favor the NFL. The NBA has an edge for taller athletes, but if you factor in strength it's almost a wash there too.

[BubbaTee]

This is the stupid argument that goes on with NBA vs NFL. It's easy to find simple athletic stats for NFL players, but it's tough to find them for NBA players. It's easy to find those kinds of crazy dunks that exhibit elite athleticism for NBA players, but tough to prove that NFL players can actually do the same dunks.

Here's a source for NBA simple athletic stats, from the NBA combine:

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-draft-measurements/

It's useful because the NBA and NFL combines are both for measuring players about to enter their respective leagues, so you're not left comparing a college kid against a pro who's had several years in a pro-level weight training & nutrition program.

For reference:
- the NBA combine asks players to bench 185-lbs, compared to 225-lbs bench presses at the NFL combine.
- the NBA combine's sprint distance is 3/4 of the court, which is 23.5 yds, compared to a 40 yds distance at the NFL combine.

[CB-Blazer]

There are very few guys in the NFL with a 40 inch vertical, even fewer that can bench 225 20 times (outside of fat linemen), and about 2 guys in the entire league who can run a 4.3. You just made it sound like every guy in the NFL is an elite jumper, sprinter, and strongman.

Guys like Westbrook, Rose and Lebron could put up elite NFL combine numbers

I could really care less about which athletes are better than which. Each sport is going to generally stand out in certain drills.

However, you need to think before you speak.

9 players had 40" verticals
12 players ran 4.3 40 yard dashes (one in the 4.2's)
50 players benched 225 20+ times NOT INCLUDING OLINE/DLINE prospects.

Fact check yourself before you spew non-sense.

EDIT: This is just looking at Combine results from THIS YEAR. Those numbers do not include any players from previous years so the bolded part is just total nonsense.

EDIT x2:

53 players in the last 14-15 years of NBA Combines have had 40+ inch verticals (which is under 4 a year)

54 players in the last 14-15 years of the NBA combine have done 20+ reps of 185 (NFL is 225), which is under 4 a year.

Not going to dick around with the sprint conversions, as it would take too much time. However, if you look at Rose and Westbrook (who you stated).

Both of their 40 times would have been converted over to 5 second+ 40 yard dashes, however running on a track in track shoes and running on a court in basketball shoes are two completely different cups of tea. So it's hard to compare that one.