Rank their "basketball effective strenght" from best to worst

[Gregoire]

By " effective strenght" I meant not weight lifting, but ability to overpower opponents in the post and in rebound situation.

Rank them:
Wilt, Hakeem, Shaq, Adams, Howard, Thurmond, Moses, Gilmore,Big Ben, Pekovic, Cousins, Nurkic, Stanley Roberts.

Shaq and Wilt are obviously favorites, but after it it would be difficult to rank....

[AdagioPace]

I don't have the knowledge to rank them but I have a question
what about the ability to counteract the opponent's strenght through positioning? For example, putting your body,your limbs in a certain way as to have an advantage when the the work is applied. Basically,the clever use of your levers,which is important in fighting arts and also under the basket

It's not an expression of pure strenght but I think it matters in this question given that you mentioned not only effective strenght but also "basketball effective strenght". Given that we don't have a clear method to measure the strenght of a player playing basketball in real time,the only method is seeing the effects of the real action that is happening on the floor. So those times when two players go at each other and one wins!

For example, Draymond might not be the strongest player,nor the heaviest but his functional strenght is great I believe

[Joao Saraiva]

Big Ben did hold his own against Shaq. I'd say he and Thurmond close the top 4, obviously with Shaq and Wilt.

[batmana]

I'd also go with Shaq (from what I've seen) and Wilt (from what I've heard).

One guy I want to add is Charles Barkley. Shaq talked about practices with Dream Team 3 (the Atlanta Olympics team) where he'd go one on one against the other bigs and of course noone could keep him out of the paint - The Admiral, Hakeem, Malone... Then it's Barkley's turn and it's like the proverbial immovable object. Just like Ben Wallace, Barkley had a low center of gravity due to him being 6-6 (in reality something like 6-4), he was super strong and he was also wide and that made it even more impossible to dislodge him once he had set shop on the low block.

In short, using your body is how guys like Ben Wallace, Barkley, Dennis Rodman have been able to defend against taller and much bigger opponents on the low block. But then comes the problem with the way referees call contact against a guy like Shaq. Ben Wallace is allowed to literally lean with all his weight against Shaq and not called for a foul because Shaq cannot be moved. If Shaq uses the same amount of force on either end, the defender flies 5 feet in the air and it's a foul on Shaq. (Apologies for the OT finale.)

[penbeast0]

Barkley was immensely strong and had that big butt that he like to back people down with but the key with him was how quick he was playing off that strength. He had a nice variety of spins and step offs and was that first step with him was super quick.

From listening to comments by players and contemporaries, the other guy whose strength gets raved about most behind Wilt and Shaq is Artis Gilmore. He was a passive and non-aggressive person which hurt his basketball career, but opponents and observers rave about just how physically strong he was (and of course being 7' in socks didn't hurt).

Haven't heard a lot about how strong Stanley Roberts was other than the big butt comments like Barkley/Shaq/Bellamy; mainly just people talking about his weight issues. Interesting person to throw into the comparison.

[70sFan]

Can't say much about Stanley Roberts, I haven't seen much of him to be honest.


Wilt was definitely candidate for the first place. He was immovable in rebounding situations, many times I've seen players just bouncing off him. He had also very strong arms, you couldn't do much when he hold the ball. This led to numbers of blocked dunks (many by big strong players). Keep in mind that he was also 7'1 and 310 lbs -his size was another huge factor here.

Hakeem is underrated in terms of strength. He had low centre of gravity, you couldn't push him down low. He didn't use it often but only the biggest and strongest players could win muscle battle with him.

Shaq is another candidate for number one. The heaviest among all candidates in this thread. Had huge lower body and nobody could move him under the basket. He combined his size with agressiveness which made him the most forcefull player ever. At 7'1 and 340 lbs you could only hope for double team, otherwise he'd overwhelm his defender.

Adams - arguably the strongest player in the league today. Doesn't have sheer size of Shaq or Wilt, but he's big, strong and tough. He shows that mostly in rebounding battles - that's what makes him the best offensive rebounder in the league. Good mention.

Howard - I always thought that prime Dwight's strength has been overrated a bit, but he's now stronger than ever. He's the only player in the league that can make Whiteside look weak. Immense upper body strength gives him advantage under the boards and in driving situations. Doesn't have size or lower body to be immovable in the post though.

Thurmond made his name because he shut down any center he played against. His toughness is remembered even 50 years later. He was quite lean (~240 lbs) but it was all muscles - you can see it when you look at him. He's strong as hell but his length is even more remarkable.

Moses is the most relentless player in NBA history. At 6'10 and ~260 lbs, he attacked you everytime on offensive end. He made his life under the boards but underrated aspect of his game is fighting for position. He could establish deep position against most defenders with ease.

Gilmore is my favorite in this comparison. Huge (7'2 and 280 lbs) with thick legs and unreal arms. He was the best ever at fighting for position - well, I'd not call it "fight" actually. I've seen A-Train against the strongest players of his era - Unseld, Lanier, Kareem, Moses and Gilmore looks against all of them like he didn't even try. He pushed around the heaviest guys with one move, he won post battles after split of second. You can't do anything against him - with Shaq you can at least push him and lean onto him. Artis is simply too strong, he didn't care whether you are physical against him or not. Keep in mind that I'm talking about Gilmore in early 80s (maybe late 70s too) - young Gilmore in ABA was a bit skinny and he didn't posses as much power.


Ben isn't among the top here. Don't get me wrong, he's powerful and tough as hell, but he's quite undersized and he couldn't fight with the biggest centers in the post. Shaq had some problems with his quickness and agression, not strength. Old O'Neal consistently established deep position against him. If you think that Shaq is not fair, Duncan also beat him in the post. Actually, Rasheed was better post defender than him. Still, he was very strong which helped him in rebounding situations.

Pekovic was the strongest player in the league in a league with Bynum and Dwight. He wasn't elite player by any means and he lacked athleticism of the other candidates, but his strength is visible on the court. You couldn't push him in the post and he could push you with ease. He lacked quickness to be great rebounder but he was also good at boxing out.

Cousins is heavy and strong dude, but he struggles against physical defenders. He's simiar to Shaq and Moses in that he's very agressive on offense. Still, I wouldn't consider him among the strongest players ever. He's elite in that aspect today though.

Nurkic - I don't really see anything special about him. Big and quite strong, but nothing remarkable on all-time sense. I've seen Embiid and Cousins eating him alive.

Anyway, my ranking:
1. Artis Gilmore
2. Shaquille O'Neal
3. Wilt Chamberlain
4. Nikola Pekovic
5. Steven Adams
6. Moses Malone
7. Dwight Howard
8. Nate Thurmond
9. Demarcus Cousins
10. Hakeem Olajuwon
11. Ben Wallace
12. Jusuf Nurkic

Some places are very close, but I think it's a fair attempt.

[Gregoire]

Can't say much about Stanley Roberts, I haven't seen much of him to be honest.


Wilt was definitely candidate for the first place. He was immovable in rebounding situations, many times I've seen players just bouncing off him. He had also very strong arms, you couldn't do much when he hold the ball. This led to numbers of blocked dunks (many by big strong players). Keep in mind that he was also 7'1 and 310 lbs -his size was another huge factor here.

Hakeem is underrated in terms of strength. He had low centre of gravity, you couldn't push him down low. He didn't use it often but only the biggest and strongest players could win muscle battle with him.

Shaq is another candidate for number one. The heaviest among all candidates in this thread. Had huge lower body and nobody could move him under the basket. He combined his size with agressiveness which made him the most forcefull player ever. At 7'1 and 340 lbs you could only hope for double team, otherwise he'd overwhelm his defender.

Adams - arguably the strongest player in the league today. Doesn't have sheer size of Shaq or Wilt, but he's big, strong and tough. He shows that mostly in rebounding battles - that's what makes him the best offensive rebounder in the league. Good mention.

Howard - I always thought that prime Dwight's strength has been overrated a bit, but he's now stronger than ever. He's the only player in the league that can make Whiteside look weak. Immense upper body strength gives him advantage under the boards and in driving situations. Doesn't have size or lower body to be immovable in the post though.

Thurmond made his name because he shut down any center he played against. His toughness is remembered even 50 years later. He was quite lean (~240 lbs) but it was all muscles - you can see it when you look at him. He's strong as hell but his length is even more remarkable.

Moses is the most relentless player in NBA history. At 6'10 and ~260 lbs, he attacked you everytime on offensive end. He made his life under the boards but underrated aspect of his game is fighting for position. He could establish deep position against most defenders with ease.

Gilmore is my favorite in this comparison. Huge (7'2 and 280 lbs) with thick legs and unreal arms. He was the best ever at fighting for position - well, I'd not call it "fight" actually. I've seen A-Train against the strongest players of his era - Unseld, Lanier, Kareem, Moses and Gilmore looks against all of them like he didn't even try. He pushed around the heaviest guys with one move, he won post battles after split of second. You can't do anything against him - with Shaq you can at least push him and lean onto him. Artis is simply too strong, he didn't care whether you are physical against him or not. Keep in mind that I'm talking about Gilmore in early 80s (maybe late 70s too) - young Gilmore in ABA was a bit skinny and he didn't posses as much power.


Ben isn't among the top here. Don't get me wrong, he's powerful and tough as hell, but he's quite undersized and he couldn't fight with the biggest centers in the post. Shaq had some problems with his quickness and agression, not strength. Old O'Neal consistently established deep position against him. If you think that Shaq is not fair, Duncan also beat him in the post. Actually, Rasheed was better post defender than him. Still, he was very strong which helped him in rebounding situations.

Pekovic was the strongest player in the league in a league with Bynum and Dwight. He wasn't elite player by any means and he lacked athleticism of the other candidates, but his strength is visible on the court. You couldn't push him in the post and he could push you with ease. He lacked quickness to be great rebounder but he was also good at boxing out.

Cousins is heavy and strong dude, but he struggles against physical defenders. He's simiar to Shaq and Moses in that he's very agressive on offense. Still, I wouldn't consider him among the strongest players ever. He's elite in that aspect today though.

Nurkic - I don't really see anything special about him. Big and quite strong, but nothing remarkable on all-time sense. I've seen Embiid and Cousins eating him alive.

Anyway, my ranking:
1. Artis Gilmore
2. Shaquille O'Neal
3. Wilt Chamberlain
4. Nikola Pekovic
5. Steven Adams
6. Moses Malone
7. Dwight Howard
8. Nate Thurmond
9. Demarcus Cousins
10. Hakeem Olajuwon
11. Ben Wallace
12. Jusuf Nurkic

Some places are very close, but I think it's a fair attempt.

Great post, but explain, please: you put Artis over Wilt and Shaq??? Why?
Why Pekovic is so high? Isnt Adams stronger?

[70sFan]

Can't say much about Stanley Roberts, I haven't seen much of him to be honest.


Wilt was definitely candidate for the first place. He was immovable in rebounding situations, many times I've seen players just bouncing off him. He had also very strong arms, you couldn't do much when he hold the ball. This led to numbers of blocked dunks (many by big strong players). Keep in mind that he was also 7'1 and 310 lbs -his size was another huge factor here.

Hakeem is underrated in terms of strength. He had low centre of gravity, you couldn't push him down low. He didn't use it often but only the biggest and strongest players could win muscle battle with him.

Shaq is another candidate for number one. The heaviest among all candidates in this thread. Had huge lower body and nobody could move him under the basket. He combined his size with agressiveness which made him the most forcefull player ever. At 7'1 and 340 lbs you could only hope for double team, otherwise he'd overwhelm his defender.

Adams - arguably the strongest player in the league today. Doesn't have sheer size of Shaq or Wilt, but he's big, strong and tough. He shows that mostly in rebounding battles - that's what makes him the best offensive rebounder in the league. Good mention.

Howard - I always thought that prime Dwight's strength has been overrated a bit, but he's now stronger than ever. He's the only player in the league that can make Whiteside look weak. Immense upper body strength gives him advantage under the boards and in driving situations. Doesn't have size or lower body to be immovable in the post though.

Thurmond made his name because he shut down any center he played against. His toughness is remembered even 50 years later. He was quite lean (~240 lbs) but it was all muscles - you can see it when you look at him. He's strong as hell but his length is even more remarkable.

Moses is the most relentless player in NBA history. At 6'10 and ~260 lbs, he attacked you everytime on offensive end. He made his life under the boards but underrated aspect of his game is fighting for position. He could establish deep position against most defenders with ease.

Gilmore is my favorite in this comparison. Huge (7'2 and 280 lbs) with thick legs and unreal arms. He was the best ever at fighting for position - well, I'd not call it "fight" actually. I've seen A-Train against the strongest players of his era - Unseld, Lanier, Kareem, Moses and Gilmore looks against all of them like he didn't even try. He pushed around the heaviest guys with one move, he won post battles after split of second. You can't do anything against him - with Shaq you can at least push him and lean onto him. Artis is simply too strong, he didn't care whether you are physical against him or not. Keep in mind that I'm talking about Gilmore in early 80s (maybe late 70s too) - young Gilmore in ABA was a bit skinny and he didn't posses as much power.


Ben isn't among the top here. Don't get me wrong, he's powerful and tough as hell, but he's quite undersized and he couldn't fight with the biggest centers in the post. Shaq had some problems with his quickness and agression, not strength. Old O'Neal consistently established deep position against him. If you think that Shaq is not fair, Duncan also beat him in the post. Actually, Rasheed was better post defender than him. Still, he was very strong which helped him in rebounding situations.

Pekovic was the strongest player in the league in a league with Bynum and Dwight. He wasn't elite player by any means and he lacked athleticism of the other candidates, but his strength is visible on the court. You couldn't push him in the post and he could push you with ease. He lacked quickness to be great rebounder but he was also good at boxing out.

Cousins is heavy and strong dude, but he struggles against physical defenders. He's simiar to Shaq and Moses in that he's very agressive on offense. Still, I wouldn't consider him among the strongest players ever. He's elite in that aspect today though.

Nurkic - I don't really see anything special about him. Big and quite strong, but nothing remarkable on all-time sense. I've seen Embiid and Cousins eating him alive.

Anyway, my ranking:
1. Artis Gilmore
2. Shaquille O'Neal
3. Wilt Chamberlain
4. Nikola Pekovic
5. Steven Adams
6. Moses Malone
7. Dwight Howard
8. Nate Thurmond
9. Demarcus Cousins
10. Hakeem Olajuwon
11. Ben Wallace
12. Jusuf Nurkic

Some places are very close, but I think it's a fair attempt.

Great post, but explain, please: you put Artis over Wilt and Shaq??? Why?
Why Pekovic is so high? Isnt Adams stronger?

I'm not sure about Pekovic vs Admas, both are similar in terms of strength. Pekovic won every post battle I've seen though - even against Howard or Bynum. That's why I have him a bit higher.

Artis Gilmore was considered the strongest player in the league between Wilt and Shaq time. You don't hear about him as much because he wasn't as good player as these 2. I've watched him as much as possible last year though. I created huge scouting video about A-Train, you can watch it on YT:

Watch on YouTube

Watch how easy he established deep position down low. He pushed around guys like Parish, Moses, Kareem, Lanier with ease. Walton hated playing against him because he couldn't do much against his strength.

Keep in mind that is my subjective opinion. I base it on watching all three players on the court. Gilmore was the most impressive for me. I give Shaq minimal edge over Wilt because of early years - Wilt was much leaner early in his career. By 1963, Wilt was definitely on Shaq's level strength-wise.

[Bklynborn682]

Can't say much about Stanley Roberts, I haven't seen much of him to be honest.


Wilt was definitely candidate for the first place. He was immovable in rebounding situations, many times I've seen players just bouncing off him. He had also very strong arms, you couldn't do much when he hold the ball. This led to numbers of blocked dunks (many by big strong players). Keep in mind that he was also 7'1 and 310 lbs -his size was another huge factor here.

Hakeem is underrated in terms of strength. He had low centre of gravity, you couldn't push him down low. He didn't use it often but only the biggest and strongest players could win muscle battle with him.

Shaq is another candidate for number one. The heaviest among all candidates in this thread. Had huge lower body and nobody could move him under the basket. He combined his size with agressiveness which made him the most forcefull player ever. At 7'1 and 340 lbs you could only hope for double team, otherwise he'd overwhelm his defender.

Adams - arguably the strongest player in the league today. Doesn't have sheer size of Shaq or Wilt, but he's big, strong and tough. He shows that mostly in rebounding battles - that's what makes him the best offensive rebounder in the league. Good mention.

Howard - I always thought that prime Dwight's strength has been overrated a bit, but he's now stronger than ever. He's the only player in the league that can make Whiteside look weak. Immense upper body strength gives him advantage under the boards and in driving situations. Doesn't have size or lower body to be immovable in the post though.

Thurmond made his name because he shut down any center he played against. His toughness is remembered even 50 years later. He was quite lean (~240 lbs) but it was all muscles - you can see it when you look at him. He's strong as hell but his length is even more remarkable.

Moses is the most relentless player in NBA history. At 6'10 and ~260 lbs, he attacked you everytime on offensive end. He made his life under the boards but underrated aspect of his game is fighting for position. He could establish deep position against most defenders with ease.

Gilmore is my favorite in this comparison. Huge (7'2 and 280 lbs) with thick legs and unreal arms. He was the best ever at fighting for position - well, I'd not call it "fight" actually. I've seen A-Train against the strongest players of his era - Unseld, Lanier, Kareem, Moses and Gilmore looks against all of them like he didn't even try. He pushed around the heaviest guys with one move, he won post battles after split of second. You can't do anything against him - with Shaq you can at least push him and lean onto him. Artis is simply too strong, he didn't care whether you are physical against him or not. Keep in mind that I'm talking about Gilmore in early 80s (maybe late 70s too) - young Gilmore in ABA was a bit skinny and he didn't posses as much power.


Ben isn't among the top here. Don't get me wrong, he's powerful and tough as hell, but he's quite undersized and he couldn't fight with the biggest centers in the post. Shaq had some problems with his quickness and agression, not strength. Old O'Neal consistently established deep position against him. If you think that Shaq is not fair, Duncan also beat him in the post. Actually, Rasheed was better post defender than him. Still, he was very strong which helped him in rebounding situations.

Pekovic was the strongest player in the league in a league with Bynum and Dwight. He wasn't elite player by any means and he lacked athleticism of the other candidates, but his strength is visible on the court. You couldn't push him in the post and he could push you with ease. He lacked quickness to be great rebounder but he was also good at boxing out.

Cousins is heavy and strong dude, but he struggles against physical defenders. He's simiar to Shaq and Moses in that he's very agressive on offense. Still, I wouldn't consider him among the strongest players ever. He's elite in that aspect today though.

Nurkic - I don't really see anything special about him. Big and quite strong, but nothing remarkable on all-time sense. I've seen Embiid and Cousins eating him alive.

Anyway, my ranking:
1. Artis Gilmore
2. Shaquille O'Neal
3. Wilt Chamberlain
4. Nikola Pekovic
5. Steven Adams
6. Moses Malone
7. Dwight Howard
8. Nate Thurmond
9. Demarcus Cousins
10. Hakeem Olajuwon
11. Ben Wallace
12. Jusuf Nurkic

Some places are very close, but I think it's a fair attempt.

Great post, but explain, please: you put Artis over Wilt and Shaq??? Why?
Why Pekovic is so high? Isnt Adams stronger?

I'm not sure about Pekovic vs Admas, both are similar in terms of strength. Pekovic won every post battle I've seen though - even against Howard or Bynum. That's why I have him a bit higher.

Artis Gilmore was considered the strongest player in the league between Wilt and Shaq time. You don't hear about him as much because he wasn't as good player as these 2. I've watched him as much as possible last year though. I created huge scouting video about A-Train, you can watch it on YT:

Watch on YouTube

Watch how easy he established deep position down low. He pushed around guys like Parish, Moses, Kareem, Lanier with ease. Walton hated playing against him because he couldn't do much against his strength.

Keep in mind that is my subjective opinion. I base it on watching all three players on the court. Gilmore was the most impressive for me. I give Shaq minimal edge over Wilt because of early years - Wilt was much leaner early in his career. By 1963, Wilt was definitely on Shaq's level strength-wise.

This is just one persons opinion but I have on DVD after Orlando played Boston for the first time in Shaq’s rookie season they asked Robert Parish about what he felt about Shaq’s game and his response was that he never thought he’d play against anyone stronger than Artis Gilmore that was until tonight.
I may be paraphrasing a little but I will look to see if that quote is online and I’ll post it.

[70sFan]

Great post, but explain, please: you put Artis over Wilt and Shaq??? Why?
Why Pekovic is so high? Isnt Adams stronger?

I'm not sure about Pekovic vs Admas, both are similar in terms of strength. Pekovic won every post battle I've seen though - even against Howard or Bynum. That's why I have him a bit higher.

Artis Gilmore was considered the strongest player in the league between Wilt and Shaq time. You don't hear about him as much because he wasn't as good player as these 2. I've watched him as much as possible last year though. I created huge scouting video about A-Train, you can watch it on YT:

Watch on YouTube

Watch how easy he established deep position down low. He pushed around guys like Parish, Moses, Kareem, Lanier with ease. Walton hated playing against him because he couldn't do much against his strength.

Keep in mind that is my subjective opinion. I base it on watching all three players on the court. Gilmore was the most impressive for me. I give Shaq minimal edge over Wilt because of early years - Wilt was much leaner early in his career. By 1963, Wilt was definitely on Shaq's level strength-wise.

This is just one persons opinion but I have on DVD after Orlando played Boston for the first time in Shaq’s rookie season they asked Robert Parish about what he felt about Shaq’s game and his response was that he never thought he’d play against anyone stronger than Artis Gilmore that was until tonight.
I may be paraphrasing a little but I will look to see if that quote is online and I’ll post it.

https://www.csmonitor.com/1993/0125/25101.html

After the Celtics lost to the Magic, 113-94, Robert Parish said that in his 17-year career, only longtime Chicago Bulls star Artis Gilmore was physically stronger than O'Neal, but that Shaq was more athletic - "and that's a very scary thought," he said in mock seriousness. O'Neal "played very well," Parish continued. He's "very aggressive. He's a good transition player both ways, which is rare in this league. He showed me some things tonight, like the alley-oops. Once his game becomes polished he'll beco me two handfuls. He's already one handful."

I found this one - Parish said that Gilmore was actually stronger than young Shaq, but Shaq was more athletic. It makes sense - young Shaq was definitely more athletic than Gilmore in his 30s and it's unlikely that rookie Shaq was stronger than prime Gilmore.

[Ron Swanson]

Wilt. Not sure that anyone else has a case honestly. Shaq might but I'd define it as more "raw power" and not the way the question was phrased. No one utilized/translated their freakish strength to a greater impact on the court than Wilt.

[Bklynborn682]

I'm not sure about Pekovic vs Admas, both are similar in terms of strength. Pekovic won every post battle I've seen though - even against Howard or Bynum. That's why I have him a bit higher.

Artis Gilmore was considered the strongest player in the league between Wilt and Shaq time. You don't hear about him as much because he wasn't as good player as these 2. I've watched him as much as possible last year though. I created huge scouting video about A-Train, you can watch it on YT:

Watch on YouTube

Watch how easy he established deep position down low. He pushed around guys like Parish, Moses, Kareem, Lanier with ease. Walton hated playing against him because he couldn't do much against his strength.

Keep in mind that is my subjective opinion. I base it on watching all three players on the court. Gilmore was the most impressive for me. I give Shaq minimal edge over Wilt because of early years - Wilt was much leaner early in his career. By 1963, Wilt was definitely on Shaq's level strength-wise.

This is just one persons opinion but I have on DVD after Orlando played Boston for the first time in Shaq’s rookie season they asked Robert Parish about what he felt about Shaq’s game and his response was that he never thought he’d play against anyone stronger than Artis Gilmore that was until tonight.
I may be paraphrasing a little but I will look to see if that quote is online and I’ll post it.

https://www.csmonitor.com/1993/0125/25101.html

After the Celtics lost to the Magic, 113-94, Robert Parish said that in his 17-year career, only longtime Chicago Bulls star Artis Gilmore was physically stronger than O'Neal, but that Shaq was more athletic - "and that's a very scary thought," he said in mock seriousness. O'Neal "played very well," Parish continued. He's "very aggressive. He's a good transition player both ways, which is rare in this league. He showed me some things tonight, like the alley-oops. Once his game becomes polished he'll beco me two handfuls. He's already one handful."

I found this one - Parish said that Gilmore was actually stronger than young Shaq, but Shaq was more athletic. It makes sense - young Shaq was definitely more athletic than Gilmore in his 30s and it's unlikely that rookie Shaq was stronger than prime Gilmore.

My fault I knew i was paraphrasing a little but I don’t want to come off as a liar. I have the video of this interview and must’ve misremembered what his actual sentiments were

[70sFan]

This is just one persons opinion but I have on DVD after Orlando played Boston for the first time in Shaq’s rookie season they asked Robert Parish about what he felt about Shaq’s game and his response was that he never thought he’d play against anyone stronger than Artis Gilmore that was until tonight.
I may be paraphrasing a little but I will look to see if that quote is online and I’ll post it.

https://www.csmonitor.com/1993/0125/25101.html

After the Celtics lost to the Magic, 113-94, Robert Parish said that in his 17-year career, only longtime Chicago Bulls star Artis Gilmore was physically stronger than O'Neal, but that Shaq was more athletic - "and that's a very scary thought," he said in mock seriousness. O'Neal "played very well," Parish continued. He's "very aggressive. He's a good transition player both ways, which is rare in this league. He showed me some things tonight, like the alley-oops. Once his game becomes polished he'll beco me two handfuls. He's already one handful."

I found this one - Parish said that Gilmore was actually stronger than young Shaq, but Shaq was more athletic. It makes sense - young Shaq was definitely more athletic than Gilmore in his 30s and it's unlikely that rookie Shaq was stronger than prime Gilmore.

My fault I knew i was paraphrasing a little but I don’t want to come off as a liar. I have the video of this interview and must’ve misremembered what his actual sentiments were

That's good. I like that you mentioned this quote. Many people can't imagine how good and talented players before 1980s were. Gilmore started pro career in 1971 and to match his strength you had to wait for Shaq who is another freak who isn't matched today by anyone. Almost all post-shotclock era is within range of these 3 careers. It also shows how rare players like them are - legit 7 footers with GOAT strength and athleticism.

[Bklynborn682]

Wilt. Not sure that anyone else has a case honestly. Shaq might but I'd define it as more "raw power" and not the way the question was phrased. No one utilized/translated their freakish strength to a greater impact on the court than Wilt.

This is one of the many reasons why I wish there was actual complete video coverage of Wilt and the guys of his era. Because from the small amount of footage I’ve seen I’ve very rarely seen Wilt use his strength and leverage on a consistent basis the way Shaq did. It’s well known that Wilt was concerned about public opinion and he wanted to be seen as a complete basketball player not just a bully so even though I think there’s no doubt Wilt had more weight room strength I don’t know if he ever exerted his will consistently the way Shaq did.
Also with Shaq it seemed like every play guys were giving it all they could to try to keep him from deep position and he was always trying to force his defenders head under the basket and again while there’s only limited video of Wilt From footage I’ve seen he seemed a lot more willing to settle for mediocre position instead of trying to always get at least one foot in the paint.
So unless I’m misreading the OP Shaq used his basketball effective strength more than Wilt did.

[SkyHookFTW]

Can't say much about Stanley Roberts, I haven't seen much of him to be honest.


Wilt was definitely candidate for the first place. He was immovable in rebounding situations, many times I've seen players just bouncing off him. He had also very strong arms, you couldn't do much when he hold the ball. This led to numbers of blocked dunks (many by big strong players). Keep in mind that he was also 7'1 and 310 lbs -his size was another huge factor here.

Hakeem is underrated in terms of strength. He had low centre of gravity, you couldn't push him down low. He didn't use it often but only the biggest and strongest players could win muscle battle with him.

Shaq is another candidate for number one. The heaviest among all candidates in this thread. Had huge lower body and nobody could move him under the basket. He combined his size with agressiveness which made him the most forcefull player ever. At 7'1 and 340 lbs you could only hope for double team, otherwise he'd overwhelm his defender.

Adams - arguably the strongest player in the league today. Doesn't have sheer size of Shaq or Wilt, but he's big, strong and tough. He shows that mostly in rebounding battles - that's what makes him the best offensive rebounder in the league. Good mention.

Howard - I always thought that prime Dwight's strength has been overrated a bit, but he's now stronger than ever. He's the only player in the league that can make Whiteside look weak. Immense upper body strength gives him advantage under the boards and in driving situations. Doesn't have size or lower body to be immovable in the post though.

Thurmond made his name because he shut down any center he played against. His toughness is remembered even 50 years later. He was quite lean (~240 lbs) but it was all muscles - you can see it when you look at him. He's strong as hell but his length is even more remarkable.

Moses is the most relentless player in NBA history. At 6'10 and ~260 lbs, he attacked you everytime on offensive end. He made his life under the boards but underrated aspect of his game is fighting for position. He could establish deep position against most defenders with ease.

Gilmore is my favorite in this comparison. Huge (7'2 and 280 lbs) with thick legs and unreal arms. He was the best ever at fighting for position - well, I'd not call it "fight" actually. I've seen A-Train against the strongest players of his era - Unseld, Lanier, Kareem, Moses and Gilmore looks against all of them like he didn't even try. He pushed around the heaviest guys with one move, he won post battles after split of second. You can't do anything against him - with Shaq you can at least push him and lean onto him. Artis is simply too strong, he didn't care whether you are physical against him or not. Keep in mind that I'm talking about Gilmore in early 80s (maybe late 70s too) - young Gilmore in ABA was a bit skinny and he didn't posses as much power.


Ben isn't among the top here. Don't get me wrong, he's powerful and tough as hell, but he's quite undersized and he couldn't fight with the biggest centers in the post. Shaq had some problems with his quickness and agression, not strength. Old O'Neal consistently established deep position against him. If you think that Shaq is not fair, Duncan also beat him in the post. Actually, Rasheed was better post defender than him. Still, he was very strong which helped him in rebounding situations.

Pekovic was the strongest player in the league in a league with Bynum and Dwight. He wasn't elite player by any means and he lacked athleticism of the other candidates, but his strength is visible on the court. You couldn't push him in the post and he could push you with ease. He lacked quickness to be great rebounder but he was also good at boxing out.

Cousins is heavy and strong dude, but he struggles against physical defenders. He's simiar to Shaq and Moses in that he's very agressive on offense. Still, I wouldn't consider him among the strongest players ever. He's elite in that aspect today though.

Nurkic - I don't really see anything special about him. Big and quite strong, but nothing remarkable on all-time sense. I've seen Embiid and Cousins eating him alive.

Anyway, my ranking:
1. Artis Gilmore
2. Shaquille O'Neal
3. Wilt Chamberlain
4. Nikola Pekovic
5. Steven Adams
6. Moses Malone
7. Dwight Howard
8. Nate Thurmond
9. Demarcus Cousins
10. Hakeem Olajuwon
11. Ben Wallace
12. Jusuf Nurkic

Some places are very close, but I think it's a fair attempt.

I've seen all of them play in person. Wilt/Shaq are 1/1a, put Artis at 3, and I like the rest of your list...maybe move Nate in front of Howard.

[Gregoire]

Can't say much about Stanley Roberts, I haven't seen much of him to be honest.


Wilt was definitely candidate for the first place. He was immovable in rebounding situations, many times I've seen players just bouncing off him. He had also very strong arms, you couldn't do much when he hold the ball. This led to numbers of blocked dunks (many by big strong players). Keep in mind that he was also 7'1 and 310 lbs -his size was another huge factor here.

Hakeem is underrated in terms of strength. He had low centre of gravity, you couldn't push him down low. He didn't use it often but only the biggest and strongest players could win muscle battle with him.

Shaq is another candidate for number one. The heaviest among all candidates in this thread. Had huge lower body and nobody could move him under the basket. He combined his size with agressiveness which made him the most forcefull player ever. At 7'1 and 340 lbs you could only hope for double team, otherwise he'd overwhelm his defender.

Adams - arguably the strongest player in the league today. Doesn't have sheer size of Shaq or Wilt, but he's big, strong and tough. He shows that mostly in rebounding battles - that's what makes him the best offensive rebounder in the league. Good mention.

Howard - I always thought that prime Dwight's strength has been overrated a bit, but he's now stronger than ever. He's the only player in the league that can make Whiteside look weak. Immense upper body strength gives him advantage under the boards and in driving situations. Doesn't have size or lower body to be immovable in the post though.

Thurmond made his name because he shut down any center he played against. His toughness is remembered even 50 years later. He was quite lean (~240 lbs) but it was all muscles - you can see it when you look at him. He's strong as hell but his length is even more remarkable.

Moses is the most relentless player in NBA history. At 6'10 and ~260 lbs, he attacked you everytime on offensive end. He made his life under the boards but underrated aspect of his game is fighting for position. He could establish deep position against most defenders with ease.

Gilmore is my favorite in this comparison. Huge (7'2 and 280 lbs) with thick legs and unreal arms. He was the best ever at fighting for position - well, I'd not call it "fight" actually. I've seen A-Train against the strongest players of his era - Unseld, Lanier, Kareem, Moses and Gilmore looks against all of them like he didn't even try. He pushed around the heaviest guys with one move, he won post battles after split of second. You can't do anything against him - with Shaq you can at least push him and lean onto him. Artis is simply too strong, he didn't care whether you are physical against him or not. Keep in mind that I'm talking about Gilmore in early 80s (maybe late 70s too) - young Gilmore in ABA was a bit skinny and he didn't posses as much power.


Ben isn't among the top here. Don't get me wrong, he's powerful and tough as hell, but he's quite undersized and he couldn't fight with the biggest centers in the post. Shaq had some problems with his quickness and agression, not strength. Old O'Neal consistently established deep position against him. If you think that Shaq is not fair, Duncan also beat him in the post. Actually, Rasheed was better post defender than him. Still, he was very strong which helped him in rebounding situations.

Pekovic was the strongest player in the league in a league with Bynum and Dwight. He wasn't elite player by any means and he lacked athleticism of the other candidates, but his strength is visible on the court. You couldn't push him in the post and he could push you with ease. He lacked quickness to be great rebounder but he was also good at boxing out.

Cousins is heavy and strong dude, but he struggles against physical defenders. He's simiar to Shaq and Moses in that he's very agressive on offense. Still, I wouldn't consider him among the strongest players ever. He's elite in that aspect today though.

Nurkic - I don't really see anything special about him. Big and quite strong, but nothing remarkable on all-time sense. I've seen Embiid and Cousins eating him alive.

Anyway, my ranking:
1. Artis Gilmore
2. Shaquille O'Neal
3. Wilt Chamberlain
4. Nikola Pekovic
5. Steven Adams
6. Moses Malone
7. Dwight Howard
8. Nate Thurmond
9. Demarcus Cousins
10. Hakeem Olajuwon
11. Ben Wallace
12. Jusuf Nurkic

Some places are very close, but I think it's a fair attempt.

I've seen all of them play in person. Wilt/Shaq are 1/1a, put Artis at 3, and I like the rest of your list...maybe move Nate in front of Howard.

Could you explain,why Wilt is slightly higher than Shaq in your list?

[SkyHookFTW]

Can't say much about Stanley Roberts, I haven't seen much of him to be honest.


Wilt was definitely candidate for the first place. He was immovable in rebounding situations, many times I've seen players just bouncing off him. He had also very strong arms, you couldn't do much when he hold the ball. This led to numbers of blocked dunks (many by big strong players). Keep in mind that he was also 7'1 and 310 lbs -his size was another huge factor here.

Hakeem is underrated in terms of strength. He had low centre of gravity, you couldn't push him down low. He didn't use it often but only the biggest and strongest players could win muscle battle with him.

Shaq is another candidate for number one. The heaviest among all candidates in this thread. Had huge lower body and nobody could move him under the basket. He combined his size with agressiveness which made him the most forcefull player ever. At 7'1 and 340 lbs you could only hope for double team, otherwise he'd overwhelm his defender.

Adams - arguably the strongest player in the league today. Doesn't have sheer size of Shaq or Wilt, but he's big, strong and tough. He shows that mostly in rebounding battles - that's what makes him the best offensive rebounder in the league. Good mention.

Howard - I always thought that prime Dwight's strength has been overrated a bit, but he's now stronger than ever. He's the only player in the league that can make Whiteside look weak. Immense upper body strength gives him advantage under the boards and in driving situations. Doesn't have size or lower body to be immovable in the post though.

Thurmond made his name because he shut down any center he played against. His toughness is remembered even 50 years later. He was quite lean (~240 lbs) but it was all muscles - you can see it when you look at him. He's strong as hell but his length is even more remarkable.

Moses is the most relentless player in NBA history. At 6'10 and ~260 lbs, he attacked you everytime on offensive end. He made his life under the boards but underrated aspect of his game is fighting for position. He could establish deep position against most defenders with ease.

Gilmore is my favorite in this comparison. Huge (7'2 and 280 lbs) with thick legs and unreal arms. He was the best ever at fighting for position - well, I'd not call it "fight" actually. I've seen A-Train against the strongest players of his era - Unseld, Lanier, Kareem, Moses and Gilmore looks against all of them like he didn't even try. He pushed around the heaviest guys with one move, he won post battles after split of second. You can't do anything against him - with Shaq you can at least push him and lean onto him. Artis is simply too strong, he didn't care whether you are physical against him or not. Keep in mind that I'm talking about Gilmore in early 80s (maybe late 70s too) - young Gilmore in ABA was a bit skinny and he didn't posses as much power.


Ben isn't among the top here. Don't get me wrong, he's powerful and tough as hell, but he's quite undersized and he couldn't fight with the biggest centers in the post. Shaq had some problems with his quickness and agression, not strength. Old O'Neal consistently established deep position against him. If you think that Shaq is not fair, Duncan also beat him in the post. Actually, Rasheed was better post defender than him. Still, he was very strong which helped him in rebounding situations.

Pekovic was the strongest player in the league in a league with Bynum and Dwight. He wasn't elite player by any means and he lacked athleticism of the other candidates, but his strength is visible on the court. You couldn't push him in the post and he could push you with ease. He lacked quickness to be great rebounder but he was also good at boxing out.

Cousins is heavy and strong dude, but he struggles against physical defenders. He's simiar to Shaq and Moses in that he's very agressive on offense. Still, I wouldn't consider him among the strongest players ever. He's elite in that aspect today though.

Nurkic - I don't really see anything special about him. Big and quite strong, but nothing remarkable on all-time sense. I've seen Embiid and Cousins eating him alive.

Anyway, my ranking:
1. Artis Gilmore
2. Shaquille O'Neal
3. Wilt Chamberlain
4. Nikola Pekovic
5. Steven Adams
6. Moses Malone
7. Dwight Howard
8. Nate Thurmond
9. Demarcus Cousins
10. Hakeem Olajuwon
11. Ben Wallace
12. Jusuf Nurkic

Some places are very close, but I think it's a fair attempt.

I've seen all of them play in person. Wilt/Shaq are 1/1a, put Artis at 3, and I like the rest of your list...maybe move Nate in front of Howard.

Could you explain,why Wilt is slightly higher than Shaq in your list?

He really isn't. What I mean by 1/1a is you can put either one on top, they are that close.

[NO-KG-AI]

Shaq was clear number 1 in applying it on a basketball court.


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[70sFan]

Shaq was clear number 1 in applying it on a basketball court.


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Why he is clearly over Gilmore?

[NO-KG-AI]

Because nobody used their strength to establish deep post position and finish strong through contact as effectively or as often as Shaq did. It was literally his entire game, and no one could do anything about it but keep throwing the biggesf bodies you could at him.

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