How Quick Was LeBron at His Athletic Peak? How Quick Is He Now?

Pablo Escobar · Post #21 » by **Pablo Escobar** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 6:21 am

Miami Bron was something else. Dude was about 280ish and just a beast :lol:

super unfair.

Scuall · Post #22 » by **Scuall** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 6:49 am

clyde21 wrote:don't want to compare the two but I actually think Zion has a quicker first step than peak LeBron, which is insane given that Zion weighs even more than what LeBron did

Yeah the way he's been blowing by NBA players is just amazing.

clyde21 · Post #23 » by **clyde21** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 6:54 am

Scuall wrote:
clyde21 wrote:don't want to compare the two but I actually think Zion has a quicker first step than peak LeBron, which is insane given that Zion weighs even more than what LeBron did

Yeah the way he's been blowing by NBA players is just amazing.

Cafu · Post #24 » by **Cafu** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 6:55 am

Thank God his 3pt is much better now. Still pretty unstoppable when his shooting is on.
But look at his highlights, smh, just crazy. How come we only appreciate a player when he is past his prime.

dhsilv2 · Post #25 » by **dhsilv2** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 7:09 am

Kinda depends on what you mean by quick. His speed was insane, all time levels. Lateral mobility was great for his size, but by no means elite against the guards of the league. His first step was elite but not all time levels.

levon · Post #26 » by **levon** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 7:21 am

yoyoboy wrote:Jesus, if LeBron had that level of athleticism right now he would be absolutely terrifying.

But the paradox is if he was physically unstoppable, he wouldn't be playing the cerebral game he is now. He'd just be 08-09 Lebron again.

It may be because I'm watching him every night now, but it's more interesting to watch this version of the mortal Lebron than the young version.

Post #27 » by **INKtastic** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 7:21 am

Frank Dux wrote:
MisterHibachi wrote:Watch the first play in this video

Watch on YouTube

I'm not sure if i've ever seen a player get down the court faster.

Watch on YouTube

levon · Post #28 » by **levon** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 7:25 am

INKtastic wrote:

Watch on YouTube

I feel like they've locked that dude in a dungeon and are forcing him to make these videos #freejohnbrenkus

Dupp · Post #29 » by **Dupp** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 7:39 am

Frank Dux wrote:
MisterHibachi wrote:Watch the first play in this video

Watch on YouTube

I'm not sure if i've ever seen a player get down the court faster.

Yeah he wasn’t just quick for his size he was all time level quick on the court. Absolute freak. That first play took him 3 seconds from foul line to Other end dunk from stand still almost.

MrBigShot · Post #30 » by **MrBigShot** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 7:41 am

Watch on YouTube

LeBron was a freak athlete among freak athletes. His acceleration and explosion were something else.

toodles23 · Post #31 » by **toodles23** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 7:42 am

yoyoboy wrote:
IG2 wrote:Very quick. And not just for his size. Extremely quick for any size. He did lack a good first step, but once he was in motion, his acceleration was elite. And he didn't just play in a straight line. He always possessed excellent ability to change direction and explode after that.

Peak quickness was 07-08 and 08-09 seasons. Those 2 years are definitely his athletic peak.

This playoff game from 2008 is a pretty good demonstration of how freakishly quick he was.

Watch on YouTube

Jesus, if LeBron had that level of athleticism right now he would be absolutely terrifying.

I've always loved the play at 47 seconds. Barreling full speed on the break to the baseline then completely changing direction with one step to squeeze through two guys for the jam, and to make the entire sequence look fluid and easy...

The straight line speed at his size was ludicrous. The play at 23 seconds:

Watch on YouTube

I also think his first step might be getting underrated a bit, take a look at the dunk at 1:15 in that game. Just explodes by Tayshaun.

Egg Nog · Post #32 » by **Egg Nog** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 8:40 am

Wow, do people ever forget quickly.

LeBron was an all-state wide receiver.

One of the fastest NBA players ever in terms of top speed and certainly one of the quickest ever for his size.

Arman_tanzarian · Post #33 » by **Arman_tanzarian** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 8:44 am

Are some of you guys serious with this lack of quickness thing?

Cavs LeBron circa rook to 2010 was one dribble and he's at the rim in the half-court. In the open court, he was the fastest player in the league. Only wade was near his level end to end.

His first step was insane too pre Miami. I think you guys are confusing quickness with lane agility. The latter he was slightly below an all-timer like MJ just because of his size.

End to end LeBron is the fastest player I've ever seen. Especially when he has steam.

Scuall · Post #34 » by **Scuall** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 9:37 am

Egg Nog wrote:Wow, do people ever forget quickly.

LeBron was an all-state wide receiver.

I'm not sure what this has to do with anything. Matt Barnes was very athletic and an all-state/all-American in football as a wide receiver as well.

Egg Nog wrote:
One of the fastest NBA players ever in terms of top speed and certainly one of the quickest ever for his size.

But I definitely agree here. He's in a class for jumbo professional athletes matched only by Bo Jackson, Jonah Lomu, etc.

dlts20 · Post #35 » by **dlts20** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 10:15 am

Not as much quickness but the fastest player in the league from end to end. Combine that with elite strength and explosion, you have an ATG athlete

XTC · Post #36 » by **XTC** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 11:25 am

Watch the very first highlight in the following clip. A player THAT big and strong, should never be able to move like that. Young Lebron was truly an athletic freak

Watch on YouTube

Gooner · Post #37 » by **Gooner** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 11:29 am

Dupp wrote:Quicker than peak Westbrook. Unmatched acceleration and end to end speed.

Nobody is quicker than Wetsbrook, are you kidding me. LeBron is incredibly quick relative to his size, but Westbrook is a different category.

mitrandil20 · Post #38 » by **mitrandil20** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 12:01 pm

The guy was a mixture of Greek gods descended from Olympus to display an ideal to us humans.
Now he is older, bu he ate Athena.

Scuall · Post #39 » by **Scuall** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 12:31 pm

XTC wrote:Watch the very first highlight in the following clip. A player THAT big and strong, should never be able to move like that. Young Lebron was truly an athletic freak

Watch on YouTube

Damn, so fluid and effortless. Like I said earlier, he's in such a small class of otherworldly jumbo athletes.

Jonas (RIP to Jonas and RIP to the guy at 0:51

Watch on YouTube

Bo

Watch on YouTube

Post #40 » by **KingDavid** » Mon Dec 9, 2019 1:22 pm

clyde21 wrote:don't want to compare the two but I actually think Zion has a quicker first step than peak LeBron, which is insane given that Zion weighs even more than what LeBron did

At 280lbs. If he drops down 10-15lbs....ouf.