Better Athletes NFL or NBA players?

[Ambrose]

And running and changing direction while ALSO dribbling, requires more.

It really doesn't. Breaking a press at the line of scrimmage requires just as much if not more arm/hand movement while still moving quickly and changing direction in short bursts.

if you say so...we'll just have to strongly disagree.

I've played both at high levels. For those that have it's not really disputed. Though you're entitled to your opinion.

[SkyHookFTW]

And running and changing direction while ALSO dribbling, requires more.

It really doesn't. Breaking a press at the line of scrimmage requires just as much if not more arm/hand movement while still moving quickly and changing direction in short bursts.

if you say so...we'll just have to strongly disagree.

He's not kidding about this. In basketball you have to change direction while maintaining control of a ball. Breaking a press in football--you are trading a ball for someone being physical in your face. Both require a high degree of skill and technique.

[dhsilv2]

It really doesn't. Breaking a press at the line of scrimmage requires just as much if not more arm/hand movement while still moving quickly and changing direction in short bursts.

if you say so...we'll just have to strongly disagree.

He's not kidding about this. In basketball you have to change direction while maintaining control of a ball. Breaking a press in football--you are trading a ball for someone being physical in your face. Both require a high degree of skill and technique.

As others have pointed out, if these NFL guys could do it with a basketball, they'd be in the NBA and not destroying their body for less money in the NFL.

[Raps in 4]

[SkyHookFTW]

if you say so...we'll just have to strongly disagree.

He's not kidding about this. In basketball you have to change direction while maintaining control of a ball. Breaking a press in football--you are trading a ball for someone being physical in your face. Both require a high degree of skill and technique.

As others have pointed out, if these NFL guys could do it with a basketball, they'd be in the NBA and not destroying their body for less money in the NFL.

Yeah, because everyone who plays football loves basketball. Please, give it a rest. That is bullcrap. Oh, I think top end NFL talent is doing just fine in the $$$$$ department. Ask Patrick Mahomes.

There's also the macho aspect of playing football. Even Wilt didn't play at first because he though basketball was a sissy sport.

[dhsilv2]

He's not kidding about this. In basketball you have to change direction while maintaining control of a ball. Breaking a press in football--you are trading a ball for someone being physical in your face. Both require a high degree of skill and technique.

As others have pointed out, if these NFL guys could do it with a basketball, they'd be in the NBA and not destroying their body for less money in the NFL.

Yeah, because everyone who plays football loves basketball. Please, give it a rest. That is bullcrap. Oh, I think top end NFL talent is doing just fine in the $$$$$ department. Ask Patrick Mahomes.

There's also the macho aspect of playing football. Even Wilt didn't play at first because he though basketball was a sissy sport.

Nearly every player who could chose one, goes with basketball. I don't see any QB's who could have chosen the nba but that's a different topic.

When it comes to agility the average nba player is more agile than the average nfl player. They have more endurance as well. NFL players are better sprinters and are stronger.

[Ambrose]

if you say so...we'll just have to strongly disagree.

He's not kidding about this. In basketball you have to change direction while maintaining control of a ball. Breaking a press in football--you are trading a ball for someone being physical in your face. Both require a high degree of skill and technique.

As others have pointed out, if these NFL guys could do it with a basketball, they'd be in the NBA and not destroying their body for less money in the NFL.

This is not a legitimate argument. Otherwise everyone would choose baseball or golf. Less physical, longer career, and insane contracts are there too.

[Time for Change]

Dave Winfield was drafted to MLB, NFL and NBA (and ABA). He said he’d be a big guy in baseball, a little guy in basketball and a dead guy in football.

[predators]

Define "athleticism". The NFL has people under 6'3", and outside of QB most football position could be taken up pretty late life if you are athletic enough, so there is a much lower skill floor. (Ie a lot of guys that are physically athletic enough for the NBA, but not skilled enough are in the NFL.) I would Imagine the top end of the NFL is more "fast twitch" athletic. Nobody in the NBA has Tyreke Hill level agility/speed.

Though I think way more NBA players could play in the NFL then visa versa. Because being 6'6" with long arms is also good for football .

[Jkam31]

Some people in the thread claiming NBA players wouldn't be able to compete with NFL guys in 40 times. Lol.

Plenty of NBA guards could run sub 4.5, and guys like D Rose or Wall are probably hitting 4.3 pretty easily.

LeBron has been hand timed at 4.4 and 4.6, but he's **** 6'9" lol

Rose at 4.3 haha asinine lebron was never touching a 4.5 let alone a 4.4

[Jkam31]

One of the dumber threads in here people think rose and fox are fast and they wouldn’t touch a 40 time 4.5

They could definitely run a legit 4.5 at least lol (if you're suggesting they couldn't). No lie, a legitimate 4.5 is much faster than people think it is, but it's still not untouchable for the fastest people in the NBA. Nate Robinson ran a 2.96 3/4 court sprint and I think was his state record holder in the 110m hurdles. He probably runs a 10.5-10.7 100m dash FAT, at least and could be faster. I'm not mentioning his rumored 4.38 40 yard dash, because IDK if it was electronic. Derrick Rose ran a very similar sprint time though and he's powerfully built so I doubt he wouldn't keep getting faster through 40 yards. I could easily see D. Rose, Peak Westbrook and fox running a 4.4-4.5 40 yard dash, even if it's electronic. Hand-timed, they could all easily run 4.3s.

Ya if that hand time was held by there agents, 4.3 is Olympic speed Fox is fast but he’s not football fast

About the same. I think DK Metcalf is peak NFL and Westbrook is peak NBA and they're very similar in size/athleticsim

Hahaha Westbrook would be considered a mediocre athlete for a receiver absolutely insane you’d even put him in the same sentence as Metcalf

[Jkam31]

There's no chance NFL players ave better agility (agility is more than running cones in some silly test). And fitness is going to fall into things like...endurance!

There is absolutely a chance (an excellent one, by the way) NFL players have better agility. NFL athletes would dominate in the silly cone test and still win in practical agility. Every skill position requires it in the NFL and lineman need it too. Sweet, endurance is one part of athleticism. They can take one category and still be clearly worse athletes as a whole.

The cone test isn't a good test of agility. But agility isn't just moving your whole body. It's moving your hands, your head, it's the ability to pump fake, it's the coordinator to do complex movements such as dribbling a ball while running.

Ability to pump fake is a good sign of agility unbelievable realgm man I swear. Anyways the cone test is one of the best availing test out there

[Jkam31]

All I see when I've watched NFL is a bunch of big fat guys pushing and shoving each other, then a guy that barely moves will throw the ball down field to, or hand off to, the only athletic players in the game. Running backs and wide receivers are athletic, as are the players that guard them, but all the others? lol
Yeah yeah, some aren't fat, some can bench press a truck..... but he just wrestles with another truck bench presser while the game goes on around them.....whoop de doo!

They have teams with what 50-60 players?.... A handful are proper athletic, the rest are just specialist at one thing. It really is a garbage game.

Imagine if the NBA stopped the game at every change of possession so you could switch your offense team with your defense team. Every team having 1 free throw shooter, he just sits on the bench until he gets called up for free throws.... that's not an athlete, that's not even a basketballer.
They have a goal kicker and a punter. Play a real sport, where your quarterback punts the ball, kicks goals and actually makes tackles. The big guys run with the ball instead of just wrestling.

Maybe I'm just ignorant because of stuff like this , I grew up playing Rugby League before I started playing basketball.

Watch on YouTube

You are. These "fat guys" are running under five second 40's and jumping 30 inches with elite acceleration and agility at 300+ lbs. Your average OL is significantly more athletic than any regular dude you'd come across and they are holding significantly more weight.

The fat guys have the same standing vertical as nba players as well despite weighing 80-90 pounds more but we won’t talk about that

[Jkam31]

As others have pointed out, if these NFL guys could do it with a basketball, they'd be in the NBA and not destroying their body for less money in the NFL.

Yeah, because everyone who plays football loves basketball. Please, give it a rest. That is bullcrap. Oh, I think top end NFL talent is doing just fine in the $$$$$ department. Ask Patrick Mahomes.

There's also the macho aspect of playing football. Even Wilt didn't play at first because he though basketball was a sissy sport.

Nearly every player who could chose one, goes with basketball. I don't see any QB's who could have chosen the nba but that's a different topic.

When it comes to agility the average nba player is more agile than the average nfl player. They have more endurance as well. NFL players are better sprinters and are stronger.

Alright cool what does that have to do with them being better athletes? Miss played both but was better at football should he have just went D1 and no pro contract by choosing basketball? Is he a worse athlete cause he chose football like what kind of idiotic logic is thia

[dhsilv2]

He's not kidding about this. In basketball you have to change direction while maintaining control of a ball. Breaking a press in football--you are trading a ball for someone being physical in your face. Both require a high degree of skill and technique.

As others have pointed out, if these NFL guys could do it with a basketball, they'd be in the NBA and not destroying their body for less money in the NFL.

This is not a legitimate argument. Otherwise everyone would choose baseball or golf. Less physical, longer career, and insane contracts are there too.

I don't think nba players have the eye hand coordination of those sports in general (which is a part of agility but not all that goes into it) and being tall I don't think is useful beyond a point in baseball, huge strike zone. Mind you I don't think marginal baseball players or golfers make NBA money but I could be wrong?

[dhsilv2]

There is absolutely a chance (an excellent one, by the way) NFL players have better agility. NFL athletes would dominate in the silly cone test and still win in practical agility. Every skill position requires it in the NFL and lineman need it too. Sweet, endurance is one part of athleticism. They can take one category and still be clearly worse athletes as a whole.

The cone test isn't a good test of agility. But agility isn't just moving your whole body. It's moving your hands, your head, it's the ability to pump fake, it's the coordinator to do complex movements such as dribbling a ball while running.

Ability to pump fake is a good sign of agility unbelievable realgm man I swear. Anyways the cone test is one of the best availing test out there

The cone test is pretty decent for testing what's needed in the NFL, but you're hardly combining in reaction timing. Maybe if the cones could move randomly? You can effectively train for a cone test in a way where it's muscle memory. But in game agility which is needed in BOTH sports can't really be tested in the same way. But in the NFL MOST movements are full speed, full stop, and back to full speed. The nba players need to mix in a lot of different speeds (of course, this is ALL ELSE EQUAL as clearly both sports do different speeds)

[Ambrose]

As others have pointed out, if these NFL guys could do it with a basketball, they'd be in the NBA and not destroying their body for less money in the NFL.

This is not a legitimate argument. Otherwise everyone would choose baseball or golf. Less physical, longer career, and insane contracts are there too.

I don't think nba players have the eye hand coordination of those sports in general (which is a part of agility but not all that goes into it) and being tall I don't think is useful beyond a point in baseball, huge strike zone. Mind you I don't think marginal baseball players or golfers make NBA money but I could be wrong?

Baseball guys get insane money and they get super long contracts. There are guys in their mid-late 20's signing 10-13 year deals paying them 30+ million/year guaranteed into their 40's. Sixteen of the twenty largest contracts ever signed in sports are MLB guys. There are zero NBA guys in the top twenty. They make more per year though.

[D.Brasco]

This is not a legitimate argument. Otherwise everyone would choose baseball or golf. Less physical, longer career, and insane contracts are there too.

I don't think nba players have the eye hand coordination of those sports in general (which is a part of agility but not all that goes into it) and being tall I don't think is useful beyond a point in baseball, huge strike zone. Mind you I don't think marginal baseball players or golfers make NBA money but I could be wrong?

Baseball guys get insane money and they get super long contracts. There are guys in their mid-late 20's signing 10-13 year deals paying them 30+ million/year guaranteed into their 40's.

They do but Kyler Murray still chose the NFL over the MLB despite being drafted there as well.

I do believe some players do go for the sport they simply like better rather than it all being about the money.

From a purely financial standoint (health as well). I personally would have chosen the MLB if I was in Murray's shoes but he had his reasons.

[dhsilv2]

Yeah, because everyone who plays football loves basketball. Please, give it a rest. That is bullcrap. Oh, I think top end NFL talent is doing just fine in the $$$$$ department. Ask Patrick Mahomes.

There's also the macho aspect of playing football. Even Wilt didn't play at first because he though basketball was a sissy sport.

Nearly every player who could chose one, goes with basketball. I don't see any QB's who could have chosen the nba but that's a different topic.

When it comes to agility the average nba player is more agile than the average nfl player. They have more endurance as well. NFL players are better sprinters and are stronger.

Alright cool what does that have to do with them being better athletes? Miss played both but was better at football should he have just went D1 and no pro contract by choosing basketball? Is he a worse athlete cause he chose football like what kind of idiotic logic is thia

If you can get a guaranteed contract in both, you should take the nba. If you can't that'd be stupid.

The point is that if an NFL guy had the athletic build for the NBA, that's at least 75% of the time the sport they'd choose. That doesn't mean that I think NBA players are better athletes or that nfl are better. This whole thing started because someone said it was the NFL and it wasn't even close. My point is that the skillset that gets you to the top in the NBA is different than the NFL. You need more agility (not just ability to cut) in the NBA and more endurance. The NFL you need to be much more explosive (sprinting and just general raw strength). I'm not picking one over the other. I'm saying they're just different and trying to pick one is a bit too challenging.

[dhsilv2]

This is not a legitimate argument. Otherwise everyone would choose baseball or golf. Less physical, longer career, and insane contracts are there too.

I don't think nba players have the eye hand coordination of those sports in general (which is a part of agility but not all that goes into it) and being tall I don't think is useful beyond a point in baseball, huge strike zone. Mind you I don't think marginal baseball players or golfers make NBA money but I could be wrong?

Baseball guys get insane money and they get super long contracts. There are guys in their mid-late 20's signing 10-13 year deals paying them 30+ million/year guaranteed into their 40's. Sixteen of the twenty largest contracts ever signed in sports are MLB guys. There are zero NBA guys in the top twenty. They make more per year though.

The average MLB salary per my quick google is 4.43 vs NBA at 8.32. I'm assuming we're talking about the average guy, not the apex stars.