Better Athletes NFL or NBA players?

[D.Brasco]

There is a big difference between NBA athletes and NFL athletes. Both are filled with genetic freaks, but the big difference is NFL players live in the weight room. These guys maximize their strength and speed. I mean did yall see Myles Garrett at the draft last week trying to wear a suit, it looked like he was wearing a fake muscle suit under it and his suit was about to rip.

Garrett is 6'5 272 pounds (probably a lot more now), ran a 4.64 40, 41 inch standing vert, and benched 225 pounds 33 times.

A guy like Clowney was 6'5 266 pounds at the combine (again probably a solid 280 now), ran a 4.53 40. He was a sprinter in high school and got 9th in state for the 100 meter sprint.

The size (just overall weight), strength, and explosiveness of NFL players are just on another level.

How do you view Zions combination of size and explosion to a Garrett and Clowney?

[DCasey91]

Anybody ever watch the show superstars?

It was mostly late 70s, early 80s, so I never saw it, but my dad loved telling me about the athletic competitions of athletes from different sports. According to what he remembers, soccer players consistently won until they changed to format to help athletes from other sports.

Yeah any aerobic/stamina based stuff they are going to do it easy. We had a show like that back in my country. Midfield Rugby players did very well. The events are more combo based so it throws up different results. AFL midfielders would be perfect for any sort athletic comp format for sports players around the world. More size than soccer players & strength, high end not quite top level but quick enough speed, and massive gas tanks because the field is humugous literally humugous. Basically triathletes with more speed less insane endurance but more weight/strength.

Was funny when everybody had to swim in the ocean by jeez the two swimmers (Male/Female) cut through it like an orca whale left a triathlete in the dust and everybody else was struggling that was the most impressive thing I saw but they were in their element.

[DCasey91]

Still don’t know who would have bigger gas tanks on average. Basketball is highly aerobic (not elite but very high) but a smaller playing area, NFL is very stop start but has pads on.

[dhsilv2]

Those NFL guys would be playing basketball if they were athletically gifted enough. More money, longer career, less brain damage....

No, because basketball is a game that relies more on skill than just pure athleticism like some positions in the NFL. The NBA doesn't emphasize speed, quickness, and strength the same way the NFL dies when drafting players. You only need to look at the history of the draft combines to see the NFL clearly has better athletes. In particular, standing vertical measurements from NFL combine athletes blow away basketball athletes. No basketball player has recorded a 40"+ standing vert in the history of the combine. This year in the NFL combine 22 players did it. That's because football athletes spend more time strength/speed/agility training anD basketball athletes focus more on skill based training.

Most of the "skill" in basketball really comes down to athletic ability. Harden's step back 3 works because he can stop his body on a dime because of his athletic ability to do so. Controlling a ball and changing directions again goes back to athletic skills. Fine motor skills are no different than strength in that training improves them but fine motor skills are an athletic trait.

[bigbreakfast]

Those NFL guys would be playing basketball if they were athletically gifted enough. More money, longer career, less brain damage....

No, because basketball is a game that relies more on skill than just pure athleticism like some positions in the NFL. The NBA doesn't emphasize speed, quickness, and strength the same way the NFL dies when drafting players. You only need to look at the history of the draft combines to see the NFL clearly has better athletes. In particular, standing vertical measurements from NFL combine athletes blow away basketball athletes. No basketball player has recorded a 40"+ standing vert in the history of the combine. This year in the NFL combine 22 players did it. That's because football athletes spend more time strength/speed/agility training anD basketball athletes focus more on skill based training.

Most of the "skill" in basketball really comes down to athletic ability. Harden's step back 3 works because he can stop his body on a dime because of his athletic ability to do so. Controlling a ball and changing directions again goes back to athletic skills. Fine motor skills are no different than strength in that training improves them but fine motor skills are an athletic trait.

there's a variation of this thread every few months on realGM, basically the majority of people here define athleticism by explosive feats like strength and vertical and totally ignore the other athletic traits like balance, coordination, agility, stamina, etc. I'm not sure why people tend to call these physical traits "skills," as "skills" imply expertise in a specific area/sport/focus, like shooting. In fact, many NBA players train their agility, stamina, core strength, balance etc. by doing other sports like yoga, mma/boxing, etc. Clearly these physical traits enhance basketball skills but inherently are physical traits that don't exist only in basketball. Pretty much every dictionary or textbook definition of athleticism goes beyond mere strength and speed and includes the other traits. RealGM just chooses to ignore this and we have this repeat argument ad nauseum.

[Dmagic]

yeah cuz the major sport have legit athletes and freaks of nature..somebody better tell these ufc fighters they aint them bahahahah

[Ambrose]

It's NFL athletes and it's not close. They spend too much time in the weight room to be comparable. Go look at the combine numbers and you see a massive difference. There are defensive lineman every year that post better verticals than NBA wings.

[dhsilv2]

No, because basketball is a game that relies more on skill than just pure athleticism like some positions in the NFL. The NBA doesn't emphasize speed, quickness, and strength the same way the NFL dies when drafting players. You only need to look at the history of the draft combines to see the NFL clearly has better athletes. In particular, standing vertical measurements from NFL combine athletes blow away basketball athletes. No basketball player has recorded a 40"+ standing vert in the history of the combine. This year in the NFL combine 22 players did it. That's because football athletes spend more time strength/speed/agility training anD basketball athletes focus more on skill based training.

Most of the "skill" in basketball really comes down to athletic ability. Harden's step back 3 works because he can stop his body on a dime because of his athletic ability to do so. Controlling a ball and changing directions again goes back to athletic skills. Fine motor skills are no different than strength in that training improves them but fine motor skills are an athletic trait.

there's a variation of this thread every few months on realGM, basically the majority of people here define athleticism by explosive feats like strength and vertical and totally ignore the other athletic traits like balance, coordination, agility, stamina, etc. I'm not sure why people tend to call these physical traits "skills," as "skills" imply expertise in a specific area/sport/focus, like shooting. In fact, many NBA players train their agility, stamina, core strength, balance etc. by doing other sports like yoga, mma/boxing, etc. Clearly these physical traits enhance basketball skills but inherently are physical traits that don't exist only in basketball. Pretty much every dictionary or textbook definition of athleticism goes beyond mere strength and speed and includes the other traits. RealGM just chooses to ignore this and we have this repeat argument ad nauseum.

Yeah, it's funny how in high school the kid who just always catches anything you throw at him is INSTANTLY identified as a "natural athlete" and then we get older and forget how some guys can just pick a piece of paper up, crumble it up and throw it into the trash from 30 feet away and that's athleticism too.

[dhsilv2]

It's NFL athletes and it's not close. They spend too much time in the weight room to be comparable. Go look at the combine numbers and you see a massive difference. There are defensive lineman every year that post better verticals than NBA wings.

But who'd win a 20 mile race and a ping pong match (without training)?

[Ambrose]

It's NFL athletes and it's not close. They spend too much time in the weight room to be comparable. Go look at the combine numbers and you see a massive difference. There are defensive lineman every year that post better verticals than NBA wings.

But who'd win a 20 mile race and a ping pong match (without training)?

No clue but I'd watch the hell out of either.

[dhsilv2]

It's NFL athletes and it's not close. They spend too much time in the weight room to be comparable. Go look at the combine numbers and you see a massive difference. There are defensive lineman every year that post better verticals than NBA wings.

But who'd win a 20 mile race and a ping pong match (without training)?

No clue but I'd watch the hell out of either.

I'll put my money on most wings/guards in the nba which is why the "not even close" stuff is silly. The athletic tools needed in basketball are different from the nfl.

[AdagioPace]

who would win a Pentathlon/Heptathlon competition: an average NBA player vs an average NFL player ? (assuming they both leave their sport and train for a year before the competition)

[Ambrose]

But who'd win a 20 mile race and a ping pong match (without training)?

No clue but I'd watch the hell out of either.

I'll put my money on most wings/guards in the nba which is why the "not even close" stuff is silly. The athletic tools needed in basketball are different from the nfl.

For sure, and that's why the train differently. I'm talking about conventional athleticism. In terms of strength, speed, explosion, and agility NFL players are undeniably superior. There are certainly other elements of athleticism that favor NBA guys but in the traditional metrics it's not close.

[dhsilv2]

No clue but I'd watch the hell out of either.

I'll put my money on most wings/guards in the nba which is why the "not even close" stuff is silly. The athletic tools needed in basketball are different from the nfl.

For sure, and that's why the train differently. I'm talking about conventional athleticism. In terms of strength, speed, explosion, and agility NFL players are undeniably superior. There are certainly other elements of athleticism that favor NBA guys but in the traditional metrics it's not close.

Coordination and endurance are conventional athleticism.

Here's the definition. "the physical qualities that are characteristic of athletes, such as strength, fitness, and agility."

fitness and agility....

[Pelly24]

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.

[Ambrose]

I'll put my money on most wings/guards in the nba which is why the "not even close" stuff is silly. The athletic tools needed in basketball are different from the nfl.

For sure, and that's why the train differently. I'm talking about conventional athleticism. In terms of strength, speed, explosion, and agility NFL players are undeniably superior. There are certainly other elements of athleticism that favor NBA guys but in the traditional metrics it's not close.

Coordination and endurance are conventional athleticism.

Here's the definition. "the physical qualities that are characteristic of athletes, such as strength, fitness, and agility."

fitness and agility....

Strength, and agility would be NFL players. Fitness is dependent upon the definition.

[Pelly24]

I think NFL players are more athletic by a good margin. Peak Russ and Westbrook are pretty much as athletic as its ever been in terms of speed/quickness/power for size and bounce and agility. But every single NFL team has multiple guys that eclipse them in all of those categories, or at worst match them. Basketball is a sport where, if you don't have the ability to shoot and dribble, you will be a bad player no matter how athletic you are. Malik Monk is an insane athlete in almost every way and he's becoming good, but it's not in proportion to how athletic he is. If he had better handle, more consistent jumper, he'd look way way better, but he doesn't.

People will speak on fluidity, but cornerbacks and running backs and wide receivers are usually incredibly coordinated and fluid and have the best body control in the world, maybe aside from gymnasts.

[bballfan1three3]

Depends on the position -- I would say that NFL cornerbacks and fast linebackers might be the best athletes in any sport. NFL noseguards...we'll they're strengthletes.

In any case, the huge gap is of course in strength. No sport requires brute strength like American football (rugby does, but favors somewhat smaller bodies with endurance capabilities). But outside of strength NBA athletes are right there as among the best in the world in a sport that absolutely rewards it. They're just too skinny. You don't think about how stretched out those numbers are sometimes. 6'10"...240lbs. Really? 6'2" 175? Really? Wiggins is listed at 6'7" 197lbs. Come on. That's almost get sand kicked in your face and your lunch money stolen territory.

Um what 9 foot tall giants do you hang out with who can kick sand in a 6'7 person's face

[rzzzzz]

Basketball players have a much better chance of retiring without their brains getting scrambled. Their are a lot of parents out there pushing their gifted young athletes away from all the mayhem.

[dhsilv2]

For sure, and that's why the train differently. I'm talking about conventional athleticism. In terms of strength, speed, explosion, and agility NFL players are undeniably superior. There are certainly other elements of athleticism that favor NBA guys but in the traditional metrics it's not close.

Coordination and endurance are conventional athleticism.

Here's the definition. "the physical qualities that are characteristic of athletes, such as strength, fitness, and agility."

fitness and agility....

Strength, and agility would be NFL players. Fitness is dependent upon the definition.

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!