The 5 strongest players in NBA History

Two stories from former NBA players and one from a regular guy on the street:

As K.C. Jones once put it in describing Wilt’s power, "He stopped me dead in my tracks with his arm, hugged me and lifted me off the floor with my feet dangling," Jones said. "It scared the hell out of me. When I went to the free-throw line, my legs were still shaking. Wilt was the strongest guy and best athlete ever to play the game. [Source: Goliath's Wonderful Life, Hoop Magazine; May 1999; Chris Ekstrand]

Paul Silas gave an even more impressive impression of Wilt’s strength and power when he once said, "One time, when I was with Boston and he was with the Lakers, Happy Hairston and I were about to get in a scrape. All of a sudden, I felt an enormous vise around me. I was 6'7", 235 lbs., and Wilt had picked me up and turned me around. He said, 'We're not going to have that stuff.' I said, 'Yes sir.'

Even long after his playing days, his strength was apparent, as is seen in the following story:

Several years after Wilt stopped playing; he toyed with the idea of a comeback. On the day he visited the Knicks' offices in Madison Square Garden; he talked to Red Holzman, and then strode out to the elevator.

When it opened, two deliverymen were struggling with a dolly piled high with boxes of office supplies, mostly letterheads and envelopes.

The load was so heavy, the elevator had stopped maybe four inches below the floor level and now the deliverymen were huffing and puffing, but they couldn't raise the dolly high enough to get it on the floor level.

After maybe two minutes of the deliverymen's huffing and puffing, Wilt, his biceps bulging in a tank top, peered down at them and intoned, "Gentlemen, maybe I can help."

They stepped back, he stepped into the elevator, grabbed each end of the rope slung under the dolly and without much exertion, quickly lifted the dolly onto the floor level.

Looking up in awe, the deliverymen said, "Thank you." Wilt said, "You're welcome."

Wilt stepped into the elevator and rode down to the street level as another witness followed the two deliverymen toward the Knick offices and asked, "How much does all this weigh?"

They quickly surveyed the stack of big boxes of office supplies. "Close to 600 pounds," one said.

[Source: The Good Natured Giant Wasn't Belligerent, Sports of the Times; Oct 13, 1999; Dave Anderson]

Another story comes from Wilt’s greatest rival, Bill Russell, who knew only too well how powerful Chamberlain was. As he puts it, “I still remember the time when one of our strongest men, Gene Conley, decided to fight Chamberlain for the ball. He [Conley] grabbed it and hung on and Chamberlain just lifted him and the ball right up towards the rim.” – Bill Russell, “Go Up for Glory” p. 126.

Billy Cunningham:

"The greatest play I've ever seen was one of the last games of the 1966-67 season and were playing Baltimore. We [Philadelphia] were going for the best record in NBA history.

There was a play earlier in the game where Gus Johnson had dunked one over Wilt. Gus was a very strong player. I weighed 220 pounds, and with one hand Gus could push me out of the lane.

The man was a physical specimen [6-foot-6, 230 pounds], all muscle. He loved to dunk and was a very colorful player.

When he slammed it on Wilt, he really threw it down, and you could tell that Wilt didn't like it one bit.

Later in the game, Gus was out on the fast break, and the only man between him and the basket was Wilt. He was going to dunk on Wilt--again.

Gus cupped the ball and took off--he had a perfect angle for a slam.

Wilt went up and with one hand he grabbed the ball--cleanly! Then he took the ball and shoved it right back into Gus, drilling Gus into the floor with the basketball.

Gus was flattened and they carried him out. It turned out that Gus Johnson was the only player in NBA history to suffer a dislocated shoulder from a blocked shot."

Born in the 856 wrote:

Even more hilarious stuff.

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Born in the 856 wrote:

Enjoy your ignorance

Your stories are fine. I think what the poster found untrue was the 55-inch vertical.

Your elevator story is ridiculous. Elevators can haul, conservatively, about 3,000 lbs. An elevator would not be staggered by two guys and a dolly of office supplies. Not that I believe two guys were hauling 600lbs of office supplies in one load, because that much weight in envelopes and letterhead couldn't fit on one dolly. Finally, the method by which Wilt supposedly lifted the dolly makes no sense. How could Wilt lift the dolly by a rope without spilling everything everywhere?

No one denies that Wilt was strong. But let's keep anecdotes about his feats of strength in the realm of the possible.

Not true on Wilt and 500lbs/55"

Since I have inside info, I do know some guys who are/were very strong (measured in upper body strength)

1) Jason Williams (the shooter)was/is freakishly strong. He was able to curl with one arm, 225lbs. He did this using a olympic bar (bench press bar). I believe at one time this was on a video. 165lbs on david Letterman

2) Jeff Ruland. Was supposed to have freakish strength. Supposedly was to have one of the best hand strength tests recorded in NBA

3) As mentioned Wes Unseld, Shaq, etc

4) Super strong dudes - Chris Dudley, Karl Malone, Kwame Brown, Nikola Pekovic, Ron Artest, Earl Boykins (little guy, Carlos Boozer

Muscle tonus dont have much to do with strength, ala Warren Sapp- one of the strongest humans ever

2012xxx wrote:

I love the OP's list of five.

Have to agree. It's not often that the OP gets it right.

Pretty good list. Wilt & Shaq are an easy 1-2, in that order -- way above everyone else. Karl Malone maybe a clear 3rd, and a bunch of people could probably be 4/5.

I don't think modern NBA fans realize what a physical freak Wilt was. With modern money & modern training techniques, it's scary to think of how much even more imposing he would be. He's Shaq but stronger & faster.

I wouldnt put Wilt in the top 30 of NBA strong men. Yes he was a great athlete, but he didnt lift like guys do now. His upper body strength would not compare

Uhh.... Tractor Traylor you big dummies.

Drugs Drugs Drugs wrote:

Sabonis was a rock who couldn't get banged around by Shaq when the battled on the boards.

Actually Shaq was able to push Sabonis around.

I remember watching the first clash of these two and being surprised how easily Shag knocked him out of position

In David Halberstam's Breaks of the Game, Artis Gilmore is described as being freakishly strong, almost unmovable.

XY wrote:

Not true on Wilt and 500lbs/55"

Since I have inside info, I do know some guys who are/were very strong (measured in upper body strength)

1) Jason Williams (the shooter)was/is freakishly strong. He was able to curl with one arm, 225lbs. He did this using a olympic bar (bench press bar). I believe at one time this was on a video. 165lbs on david Letterman

2) Jeff Ruland. Was supposed to have freakish strength. Supposedly was to have one of the best hand strength tests recorded in NBA

3) As mentioned Wes Unseld, Shaq, etc

4) Super strong dudes - Chris Dudley, Karl Malone, Kwame Brown, Nikola Pekovic, Ron Artest, Earl Boykins (little guy, Carlos Boozer

Muscle tonus dont have much to do with strength, ala Warren Sapp- one of the strongest humans ever

You are on the money about Jayson Williams(Nets). I saw him bench 405 for 10 reps. He claimed either him or Kevin Willis(Hawks) were the strongest in the NBA during his time. He claimed Willis could clean and jerk 400 lbs and he was at 385.

Recognizer of Hilarity wrote:

"Wilt was rumored..."

"Held a Magic-led team scoreless..."

55" vertical

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.

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Must be really fun to live in a fantasy world.

I don't know if everything written about Wilt is true, but it is a fact that he was freakishly strong. I have heard stories as far back as H.S. that his hands were so strong that he could hold a basketball out from his body and no one could take it away from him. I heard that when he retired, he never stopped working out and that he played pick ball in the summer with NBA players and I recall several players saying he could still play in the NBA at around age 50. I do recall several NBA teams expressing and interest in him long-long after he retired. Wilt also played pro volleyball for a while and I think he is the founder of the pro volleyball circuit.

Wilt wasn't just a tall bean stalk, he was athletic, strong, he had very good endurance and was a smart basketball player as well.

With all of that said, Wilt was also a bit of a jerk; I think he got a kick out of the rumors of him coming out of retirement when people close to him said there was no way he was ever going to play in the NBA again. He left the NBA with a bad taste in his mouth and he didn't need the money. I don't know the story, but I think he was forced into retirement somehow.

Dale and Antonio Davis for the Pacers in the late90s/early00s were bad dudes

Gerald Wallace before he stated slowing down

Ben Gordon, Eric Bledsoe if we're talking pound-for-pound

David Robinson had an incredible physique for a 7-footer

Artest/MWP seems like he gets bigger & scarier every year

young Shawn Kemp was a man-child, so explosive

Enes Kanter for young guys, he is built like a brick house

David Robinson. The Admiral.

Actually he did. Probably more so. He was the one who pioneered lifting weights and working out year round. Nowadays NBA players lift weights but its more a comprehensive basketball specific training routine of which strength is just one component. There are big men nowadays that are more quick and agile than Wilt ever was even while being pretty strong. Just not as strong as Wilt. A lot of the people saying Wilt was the strongest ever are not just cynical old people who want to believe they were special back in the day. Its guys like Billy Cunningham who both played with Wilt, then went on to coach in the 80s and was a GM throughout the 90s and 00s. In short he knows the players from all these eras. If guys like him say Wilt was the strongest I believe them.

XY wrote:

I wouldnt put Wilt in the top 30 of NBA strong men. Yes he was a great athlete, but he didnt lift like guys do now. His upper body strength would not compare

_Bash wrote:

Reggie Miller

he was STRONK