What players would dominate any generation?

[Moranis]

Wilt was the strongest player to ever play in the league. 

here is a picture of Wilt, Andre the Giant, and Arnold taken during Conan the Destroyer (film was released in 1984).  http://www.strengthfighter.com/2012/10/arnold-schwarzenegger-wilt-chamberlain.html

Look at how strong Wilt was even then and look at how small Arnold looked.  Arnold said during filming that Wilt was consistently benching over 500 pounds. Wilt was 48 at the time. 

To think that man couldn't compete in any era is just crazy.

[johnnygreen]

Charles Barkley immediately comes to mind. A 6'6" power forward, who was able to dominate down low during an era of big men. He also could take his man off the dribble and shoot from the outside. That guy was insanely talented.

Another big man is Chris Webber. An elite passing big man, who could do it all.

[Redz]

Wilt was the strongest player to ever play in the league. 

here is a picture of Wilt, Andre the Giant, and Arnold taken during Conan the Destroyer (film was released in 1984).  http://www.strengthfighter.com/2012/10/arnold-schwarzenegger-wilt-chamberlain.html

Look at how strong Wilt was even then and look at how small Arnold looked.  Arnold said during filming that Wilt was consistently benching over 500 pounds. Wilt was 48 at the time. 

To think that man couldn't compete in any era is just crazy.

Boombatta!

[mmmmm]

Opinion:  The notion that Wilt, Shaq and BILL FREAKING RUSSELL would not still be dominant in today's game is just silliness.

Bill Russell never really dominated the league in the way Jordan or Larry did, he was the leader and best player on the best team but his career FG% is only 440 and his FT% was 500 and given the pace of the game at the time he never cracked 20 PPG in the regular season, it doesn't mean he wasn't an all time great especially on the defensive end but he wasn't a true dominate force...his Celtics teams were.

Russell averaged 22.5 rebounds per game FOR HIS CAREER!!!!   During his peak, he was grabbing over 24 boards per game! He was still averaging 19.3 in his final season at age 34.  He lead the league in rebounding multiple times.  And yes, he played huge minutes (because his endurance was otherworldly) but even his per-36 rebounding rate was a ridiculous 19.1 for his career.

They did not track block statistics back in his day, but most unofficial reports suggest he probably would have lead the league in that category as well.  And he also was a brilliant passer, averaging 4.3 assists per game and during his peak years that number was over 5 per game.

If you are going to try to tell me that a center who can average 15.1 points, 22.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and probably a half-dozen blocks per game, while leading his team year after year to have the best defense and to the championship title again and again, getting named MVP 5 times along the way, was not dominant, then your credibility is in serious question.   And those are just his career averages.  During his peak years the numbers were sick.

He played 165 playoff games across the span of his career and averaged 16.2 points, 24.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists.

He is routinely and rightfully lauded as one of, if not the greatest defender the game has ever had, a basketball savant and a stellar 'team first' player. 

But in your mind, he wasn't "dominant"?   O-kay ...

[mmmmm]

Wilt was the strongest player to ever play in the league. 

here is a picture of Wilt, Andre the Giant, and Arnold taken during Conan the Destroyer (film was released in 1984).  http://www.strengthfighter.com/2012/10/arnold-schwarzenegger-wilt-chamberlain.html

Look at how strong Wilt was even then and look at how small Arnold looked.  Arnold said during filming that Wilt was consistently benching over 500 pounds. Wilt was 48 at the time. 

To think that man couldn't compete in any era is just crazy.

Yeah, both Wilt and Russell were world-class, elite track & field athletes who could have competed at the Olympic level.   Both were super strong, fast and could leap like gazelles. 

[Moranis]

Wilt was the strongest player to ever play in the league. 

here is a picture of Wilt, Andre the Giant, and Arnold taken during Conan the Destroyer (film was released in 1984).  http://www.strengthfighter.com/2012/10/arnold-schwarzenegger-wilt-chamberlain.html

Look at how strong Wilt was even then and look at how small Arnold looked.  Arnold said during filming that Wilt was consistently benching over 500 pounds. Wilt was 48 at the time. 

To think that man couldn't compete in any era is just crazy.

Yeah, both Wilt and Russell were world-class, elite track & field athletes who could have competed at the Olympic level.   Both were super strong, fast and could leap like gazelles.

yeah, there was a famously well known story about Wilt and Jim Brown being at an event and getting into a debate about who was faster, so they went outside and raced.  Wilt won.  Brown demanded a rematch. Wilt won again. 

Wilt was the most impressive physical specimen not only in basketball history, but probably all of sports history.  He could do anything.  He was easily an Olympic level athlete in multiple track and field events.  He was a world class professional volleyball player after he retired from the NBA.  He was one of, if not the, strongest person alive at multiple points in his life.  His endurance was unheard of (he once went an entire season and missed 6 minutes of game time the entire season).  He was strong, he was fast, he was agile.  There has never been anyone like him and probably won't be anyone like him again. 

[nickagneta]

Players that have to be on that list:

Russell
Chamberlain
Shaq
Oscar Robertson
Jerry West
Elgin Baylor
John Havlicek
Dr. J
Magic
Tim Duncan
KG

[slamtheking]

Opinion:  The notion that Wilt, Shaq and BILL FREAKING RUSSELL would not still be dominant in today's game is just silliness.

Bill Russell never really dominated the league in the way Jordan or Larry did, he was the leader and best player on the best team but his career FG% is only 440 and his FT% was 500 and given the pace of the game at the time he never cracked 20 PPG in the regular season, it doesn't mean he wasn't an all time great especially on the defensive end but he wasn't a true dominate force...his Celtics teams were.

Russell averaged 22.5 rebounds per game FOR HIS CAREER!!!!   During his peak, he was grabbing over 24 boards per game! He was still averaging 19.3 in his final season at age 34.  He lead the league in rebounding multiple times.  And yes, he played huge minutes (because his endurance was otherworldly) but even his per-36 rebounding rate was a ridiculous 19.1 for his career.

They did not track block statistics back in his day, but most unofficial reports suggest he probably would have lead the league in that category as well.  And he also was a brilliant passer, averaging 4.3 assists per game and during his peak years that number was over 5 per game.

If you are going to try to tell me that a center who can average 15.1 points, 22.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and probably a half-dozen blocks per game, while leading his team year after year to have the best defense and to the championship title again and again, getting named MVP 5 times along the way, was not dominant, then your credibility is in serious question.   And those are just his career averages.  During his peak years the numbers were sick.

He played 165 playoff games across the span of his career and averaged 16.2 points, 24.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists.

He is routinely and rightfully lauded as one of, if not the greatest defender player the game has ever had, a basketball savant and a stellar 'team first' player. 

But in your mind, he wasn't "dominant"?   O-kay ...

fixed it for you

[mmmmm]

Players that have to be on that list:

Russell
Chamberlain
Shaq
Oscar Robertson
Jerry West
Elgin Baylor
John Havlicek
Dr. J
Magic
Tim Duncan
KG

I approve of this list in it's entirety.  TP.

[mmmmm]

Opinion:  The notion that Wilt, Shaq and BILL FREAKING RUSSELL would not still be dominant in today's game is just silliness.

Bill Russell never really dominated the league in the way Jordan or Larry did, he was the leader and best player on the best team but his career FG% is only 440 and his FT% was 500 and given the pace of the game at the time he never cracked 20 PPG in the regular season, it doesn't mean he wasn't an all time great especially on the defensive end but he wasn't a true dominate force...his Celtics teams were.

Russell averaged 22.5 rebounds per game FOR HIS CAREER!!!!   During his peak, he was grabbing over 24 boards per game! He was still averaging 19.3 in his final season at age 34.  He lead the league in rebounding multiple times.  And yes, he played huge minutes (because his endurance was otherworldly) but even his per-36 rebounding rate was a ridiculous 19.1 for his career.

They did not track block statistics back in his day, but most unofficial reports suggest he probably would have lead the league in that category as well.  And he also was a brilliant passer, averaging 4.3 assists per game and during his peak years that number was over 5 per game.

If you are going to try to tell me that a center who can average 15.1 points, 22.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and probably a half-dozen blocks per game, while leading his team year after year to have the best defense and to the championship title again and again, getting named MVP 5 times along the way, was not dominant, then your credibility is in serious question.   And those are just his career averages.  During his peak years the numbers were sick.

He played 165 playoff games across the span of his career and averaged 16.2 points, 24.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists.

He is routinely and rightfully lauded as one of, if not the greatest defender player the game has ever had, a basketball savant and a stellar 'team first' player. 

But in your mind, he wasn't "dominant"?   O-kay ...

fixed it for you

I stand corrected and apologize for my error.
 

[mmmmm]

Wilt was the strongest player to ever play in the league. 

here is a picture of Wilt, Andre the Giant, and Arnold taken during Conan the Destroyer (film was released in 1984).  http://www.strengthfighter.com/2012/10/arnold-schwarzenegger-wilt-chamberlain.html

Look at how strong Wilt was even then and look at how small Arnold looked.  Arnold said during filming that Wilt was consistently benching over 500 pounds. Wilt was 48 at the time. 

To think that man couldn't compete in any era is just crazy.

Yeah, both Wilt and Russell were world-class, elite track & field athletes who could have competed at the Olympic level.   Both were super strong, fast and could leap like gazelles.

yeah, there was a famously well known story about Wilt and Jim Brown being at an event and getting into a debate about who was faster, so they went outside and raced.  Wilt won.  Brown demanded a rematch. Wilt won again. 

Wilt was the most impressive physical specimen not only in basketball history, but probably all of sports history.  He could do anything.  He was easily an Olympic level athlete in multiple track and field events.  He was a world class professional volleyball player after he retired from the NBA.  He was one of, if not the, strongest person alive at multiple points in his life.  His endurance was unheard of (he once went an entire season and missed 6 minutes of game time the entire season).  He was strong, he was fast, he was agile.  There has never been anyone like him and probably won't be anyone like him again.

yeah, I think the only guys that come to mind who might have been comparable elite-at-everything super-ridiculous athletes would have been Jim Thorpe and maybe Bo Jackson, if he had not injured the hip.   Both are from different eras than Wilt, of course, and I'm not trying to compare them to Wilt.   

Karl Malone and Dave Winfield were both also pretty freakish specimens as well, but probably not quite in the class you are talking about.

[Surferdad]

Man the undeserved Embiid hype is approaching the undeserved Kobe hype.

It's pretty common knowledge amongst legit media figure that Embiid is a hall of fame level talent for someone who only took up the game at 15 and the growth he's made including sitting out 2 years because of injury is amazing, he is a carbon copy of Hakeem...I just don't think his body will allow him to have that dominate career.

Just take Embiid and Giannis out of the nomination, please.  They don't qualify, yet. 

[Moranis]

Wilt was the strongest player to ever play in the league. 

here is a picture of Wilt, Andre the Giant, and Arnold taken during Conan the Destroyer (film was released in 1984).  http://www.strengthfighter.com/2012/10/arnold-schwarzenegger-wilt-chamberlain.html

Look at how strong Wilt was even then and look at how small Arnold looked.  Arnold said during filming that Wilt was consistently benching over 500 pounds. Wilt was 48 at the time. 

To think that man couldn't compete in any era is just crazy.

Yeah, both Wilt and Russell were world-class, elite track & field athletes who could have competed at the Olympic level.   Both were super strong, fast and could leap like gazelles.

yeah, there was a famously well known story about Wilt and Jim Brown being at an event and getting into a debate about who was faster, so they went outside and raced.  Wilt won.  Brown demanded a rematch. Wilt won again. 

Wilt was the most impressive physical specimen not only in basketball history, but probably all of sports history.  He could do anything.  He was easily an Olympic level athlete in multiple track and field events.  He was a world class professional volleyball player after he retired from the NBA.  He was one of, if not the, strongest person alive at multiple points in his life.  His endurance was unheard of (he once went an entire season and missed 6 minutes of game time the entire season).  He was strong, he was fast, he was agile.  There has never been anyone like him and probably won't be anyone like him again.

yeah, I think the only guys that come to mind who might have been comparable elite-at-everything super-ridiculous athletes would have been Jim Thorpe and maybe Bo Jackson, if he had not injured the hip.   Both are from different eras than Wilt, of course, and I'm not trying to compare them to Wilt.   

Karl Malone and Dave Winfield were both also pretty freakish specimens as well, but probably not quite in the class you are talking about.

Lebron is probably the closest active player.  He is just bigger, stronger, faster, etc. than everyone else.  If Lebron's first love was football, he probably would have been a HOF tight end.

[kraidstar]

Opinion:  The notion that Wilt, Shaq and BILL FREAKING RUSSELL would not still be dominant in today's game is just silliness.

Bill Russell never really dominated the league in the way Jordan or Larry did, he was the leader and best player on the best team but his career FG% is only 440 and his FT% was 500 and given the pace of the game at the time he never cracked 20 PPG in the regular season, it doesn't mean he wasn't an all time great especially on the defensive end but he wasn't a true dominate force...his Celtics teams were.

Shaq conditioning wise I think he would struggle, remember he played at almost all time slow pace and I think he wouldn't be able to average the same minutes and again his free throws would let him down, it's a bad example I know but Drummond has to sit at the end of games because of his poor free throws and I am sure you would say the same about Shaq. I think defensively too he could keep up getting dragged out to the three point line by versatile forwards, remember I am not talking if a player would be good or great but if the could actually dominate.

Wilt has the same problem as Shaq with his free throws but the more I think about it the more I may need to include him on my list as his athleticism would probably still dwarf most players today.

Magic Johnson can't space the floor and although he was a freak at the time, never went up against guards like todays, he would definitely struggle against keeping with Curry and Westbrook attacking him.

Well, the league average NBA FG% was .380 Russell's first year, and .441 his last... so a career .440% was actually terrific.

[slamtheking]

Opinion:  The notion that Wilt, Shaq and BILL FREAKING RUSSELL would not still be dominant in today's game is just silliness.

Bill Russell never really dominated the league in the way Jordan or Larry did, he was the leader and best player on the best team but his career FG% is only 440 and his FT% was 500 and given the pace of the game at the time he never cracked 20 PPG in the regular season, it doesn't mean he wasn't an all time great especially on the defensive end but he wasn't a true dominate force...his Celtics teams were.

Russell averaged 22.5 rebounds per game FOR HIS CAREER!!!!   During his peak, he was grabbing over 24 boards per game! He was still averaging 19.3 in his final season at age 34.  He lead the league in rebounding multiple times.  And yes, he played huge minutes (because his endurance was otherworldly) but even his per-36 rebounding rate was a ridiculous 19.1 for his career.

They did not track block statistics back in his day, but most unofficial reports suggest he probably would have lead the league in that category as well.  And he also was a brilliant passer, averaging 4.3 assists per game and during his peak years that number was over 5 per game.

If you are going to try to tell me that a center who can average 15.1 points, 22.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and probably a half-dozen blocks per game, while leading his team year after year to have the best defense and to the championship title again and again, getting named MVP 5 times along the way, was not dominant, then your credibility is in serious question.   And those are just his career averages.  During his peak years the numbers were sick.

He played 165 playoff games across the span of his career and averaged 16.2 points, 24.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists.

He is routinely and rightfully lauded as one of, if not the greatest defender player the game has ever had, a basketball savant and a stellar 'team first' player. 

But in your mind, he wasn't "dominant"?   O-kay ...

fixed it for you

I stand corrected and apologize for my error.
 

understood.  TP for seeing the error of your ways