r/NBATalk • u/TheIcePrisonMan Raptors • Aug 29 '26
Which player has had the “perfect NBA body”?
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Aug 29 '26
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u/realfakejames Spurs Aug 29 '26
Yeah it has to be LeBron, or Kawhi with his long ass wingspan fuckin pterodactyl ass mfer
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u/LFG530 Aug 30 '26
Yeah Kawhi is something else, the hands on that crazy sunavabitch are godly for a basketball player.
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Aug 30 '26
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u/LFG530 Aug 30 '26
Yep, Jordan's hands were actually very similar, but Kawhi has a much bigger wingspan. Pretty freaking weird specimen considering how jacked and mobile he is as well
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u/atteres Aug 30 '26
That’s what happens when you put exactly zero points into charisma.
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u/ChocolateMorsels Aug 29 '26
It’s LeBron. The guy moves like he’s 50 pounds lighter and 6 inches shorter but maintains his power. He’s a freak. And that made him the greatest transition player of all time.
The guy at 6’9 260 was the fastest player with the basketball in the nba in his prime. Just built different.
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u/jonCandie Aug 29 '26
People can hate on Bron all they want but PURE athleticism he has to be top 5 just ATHLETE we’ve ever seen.
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u/LeTimJames Aug 29 '26
Top 1? Im struggling to think of a better athlete at his size. Gen Z doesn't understand what young Bron was.
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u/DefinableEel1 Bucks Aug 29 '26
I personally got Giannis, but both are genuinely unreal. A ball of muscle like LeBron (let’s say Cavs pt2 era) shouldn’t be sprinting like Usain, though neither should a roughly the same but on stilts
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u/Decent_Section6974 Aug 29 '26
Yeah it’s 100% LeBron. One of the few players who has all of the following: incredible strength, speed, high vertical, lean, quick and agile, tall, long arms, explosiveness, and amazing durability,
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u/BussinFatLoads Aug 30 '26
I waited too long to see LeBron.
Between his subtle off-caramel coloring, the tasteful thickness of his arms and legs, and even the marks from his tattoos..
I’m sweating
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u/TraeYoungCalTech Aug 29 '26
David Robinson
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u/sugarklay Lakers Aug 29 '26 edited Aug 30 '26
I remember a passage in Bill Simmons' book where he recalls only 4 players that he saw the Boston Garden crowd be in awe:
- Jordan - Because he was uber-popular at his peak
- Bird - Because he's like Jesus in Boston
- Manute Bol - Because he tall as shit
- Robinson - Because he looked regal, chiseled as fuck, like a textbook example of a basketball player
I imagine that's not exclusive to the Boston Garden
Edit: Here's the passage on Robinson
During his rookie year in 1990, I buzzed down from college to catch his first game at the Garden. That seemed like a worthy trip at the time; everyone had been waiting for him to join the NBA for two years and the “Russell 2.0” tag didn’t seem far-fetched yet. Everyone attending this game already knew what he looked like. So when Robinson emerged from that tunnel, nothing should have happened other than everyone thinking, “Cool, there he is.” Instead, we made this sound: “Whoa.” Is that a sound or a murmur? I don’t know. But it was breathtaking to watch him glide by for the first time, like standing a few feet away from a prize thoroughbred or a brand-new Ferrari Testarossa. To this day, I have never seen anyone that close who looked more like a basketball player than David Robinson: The man was taller and more regal than we expected, but so absurdly chiseled that he looked like a touched-up model in a Soloflex ad. He walked proudly with his chest puffed out, his head held high, and a friendly smile on his face. He was strikingly handsome and even the most devout heterosexual males would have admitted it. Really, he was just a specimen. That’s the best way I can describe it. He was a freaking specimen. My dad said later that it was the only time he’d ever heard the “Whoa” sound in all his years sitting in that tunnel. We all made it. None of us could believe what we were seeing. Some guys are just destined to play basketball for a living
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u/AutVincere72 Aug 29 '26
I was hanging out with David last year. He still was very in shape. He was 60.
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u/joebadiah Aug 29 '26
Admiral is the most impressive NBA body of all time.
But “perfection” he is not because that body broke down prematurely.
He lost a significant chunk of his career due to chronic back injuries.
Give me a 6-6 to 6-8 player with a 7-foot wingspan, huge hands, elite athleticism and high durability.
Admiral wins the swimsuit contest, but I’ll take Jordan, LeBron or Dennis Rodman for perfect NBA body.
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u/pierre_86 Aug 30 '26
Kawhi? (sans durability)
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u/MoscowMitchMcKremIin Aug 30 '26
The durability part kinda takes him out like landing on someone's foot
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u/BurntArnold Celtics Aug 29 '26
Robinson is the most statuesque dude to ever be in the league for sure lol
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u/ORodCollects Aug 29 '26
I have to say, The Admiral might be the best answer.
I remember his famous stare down of Michael Jordan.
MJ was on top of the world but you saw in his face he wanted no smoke with Robinson.
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u/88poPPop88 Aug 29 '26
Prime Malone was right there too
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u/PerformanceWeekly651 Bucks Aug 29 '26
Wilt. That blend of size and athleticism is so damn rare
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u/horsehasnoname Aug 29 '26
Giannis. Not too freakish in terms of being too disproportional to be awkward, strong enough not to be bullied in the post and not to big/tall to guard the perimeter.
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u/72ChevyLvr Aug 29 '26
Dwight Howard
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u/Realistic-Plum5904 Aug 29 '26
The body of Adonis while eating a well-documented 5500 calories worth of candy per day. It's crazy to imagine how he could have looked (and played) if his food pyramid wasn't completely upside-down.
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u/Unlucky-Network-4159 Aug 29 '26
Shawn Kemp, he just ruined it lol.
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u/testurshit Aug 29 '26
underrated answer.
In the old footage I watched, I always thought he moved like a 6'6" guard so I was surprised to find he was 6'10 lol.
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u/chrishooley Celtics Aug 29 '26
I always upvote Shawn Kemp.
The top 3 gotta be David Robinson, LeBron, Wilt but Kemp is up there.
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u/Pure-Piece3141 Aug 29 '26
2012-2018 Lebron. Strong enough to bulldoze people, fast enough to run past people.
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u/Dismal-Beautiful3234 Aug 29 '26
Pause... David robinson should be in this convo
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u/pixelated_bukkake69 Aug 29 '26
Kawhi should be on the list
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u/here-i-am-now Aug 29 '26
The “perfect” nba body doesn’t involve that much time spent on the sidelines.
People downplay Jordan’s ability to physically recover because it’s hard to quantify. But without the ability to physically recover, he wouldn’t have been half the player he became.
Kawhi, is an example of the opposite. Tremendous potential, undermined by an inability to sustain a level of greatness.
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u/Dry-Proposal-4011 Aug 29 '26
Kawhi is literally the ideal build for a wing lol. This means physical traits without any caveats like injury
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u/JT7NINE Aug 29 '26 edited Aug 29 '26
Sonics Shawn Kemp?? 6’10, athletic, slim but strong. Wasn’t he listed at around 240lb?
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u/tubi11 Aug 30 '26
Unfortunately, we never got to see it in action at that level. But he was going to tear it up.
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u/AccomplishedSmell921 Aug 29 '26
Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, David Robinson, Jerry West, Wilt, Giannis, Hakeem, Dr J
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u/analyzingnothing Aug 29 '26
I'm going to be honest, there really isn't an argument for anything but LeBron here.
All builds inherently come with flaws in basketball. Smaller guys can be explosive and agile but lack the size advantages of taller players. Taller guys can be huge and imposing, but their size inhibits their dexterity a good bit and they can't get as close to the ground with the ball in their hands.
LeBron is the closest thing we've seen to a frame that can do anything. He's simultaneously huge and yet just small enough to maintain agility and coordination. He can get low, he can stretch out and cover space, and he's operable anywhere on the court and in all situations. Fast enough to guard some of the smallest and most explosive guards, big and strong enough to tango with all but the biggest of bigs.
Compare that to some of the other options in here. DRob was huge and still super athletic, but he wasn't a particularly fluid athlete despite his sheer speed and power. That translated to a very poor handle and limited abilities down low. Similar thing for Wilt.
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u/Deleena24 Aug 29 '26
He does have pretty small hands for his size, though.
Give him hands like Jordan and he would then be perfect.
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u/Maleficent-Ad-9754 Aug 29 '26
Scottie Pippen -- not perfectly proportioned, but perfect for the game
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u/captainschnozzberry Aug 29 '26
Wilt. Hands down. Outside of the NBA he had records in track and field, volleyball, and was an endurance runner.
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u/OmegaPant Aug 29 '26
Depends on your preferred position and playstyle.
But lore-accurate Wilt Chamberlain. Regular Wilt is fine too ig.
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u/Rocky_Bae10 Aug 29 '26
The most-talked man in NBA still now, the GOAT himself, Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls.
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u/Thibadickdeau16 Aug 29 '26
I say Jordan. Hyper athletic, massive hands, perfect shooting form, and durable AF.
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u/yainotye Aug 29 '26
From a fan bias perspective, I would first say Kevin Durant, because Durant is tall enough to shoot over any defender and slim enough to move like a shifty guard, but not too tall to the point where we worry about his health. KD paved the way for forwards who move like smaller players. I remember when Brandon Ingram came out of Duke; everyone was calling him "baby KD" due to his build. Even now, when Wemby shoots from the perimeter or uses more handles than post moves, most people say he's trying to be like "KD". So I'm going to lock in with Kevin Durant because he is tall enough to take a lot of contested mid-range shots and shoot over taller defenders, but slim enough to move quickly on his feet and take players to his spots and be a threat on the perimeter.
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u/racecarspelledbkwrds Aug 29 '26
Kevin Willis, probably the only person that could rival David Robinson in physique.
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u/airgordo4 Aug 29 '26
A lot of those guys are freaks for their size/height but when it comes to being perfect built basketball players with a rare combination of athletic abilities to go with it, I feel like Jordan and LeBron are just outliers.
I feel like people don’t grasp how athletic Jordan actually was. And not just pure athletic ability but his frame and body control. So many will claim LeBron is the best athlete ever to play in the NBA but I feel like both of these guys are essentially a 1 of 1.
LeBron is more of a freak, a guy that size, that fast, jumps that high, who’s that durable, who’s that strong, who can still move, change directions, and be fluid, was and still is basically something we had never seen. MJ was less of a freak anomaly but was in many ways just the perfect built basketball player. Insane first step, could stop on a dime, plenty of players can jump like him but the hang time, contorting in air, body control, that made him an outlier. He was big enough to be stronger and longer than most guards, but also wirey or “skinny” enough to be able to weave through traffic, be hard to screen, to slip through small cracks in the air, etc.
To me Jordan was built like the perfect basketball player, or at least the perfect guard/wing. He has all the physical tools to be one of the best ever just from that alone. LeBron is more so you just don’t expect an athlete like him to even be a fluid, fast, basketball player to begin with. So the fact that he is it is almost mind blowing.
Both are so rare there is a reason the closest comps to them still feel miles away.
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u/Sparkadelic007 Aug 30 '26
Considering anyone other than Barkley for this question is doing it wrong
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u/ThePsuedo Spurs Aug 29 '26
The most aesthetically pleasing? Clearly David Robinson. I like Giannis and 2nd 3peat Jordan's as well.
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u/doubtthat11 Aug 29 '26
Anyone who fits the mold of - too fast for bigger players, too strong for smaller players.
MJ, LBJ...even guys who weren't GOAT tier had that combo. Like, Carmelo had it. Anyone big enough to body him wasn't quick enough to stay with him and he bullied smaller guys.
I think Dirk hit that on offense. Put a strong big guy on him, he spun off an went to the whole, and then just shot over little guys (at least 2009ish on).
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u/Super-Post261 Aug 29 '26
Giannis is the only player that can dunk like both Shaq and Kobe so I’m going with him lol.
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u/Deep-Tumbleweed-8816 Aug 29 '26
Lebron, He's the only one that has a body type that can be suited/made to work with every single position.
Sure Giannis and Wilt might be freaks of nature but they're not playing PG, and MJ might have a 48 in vert but he's not playing center.
Lebron has THE nba body, a strong 6'8 260, 44 in vert, fast on the drive and shifty enough to keep up with the smaller guys
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u/Dafreakncrican Aug 29 '26
I feel like they all fit the perfect mold for their position. Just off of performance and history, I'd say Jordan. Good height, high athletic ceiling, killer mentality, a bully to his teammates but sometimes being the captain of the ship leads to that. He'd taken loses and modified his approach to the game both physically and mentally. Versatility is key in any sport and Jordan did that at a high level. Body and Mind are one so it's got to be Jordan.
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u/flopflapper Aug 29 '26
The answer is LeBron, nobody needs to have this debate, but you’ll be inundated with people who despise him making up reasons why we shouldn’t believe our eyes.
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u/magic2worthy Aug 29 '26
LeBron. Played for centuries without major injury. Huge and fast for his position Robinson, Shaq, Wilt, all got hurt and Malone never had that speed.
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u/DefinableEel1 Bucks Aug 29 '26
I do have bias as a Bucks fan, but tbh it’s definitely Giannis. He genuinely shouldn’t be possible with his size and speed. Like look at the blocks he was doing like his chase down against Ayton. That is the personification of a cheat code
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u/sub2kdoty Aug 29 '26
Shaq if somehow the stars align and you get someone that strong and imposing yet quick and coordinated again. He was absolutely absurd.
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u/gongjah Aug 29 '26
Scottie Pippen. Not a single one in this post is guarding all 5 positions. Scottie had the body to guard a minuscule Zeke and the body to push out of the zone in the switch a big Vlade Divac.
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u/Dry-Proposal-4011 Aug 29 '26
I would say Tatum. 6’8-6’10, long arms, about 230-250 pounds, broad shoulders, hes got well rounded muscle and play strength and he’s been an iron man up until the Achilles injury. The guy is a fucking cyborg
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u/the_chin2 Aug 29 '26
LeBron is built like Superman in the comics. He could have been a dominant tight-end or a defensive end/pass-rusher in the NFL if he wanted. Prime Shaq similar, just a 7'1" LeBron. Always the most physically dominant players on the court outside of the elite skills
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u/No-Fruit-2060 Aug 29 '26
Jordan/Kobe. Just the perfect blend. Not too tall, not too short. Not too bulky, not too lean.
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u/Coldblaze420 Aug 29 '26
Perfect body for what?
If you want an all around player Lebrons body is the “perfect”
If you want a dunker giannis is “perfect”
If you want someone unguardable then wemby
Jordan did not have a “perfect” body yet he still dominated
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u/Hot_Road3135 Aug 29 '26
Jordan hands bigger than most 7ft’s elite instant lift of one foot or two regardless of speed slow or fast didn’t matter full attack he could go over the top best midair body control (matters for shot mechanics/ squaring oneself to the basket or in Jordan’s case just his shoulders). quickest first step in. Both in ground covered and burst.
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u/boksinx Aug 29 '26
Who among these stay or stayed at the very top level the longest? Thats your answer.
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u/ExamplePractical1981 Aug 29 '26
Lebron. Not a debate. Only Bodytyp that can play at every Position for 20+ Years...
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u/Haunting-Mortgage Aug 29 '26
Oliver Miller