Wilt Chamberlain's top two known sprints on a basketball court - speed calculated:

[CavaliersFTW]

Over a 22 foot stretch (half court line to the top of the key) Bill Russell averaged 18.28mph chasing down Jerry West. Not his peak speed either because he was slowing down his last few steps. Unfortunately I don't have him crossing any "circle" so I could only calculate his average speed over 22 feet when he's decelerating rather than peak speed at mid-court but Bill Russell i'd guarantee is right up there with Wilt and Robinson in terms of speed. Another center I bet that has great speed, is young Kareem. He was also the "fastest guy on the team" when he was on the Milwaukee Bucks and those Bucks had some genuine athletes that could fly in the open court. I'll have to keep my eye out for any clips of him and Bill Russell in a dead sprint across a mid court circle.

[jongib369]

Over a 22 foot stretch (half court line to the top of the key) Bill Russell averaged 18.28mph chasing down Jerry West. Not his peak speed either because he was slowing down his last few steps. Unfortunately I don't have him crossing any "circle" so I could only calculate his average speed over 22 feet when he's decelerating rather than peak speed at mid-court but Bill Russell i'd guarantee is right up there with Wilt and Robinson in terms of speed. Another center I bet that has great speed, is young Kareem. He was also the "fastest guy on the team" when he was on the Milwaukee Bucks and those Bucks had some genuine athletes that could fly in the open court. I'll have to keep my eye out for any clips of him and Bill Russell in a dead sprint across a mid court circle.

Im sure youre aware but theres a clip of Shaq in HS and one in the Nba that would be good to do as well

[LAZERUSS]

Over a 22 foot stretch (half court line to the top of the key) Bill Russell averaged 18.28mph chasing down Jerry West. Not his peak speed either because he was slowing down his last few steps. Unfortunately I don't have him crossing any "circle" so I could only calculate his average speed over 22 feet when he's decelerating rather than peak speed at mid-court but Bill Russell i'd guarantee is right up there with Wilt and Robinson in terms of speed. Another center I bet that has great speed, is young Kareem. He was also the "fastest guy on the team" when he was on the Milwaukee Bucks and those Bucks had some genuine athletes that could fly in the open court. I'll have to keep my eye out for any clips of him and Bill Russell in a dead sprint across a mid court circle.

Kareem was a great athlete, and as a sidenote, but without verification, I seem to recall KAJ running a mile with the Packers in a pre-season training camp (probably in the late 60's, or early 70's), and just dusting all of them.

[plowking]

Using the same method, David Robinson is traveling at precisely 19.07 mph over the same center circle in this clip and he's got the ball in his hands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKVqpXl3M18

I've always felt that David Robinson was the best comparison for Wilt. I think they'd put up similar stats in just about every era aside from Wilt possibly averaging more rebounds.

That said, Robinson was a bit of a mental midget, while Wilt wasn't.

[Goliath Uterus]

Where did you get this footage?

[inclinerator]

can u do this one for d wade

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAghXWh6bEk

[CavaliersFTW]

I've always felt that David Robinson was the best comparison for Wilt. I think they'd put up similar stats in just about every era aside from Wilt possibly averaging more rebounds.

That said, Robinson was a bit of a mental midget, while Wilt wasn't.

Do you just mean statistically or also physically? Cause physically I think Robinson is much closer to Bill Russell than he is to Wilt

[CavaliersFTW]

can u do this one for d wade

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAghXWh6bEk

Yes it will have to wait until this evening though - I'm at work atm. Seems like that footage could work though so long as the Heat logo represents a 12 foot center circle.

[CavaliersFTW]

can u do this one for d wade

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAghXWh6bEk

Dwyane Wade 19.57mph crossing half court circle in that clip

[CavaliersFTW]

http://youtu.be/XNw0c19DhIU?t=5m12s

In this clip, while handling the ball Wilt crossed the center circle at a speed of 16.13mph

[plowking]

Do you just mean statistically or also physically? Cause physically I think Robinson is much closer to Bill Russell than he is to Wilt

Statistically and very similar physically to early-middle of his career Wilt.

[JimmyMcAdocious]

How about Lawson? He slows down a bit and then turns on the afterburners right at midcourt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY7lkCxrQCQ#t=0m43s

[CavaliersFTW]

Statistically and very similar physically to early-middle of his career Wilt.

Robinson is closer to Russell than he is to Wilt - everything from body weight and physique to the way they move around on the floor. Robinson is just closer in height to Wilt.

Interesting fact about Robinson, during the 1988 Olympics the U.S. penciled him in at 7-1 and 235lbs. But when he arrived for practice he was measured at 7-0 (not surprising because we all know heights can be inflated by varying degrees) but what was surprsing was that he only tipped the scale at 226lbs at the time. This is only 11lbs heavier than Bill Russell was at the same age, and Bill Russell was 2.5 inches shorter. So Robinson had a very skinny natural frame no matter how ripped it looked. Now, eventually Robinson did fill out to 235lbs, and even beyond that he topped out by the time he retired at about 265lbs.

However, Wilt at only 17 years old still in high school at 6-11.5 w/o shoes, was already 225lbs. So Wilt at a younger age and shorter height was as heavy as Robinson was in his early 20's. By the time Wilt was an NBA rookie he was 258lbs - almost as heavy as Robinson maxed out at. And by his 5th season Wilt played at 290lbs and up. Their size makes them play and look a lot differently in my eyes. Robinson moved fleet footed around the floor and used his quickness and face up skills to score. Wilt (in the NBA I'm talking, not NCAA) moved slower and much more deliberate with much more back to the basket post play and deep positioning. Wilt played and looked more like Shaq IMO.

[K.Koscik]

The effort these Wilt stans do to prove that Wilt was a god among men.

Eh, considering this is the off season and there are soooo many myths and rumors about Wilt, this is not even bad.

CavsFTW puts in a decent amount of work to bring us footage, stats, proof about Wilt. It's actually pretty damn cool if you're a basketball fan who cares about the history of the game. You should get your head out of your ass bro

[Marchesk]

Eh, considering this is the off season and there are soooo many myths and rumors about Wilt, this is not even bad.

CavsFTW puts in a decent amount of work to bring us footage, stats, proof about Wilt. It's actually pretty damn cool if you're a basketball fan who cares about the history of the game. You should get your head out of your ass bro

It's a welcome relief from the twenty threads a day about Lebron/Kobe.