NBA Players Bench Press?

[Eat Like A Bosh]

Btw, according to the internet, Kobe maxes out at around 300-315, and benches 195 for pregame warmups.

But Bench Press doesn't matter that much, cause Benching a lot more doesn't make you a better basketball player. And having long arms make it harder.

[jlauber]

Wilt chamberlain never benched over 300

Where's YOUR proof? PHILA produced a ton of evidence in HIS posts.

[inclinerator]

it helps with upper body stregnth and contact in the paint

[BoxOutBOXOUT]

on another note, benching is a horrible measure of strength

I can do like 40 push ups but hardly could bench one plate(long arms)

LOL. Keep telling yourself that.

Seriously, if you can't bench even one plate, you're weak. I don't care how many push-ups you can do.

A 130# guy can do 40 pushups while a 200# guy can do 30. Who's the stronger one? Push-ups are relative. A plate is subjective. If you can't move even one, you need to hit the gym more.

I'm not saying big bench numbers are important, but when used as a benchmark (no pun intended) for strength, not being able to lift 1 plate is pretty pathetic.

[PHILA]

Btw, according to the internet, Kobe maxes out at around 300-315, and benches 195 for pregame warmups.

But Bench Press doesn't matter that much, cause Benching a lot more doesn't make you a better basketball player. And having long arms make it harder.

USA TODAY - 11/11/2002


"It's like a kid in a candy store. 'Suddenly I've got this,' " is how Lakers assistant coach Jim Cleamons describes Bryant trying out his stronger physique.

It's a product of six hours a day, six days a week of offseason workouts, of weight training, sprints, shooting drills and creative drills to improve his speed, quickness and agility. Bryant can squat 400 pounds and bench-press 300, football player numbers.

"I just worked extremely hard," Bryant says. "Hopefully, I can get in the post a little more and start abusing some guys down on the block. But just staying healthy is the main thing."

Bryant's added upper-body bulk "helps keep people off of him," Lakers coach Phil Jackson says. "He's got a zone to protect himself with because he's got strength in his arms. He's got to be careful he doesn't use it to be overaggressive ... He'll learn how to play with it. Trial and error is the best teacher for Kobe."

[DuMa]

big ben and shaq. unquestionably the best bench pressers in the nba

[D.J.]

I remember watching a Pistons game back in 2005 I believe and they said Ben Wallace was able to bench over 400 pounds. Looking at his arms, I don't doubt that at all. Derek Fisher benching 400, no. He's definitely very strong and I'm sure he can bench well over 3 bills, but definitely not 400. Dwight Howard can't even bench 400. And just an FYI, only .5% of those that bench press can bench double their weight.

[Ikill]

Durant finished 78th out of 80 in workouts yet he's the best player from that class by a mile

Basketball has more to do with how skilled/smart/tall you are than how strong or fast you are.

I would say Athleticism and ball handling are the most important things Durant has average athleticism but amazing length and handles the ball well for his size.

[LA_Showtime]

Who gives a shit. How much one can bench is the worst indication of strength ever. Seriously. The only thing it's good for is bragging rights. I'm more interested in how much NBA players can squat.

[LA_Showtime]

Its painfully obvious who workouts in this thread and who doesn't. Fish benching 400 LOL.

Boykins benching 300+ at 140 LOL.

What are you talking about? That's not ridiculous at all. I guess that's your way of calling out yourself.

[tpols]

I would say Athleticism and ball handling are the most important things Durant has average athleticism but amazing length and handles the ball well for his size.

Well, ballhandling is a skill.

And athleticism is just icing on the cake. The greatest ballers and winners of all time were that way because they were smart above all else.

[LA_Showtime]

The bench isn't really relevant for NBA players, especially not at the kinds of high weights that would impress us. I imagine that the average very fit guy at your local gym can bench more than the typical NBA player, even though the typical NBA player is in better cardiovascular shape than almost any other athlete (with the possible exception of soccer players and boxers).

Also, as far as maxes in reps and total weight - most people who are serious about working out usually don't know what their max is. Most guys do between 5 and 12 reps at somewhere between 80% and 90% of their max, with athletes doing the higher end of the spectrum in reps. My guess is that the typical basketball player has a general idea of what they can do, but most would be lying if they gave an exact number. The one place you can find what guys are capable of is at the combine, where I know that at least Durant couldn't do any reps at like 185. That said, these guys change quite a bit physically as they get older - Garnett used to be incredibly scrawny, but he's very solid now.

Yup. And a lot of players aren't exactly built for the bench press. Long armed people have a ton of trouble with it (Durant).

[LastChanceToWin]

So far I have seen a great amount of allegations but ZERO videos posted.

[daballa13]

on another note, benching is a horrible measure of strength

I can do like 40 push ups but hardly could bench one plate(long arms)

STFU softie, bench press is the best test of true upper-body strength, 40 push-ups is soft btw.

[LA_Showtime]

STFU softie, bench press is the best test of true upper-body strength, 40 push-ups is soft btw.

Dead lift?