Are Messi and Cristiano athletically average compared to NBA players?

[Milbuck]

Average athletically for NBA demands...yeah. Overall, not at all.

In terms of agility, body coordination, stamina, quickness and pure acceleration Messi and Ronaldo are up there with anyone. Obviously stuff like vertical explosiveness, strength, power, etc. aren't on the level of the highest-tier NBA athletes.

It's like saying someone like Novak Djokovic or Nadal is "average athletically" just because they can barely dunk a basketball. They're still two of the best pure athletes in all of sports.. Anyone who's watched a high quality Nadal-Djokovic match, like the 2012 AO Final..it's just a different type of athleticism, but just as impressive. They're lightning quick, have insane body control, and have crazy elastic like agility..and they can do it for f[COLOR="Black"]u[/COLOR]cking 6 straight hours in the sun.

Same goes for soccer athletes, it's just a different style of athleticism, not level.

They're only clearly inferior if you compare them to freak athletes like Lebron and Westbrook..

[unbreakable]

steve nash is easily atleast 6'2.5 .. which makes him 6'3 in nba ratings



hes looking down on chris paul whos listed 6'0

[red1]

steve nash is easily atleast 6'2.5 .. which makes him 6'3 in nba ratings



hes looking down on chris paul whos listed 6'0

the key word is listed

[CavaliersFTW]

steve nash is easily atleast 6'2.5 .. which makes him 6'3 in nba ratings



hes looking down on chris paul whos listed 6'0

Please don't be one of those idiots that resort to this stupid single photograph analysis bullshit for which you have zero understanding of distortion, perspective, outside variables, or even a simple baseline of how tall either of the players in question ACTUALLY measusred in real life.


This is really simple... look the shit up on draftexpress, and ta-da he measured 6-1.

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

steve nash is easily atleast 6'2.5 .. which makes him 6'3 in nba ratings



hes looking down on chris paul whos listed 6'0

bad angle


theyre at the exact same pose in this one, not more than 2 inch difference and CP is 5'11

[Graviton]

Solid list. There are a hundred different ways someone could come up with a top 5. Looks like you used the same criteria I would've used meaning the best combination of strength and speed. I've always maintained that explosiveness is the best measure of raw athleticism.

Don't forget strength, durability, resilience and endurance. Westbrook never missed a game since high school til his freak injury, then came back from 3 surgeries and had his best playoffs yet. I also don't recall seeing him tired, even after going hard for 40+ minutes, challenging 7 footers and absorbing contact like a champ.

AP came back from even worse injury and still dominated. Lebron never had any serious injuries even when coming down hard and twisting his leg/ankle.

[red1]

Don't forget strength, durability, resilience and endurance. Westbrook never missed a game since high school til his freak injury, then came back from 3 surgeries and had his best playoffs yet. I also don't recall seeing him tired, even after going hard for 40+ minutes, challenging 7 footers and absorbing contact like a champ.

AP came back from even worse injury and still dominated. Lebron never had any serious injuries even when coming down hard and twisting his leg/ankle.

Correct. Durability is huge for a sport that may not be physical in the traditional sense but is high-impact nonetheless.

[deja vu]

Christiano probably can't even dunk a basketball.

And LeBron can't score a free kick.

Apples and oranges.

Edit: Cristiano can dunk. He's more than 6 ft tall. I've seen 6 ft flat guys who can dunk and they're nowhere near the leaper Cristiano is.

[TonyMontana]

NBA players vertical jumps do not differ much from other elite athletes who play explosive oriented sports.

The illusion comes with wingspans. NBA players have freakish wingspans so they don't have to jump as high to reach as high.

Soccer is not a sport where wingspan matters at all so it would be foolish to say they are "less athletic" for not being able to dunk a basketball.

Cristiano and Messi are two of the best athletes in the world, any sport.

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

NBA players vertical jumps do not differ much from other elite athletes who play explosive oriented sports.

The illusion comes with wingspans. NBA players have freakish wingspans so they don't have to jump as high to reach as high.

Soccer is not a sport where wingspan matters at all so it would be foolish to say they are "less athletic" for not being able to dunk a basketball.

Cristiano and Messi are two of the best athletes in the world, any sport.

Agreed both top 25 athletes

[tgan3]

I put my betting money that Ronaldo can dunk a basketball. Look at that body. This guy works out hard. He is a fit and muscular (All natural no steroids).

He is a legit 6'1 some more, with basketball shoes will be listed as 6'2.
Someone like Chris Brown who is 6'1 and is a rapper can also can easily dunk a ball, why are you doubting a professional athlete in Ronaldo then?

[FKAri]

The way Messi can't be bullied off the ball is quite an athletic feat imo.

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

I put my betting money that Ronaldo can dunk a basketball. Look at that body. This guy works out hard. He is a fit and muscular (All natural no steroids).

He is a legit 6'1 some more, with basketball shoes will be listed as 6'2.
Someone like Chris Brown who is 6'1 and is a rapper can also can easily dunk a ball, why are you doubting a professional athlete in Ronaldo then?

First of all LOL Cristiano does use steroids
2nd he has a 30 inch vertical and his hands dont seem that long. He cant dunk

[Budadiiii]

Ronaldo can easily dunk a basketball you fools.

He is above average athletically compared to NBA players

[Budadiiii]

First of all LOL Cristiano does use steroids
2nd he has a 30 inch vertical and his hands dont seem that long. He cant dunk

He was tested and his running vertical was like MJ type shit. He can dunk a basketball easily.