Wilt's upper body is huge, his "average/thin body" in photos is an optical illusion

[CavaliersFTW]

(Full size)
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a...r%2520body.jpg

These three crops were sourced from photographs taken from a far distance with 50mm+ lenses (I chose photographs taken like this so as to eliminate the variable of wide-angle lens distortion). This is not a chart to showcase height as they all have different body posture, this is a chart to compare the size and stature of their upper bodies as they are scaled in such a way that the basketballs they are holding are all perfectly identical in size. Look at how massive Wilt's upper body is when scaled correctly and in close proximity to Shaq and Dwight Howard. Are there any people who still doubt he's the strongest basketball player to lace up a pair of sneakers that had crazy bench press #'s /upper body strength?

Anyone need to see zoomed out/better perspective? Need to see more examples scaled like this? All the skeptics who keep insisting it's "impossible for him to be as strong as Shaq/Dwight - just look at pics!" should study this image, because just eyeballing pics w/o accurate side by side scaling isn't very useful at determining which player had the more massive upper body. Btw, if any of you are wondering where all the other body mass of Shaq is located, it's in his legs, Wilt has much thinner longer legs in comparison to Shaq - I can show the entire frame of this pic if necessary to showcase that. Also, if anyone wants me to use Laker Shaq/Dwight just point me to some source photographs (I can help identify the ones which are telephoto/50mm+ to eliminate chance of distortion if needed)

[tpols]

Why are you using thinner Orlando Shaq? Laker Shaq looked much more filled out.

[CavaliersFTW]

Why are you using thinner Orlando Shaq? Laker Shaq looked much more filled out.

If you read my entire above post you will come across this: - " Also, if anyone wants me to use Laker Shaq/Dwight just point me to some source photographs (I can help identify the ones which are telephoto/50mm+ to eliminate chance of distortion if needed)"

I used Orlando Shaq because IMO that was the most athletic version of Shaq

[plowking]

If you read my entire above post you will come across this: - " Also, if anyone wants me to use Laker Shaq/Dwight just point me to some source photographs (I can help identify the ones which are telephoto/50mm+ to eliminate chance of distortion if needed)"

I used Orlando Shaq because IMO that was the most athletic version of Shaq

That last line made me laugh and is a flat out lie. I respect your knowledge and appreciation of the game back in the day, but its just hilarious you use that as your reasoning. Whats the reason for using Lakers Wilt then?

Use Philly Wilt and Lakers Shaq 5-6 years into their career. You're comparing a 20 year old to a mid 30's man. One who's body was still building and developing, while the other who's had time to gain mass and alter his style of play.

[Deuce Bigalow]

[Whoah10115]

Someone I don't like made a very good point and it's what you should do. What you try to accomplish in these threads you really sabotage.




Wilt wasn't thick, tho Shaq is. I'm a thick guy...and I have (had) a very big body for someone my height (5'11). I have a big frame and I'm especially thick.


Wilt has a huge frame. He's not that thick. Shaq has a huge frame, but he's the thickest man who's ever lived. His body is fuller. I wouldn't be shocked if Wilt had especially dense bones. I'm sure he has a lot more lean muscle.


But whatever...this thread is dumb.

[305Baller]

It's true. Wilt was LARGE.

[Pointguard]

Why are you using thinner Orlando Shaq? Laker Shaq looked much more filled out.

Wilt was never the weight of thicker Shaq but perhaps close to the weight of leaner Shaq? We know he wasn't the weight of LA Shaq.

Actually Dan, you have some videos where Wilt looks really huge.

[rezznor]

Probably the first and only time in your life that you will see the colossal 7-time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger (6'2", 235 lbs of pure muscle) looked small next to a human being. By the way, Wilt Chamberlain was a legit 7'1", 275 lbs and Andre the Giant was billed as 7'4", 525 lbs. Arnold said Wilt used to throw him around like a rag doll.

[CavaliersFTW]

That last line made me laugh and is a flat out lie. I respect your knowledge and appreciation of the game back in the day, but its just hilarious you use that as your reasoning. Whats the reason for using Lakers Wilt then?

Use Philly Wilt and Lakers Shaq 5-6 years into their career. You're comparing a 20 year old to a mid 30's man. One who's body was still building and developing, while the other who's had time to gain mass and alter his style of play.

(Full Size)
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-P...0/WiltShaq.jpg

lol, man you need to chill with the disrespectful comments like "made me laugh flat out lie!" . How bout we keep the discussion intelligent and not turn this into a flaming session?

You brought up a good point about showing peak strength Wilt vs peak strength Shaq and peak athleticism Wilt vs peak athleticism Shaq - I actually agree with you and didn't see it that way the first time, so pardon me, please.

Now, showing the images this way does close the gap so it's a good and fair idea to show them this way. Wilt particularly as a Sixer looks more or less (strictly speaking musculature) the "same size" (in upper body mass) as Orlando Shaq although even in that image to me it looks like his bone structure around his shoulders and lats look a little broader but that could also be due to their posture. If you look at Lakers Wilt - he still looks like he has the larger bone structure in his upper body particularly around his neck and shoulders and upper arms, than the Laker version of Shaq.

From what I've noticed comparing images, footage, etc the biggest physical differences between where Wilt and Shaq's mass lies is in how their limbs are proportioned - particularly the legs. Wilt has a very short compact torso, and also shorter hands/feet than Shaq (9.5" length hands vs Shaq's 11" long hands - 15 shoe vs 22 shoe). What that translates too (being that they are of similar height and similar wingspan), is that Wilt has significantly longer arm bones and longer leg bones than Shaq - it makes Wilt appear much thinner in photograph (thus, w/o a visual scale, he appears "skinnier") than he actually is if scaled up close next to someone for direct visual reference to size. Also, things like Shaq's shoulders when they transition to his arms for example have deeper more sinewy grooves in them which also lends to a more chiseled/muscled appearance in his arms, but side by side if we're looking at size alone his arms and shoulders actually look smaller than Wilt's.

Upper body scaled comparisons with a guy like Shaq IMO helps show why Wilt had such incredible upper body strength and I think it adds plausibility to the stories of his incredible feats of strength. If you guys think I'm being unfair with my assessment here and wanna talk legs or have more images shown to try and even the table because you think I'm "dissing Shaq" or something I will happily oblige. Wilt has the upper hand in upper body strength over Shaq IMO, but it's just as clear to me if not even clearer that Shaq has far more massive legs - also especially from Lakers years and on, a very large layer of blubber which even though it isn't muscle it still adds potential weight/stability in the post and would make his momentum hard to stop once he's moving. His legs look like massive tree stumps compared to Wilt's - they are not only slightly shorter in length (which might lend more torque/stability), they are also very visibly thicker. So I'm not saying Wilt strength > Shaq strength end of story, this topic strictly addressed their upper body - not their overall strength in the pivot/etc.

[CavaliersFTW]

Wilt was 327lbs at the time of the Conan photographs with Arnold

[gigantes]

wilt does seem to have about equal breadth across the shoulders and bicep and shoulder size as shaq and dwight. BUT a shorter upper torso and an almost tapered / 'feminine' waist.

but it doesn't matter. you don't have to be built like a comic book hero to have incredible strength. there are so many first-hand accounts of wilt's amazing strength that i have zero doubt at this point.


where it all leads back to, of course, is the question of "how would wilt do in today's NBA?" well, having incredible strength, size and athleticism is always an ideal start. the rest of that conversation would be for another thread.

[CavaliersFTW]

wilt does seem to have about equal breadth across the shoulders and bicep and shoulder size as shaq and dwight. BUT a shorter upper torso and an almost tapered / 'feminine' waist.

but it doesn't matter. you don't have to be built like a comic book hero to have incredible strength. there are so many first-hand accounts of wilt's amazing strength that i have zero doubt at this point.


where it all leads back to, of course, is the question of "how would wilt do in today's NBA?" well, having incredible strength, size and athleticism is always an ideal start. the rest of that conversation would be for another thread.

Wilt had a 31" waist for most of his playing career, Dwight's is probably similarly small, but modern loose jerseys and "body armor" padding hides the waistlines and shapes of pretty much all modern players mid sections. Amare Stoudemire has a 29 inch Waist for example but you'd never tell the way modern jerseys drape. So Wilt's waistline is more visibly pronounced due to the fitted style 60's/70's jerseys and additionaly Wilt's waist might actually taper more rapidly because his torso is relatively short for his height. This torso length/limb length ratio is called a "skellic index" and his is on the extreme end. Shaq's waist needs no explanation, it was probably surpsingly small and hidden behind his jersey when he was in Orlando but as a Laker he had definitely filled out with a couple layer of his own personal cushioned "body armor".

[DFish]

Twiggy Chamberlain. Shaq would man-handle him.

[gigantes]

Wilt had a 31" waist for most of his playing career, Dwight's is probably similarly small, but modern loose jerseys and "body armor" padding hides the waistlines and shapes of pretty much all modern players mid sections. Amare Stoudemire has a 29 inch Waist for example but you'd never tell the way modern jerseys drape. So Wilt's waistline is more visibly pronounced due to the fitted style 60's/70's jerseys and additionaly Wilt's waist might actually taper more rapidly because his torso is relatively short for his height. This torso length/limb length ratio is called a "skellic index" and his is on the extreme end. Shaq's waist needs no explanation, it was probably surpsingly small and hidden behind his jersey when he was in Orlando but as a Laker he had definitely filled out with a couple layer of his own personal cushioned "body armor".

interesting... i hadn't factored that stuff in for some reason.

if someone could come up with as many body measurements for the group of them, that would be interesting. and why not russell, too... since he was wilt's greatest nemesis? maybe even create (infer) silhouettes of them without their duds.