# Vertical Leaps of Players in their Prime



## Balla123456789 (Jul 15, 2002)

Michael Jordan- 48" ( Prime)
Vince Carter - 43"
Steve Francis - 43"
Antonio McDyess - 42"
Allen Iverson - 41"
Shawn Kemp - 40" (before he got fat)
Keon Clark - 40" ( Stick Man Got Ups)
Kobe Bryant - 38"
Shaquille Oneal - 32"
Lamar Odom - 32"
Karl Malone - 28"



Retired Players
Spud Webb - 46"
Dee Brown - 44"
Harold Miner - 44"
Dominique Wilkins - 42"
Larry Nance - 40"
Julius Erving - 41"
Rex Chapmann - 39"
Ralph Sampson - 36"
Magic Johnson - 30"

Young Guys
Fred Jones - 41"
Darius Miles - 37"
Amare Stoudemire- 36"
Eddy Curry - 29"
Tyson Chandler - 35"
Marcus Haislip - 40"
Chris Wilcox - 37"
Jonathon Bender - 40" ( Pre Calf Injury)
Lebron James - 37"
Shannon Brown - 44"
J.R. Giddens - 46"


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## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

I find it hard to believe that Jordan had 5 inches of vert on Vince. Although I guess it is possible.

You could throw Tmac in there probably somewhere between 36-40 ..


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## Diabolique (May 2, 2003)

I think you got MJ's wrong...what's your source? I always thought dominique and vince had the best vertical leap.


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## Kmasonbx (Apr 7, 2003)

Well during the dunk contest they measured Vince's vertical at 40 inches, and Steve Francis at 45. It is believable, considering Vince is 6'6, and Steve is 6'3, he just has small hands which is why he can't do some of the dunks Vince can. There is no way Jordan had a 48 inch vert, because if he did, his nose would have been at the rim, and we know he never got that high. I believe LeBron James vertical has to be close to 45 because he gets eye level with the rim.


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## Jehuisthere (Jan 12, 2003)

don't forget Vince didn't need to jump as high to do his dunks being taller than Francis....

also where is the source on all these verticals, especially Jordan's....


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## IV (Jul 16, 2002)

Kobe hasn't even reached his prime, in fact, most players dont jump as high in their primes, they jump the highest as youngsters! I doubt MJ had a 48" vertical in the mid 90's?????


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## Jehuisthere (Jan 12, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>IV</b>!
> Kobe hasn't even reached his prime, in fact, most players dont jump as high in their primes, they jump the highest as youngsters! I doubt MJ had a 48" vertical in the mid 90's?????


that's an excellent point...


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## pG_prIDe (Jun 23, 2002)

Now by vertical leap do you mean standing leaps, as it is traditionally defined, or just how high a player can get, even with a running start?


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## Big John (Sep 11, 2002)

We've done this thread before. The best vertical ever was David Thompson.


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## IV (Jul 16, 2002)

What about Earl Mandigoat? I know yall have seen the movie staring the guy who did the NFL playoffs commercials? Earl could grab quarters off the top of the backboard and he was barely 6 feet tall!


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## dr-dru (Feb 9, 2003)

earl had a 52 inch vert


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## Jehuisthere (Jan 12, 2003)

was he on the Harlem Globetrotters?? I remember reading in Slam that some guy on the Globetrotters could grab quarters off the backboard....


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## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

*haha*

i bet that almost no one has heard of that guy outside you and me. I vaguely remember that movie. But I remember the scene where the basketball coach put a 20 dollar bill on the top of the backboard and "Earl the Goat" grabbed it. Didn't he get addicted to crack, too? Remind me of his story.

Boss Bailey, an NFL linebacker just drafted out of Georgia has a high of 50 inches on his vertical.

edit: okay maybe not


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## TMOD (Oct 12, 2002)

I know _for sure_ that a bunch of those verts are wrong.


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## DaBigTicketKG21 (Apr 27, 2003)

Lebrons vertical has to be over 40''. his head almost gets over the rim.


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>TMOD</b>!
> I know _for sure_ that a bunch of those verts are wrong.


:yes:


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## dr-dru (Feb 9, 2003)

earl wasn't on the globetrotters, that is someone else, but yeah the guy your thinking about is michael wilson. he dunked on a 12ft rim.

lots of people know about earl. he was a street baller basically and dominated the high school level, but in college he couldn't get use to the coach and team game and than he got addicted to drugs, and than he became the main contributor of the manigault rucker park tournament till he died. kareem abdul jabbar in his last game was asked who was the best player he'd ever seen, and he said the goat. 

and alot of those verticals are way off...just for reference David Thompson had a 44in vertical, and yes he could grab quarters off the backboard though thats just what has been said, not confirmed.


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## dmilesai (Jul 19, 2002)

*Re: haha*



> Originally posted by <b>rwj333</b>!
> i bet that almost no one has heard of that guy outside you and me. I vaguely remember that movie. But I remember the scene where the basketball coach put a 20 dollar bill on the top of the backboard and "Earl the Goat" grabbed it. Didn't he get addicted to crack, too? Remind me of his story.
> 
> Boss Bailey, an NFL linebacker just drafted out of Georgia has a high of 50 inches on his vertical.
> ...


Tons of people know about Earl Manigault, not just you two. BTW, Boss Bailey doesn't have a high of 50 inches. Look at draft stuff, and you'll find out his real vert. It's in the mid 40's I'm pretty sure.


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## dr-dru (Feb 9, 2003)

yeah your right about boss bailey..no way he has 50 inch vert but he has something amazing, i think he might hold record of nfl predraft camp. he's max vert is 45.


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## Balla123456789 (Jul 15, 2002)

*All of those Verticals are right believe me*

He can “vertical leap” 37 inches from a standing position and has breathtaking moves above the basket.http://www.azcentral.com/community/nie/lessons/lesson0106.html


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## Jehuisthere (Jan 12, 2003)

where are the sources for all the other verticals??


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## benfica (Jul 17, 2002)

*Jordan's vertical*

Jordan vertical is closer to 43-44.


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## HAWK23 (Jul 1, 2002)

*Re: Jordan's vertical*



> Originally posted by <b>benfica</b>!
> Jordan vertical is closer to 43-44.


no I read some where that it was 48 when he was younger too.... I think I read it in the making of the Gatorade commercial when they were asking Jordan some questions about when he was young and stuff


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## TMOD (Oct 12, 2002)

Verticals from the pre-draft camps include...

Haislip - 37
Wilcox - 36
Stoudemire - 34

Also, I know that Curry was 30.5, and Chandler was 32.


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## TheS100 (Oct 25, 2002)

I can tell you there is no way J.R. Giddens' vertical is 46 inches, so they can't all be right. I've been playing basketball with J.R. since we were kids up until after sophomore year of high school and we still play ball from time to time. He can sky but 46 inches is ludicrous.


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## HAWK23 (Jul 1, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>IV</b>!
> Kobe hasn't even reached his prime, in fact, most players dont jump as high in their primes, they jump the highest as youngsters! I doubt MJ had a 48" vertical in the mid 90's?????


If I had to guess I think Balla was using "prime" as in the "prime of their athletic abilities" which would imply their younger years...


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## Bball_Doctor (Dec 29, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Balla123456789</b>!
> Michael Jordan- 48" ( Prime)
> Vince Carter - 43"
> Steve Francis - 43"
> ...


Most of these verticals are correct except for some and some have not been updated or are mixed with standing and running start verticals. 

These are all running start verticals:

MJ's is 44"-45"
Kobe's is 40"
Vince is 42"
Miner is 41"
Iverson's is now 36" becuz of injuries
Nique is 44"
Spud at prime was 48"
Rex Chapman before injuries was 40"
Lebron James is 42"
Shannon Brown is 47"-48"

And to the poster who said that VC and Steve Francis were measured 45 and 40 WHAT dunk contest were you watching??? The dunk meter was highest at 36" for VC and 40" for Francis...watch the tapes. Dunking DOES NOT measure a player's vertical leap becuz often players do not jump their highest to dunk.


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

stromile swift- 44"


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## 7M3 (Aug 5, 2002)

I know Richard Jefferson was a high jump state champion in High School and I believe his vert was measured at 41 inches.

(Also, I have never seen anyone get up as high as Lebron James, EVER. Not VC, not Thompson, not Nique, not MJ. He gets his head completely over the rim, REGULARLY! That one handed pike in the McDonalds Dunk Contest was flat-out unbelievable, he could've hung on the rim with his chin.)


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>7M3</b>!
> I know Richard Jefferson was a high jump state champion in High School and I believe his vert was measured at 41 inches.
> 
> (Also, I have never seen anyone get up as high as Lebron James, EVER. Not VC, not Thompson, not Nique, not MJ. He gets his head completely over the rim, REGULARLY! That one handed pike in the McDonalds Dunk Contest was flat-out unbelievable, he could've hung on the rim with his chin.)


its true, you just don't see players get their heads above the rim like that. james white is another guy that does it and vince is right up there too, especially off two feet. lebron could have had good success as a long jumper (probably too tall though), he really flies off one foot.


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## Kmasonbx (Apr 7, 2003)

*Re: Re: Vertical Leaps of Players in their Prime*



> Originally posted by <b>Bball_Doctor</b>!
> 
> 
> And to the poster who said that VC and Steve Francis were measured 45 and 40 WHAT dunk contest were you watching??? The dunk meter was highest at 36" for VC and 40" for Francis...watch the tapes. Dunking DOES NOT measure a player's vertical leap becuz often players do not jump their highest to dunk.


After I posted it, I remembered that I saw it on a website, that Vince's was 40 and Steve's was 45.

Somebody posted something about you jump higher with a running start, well that is untrue, you jump further with a running start, but you actually jump higher on 1 or 2 steps because you expend less energy before the jump, which is why you often see people slow down to do their dunks on the break, and in the dunk contest people get a long run before they take off from the free throw line, and take no more then about 4 or 5 steps on all the rest of their dunks.


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## Cam*Ron (Apr 13, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Kmasonbx</b>!
> There is no way Jordan had a 48 inch vert, because if he did, his nose would have been at the rim, and we know he never got that high.


he could get that high. i remember one game when kobe hit his mouth on the rim.


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## BEEZ (Jun 12, 2002)

I cnat believe nobody mentioned Wilts 50 inch vertical


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## Vinsanity (May 28, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>IV</b>!
> What about Earl Mandigoat? I know yall have seen the movie staring the guy who did the NFL playoffs commercials? Earl could grab quarters off the top of the backboard and he was barely 6 feet tall!


that movie was ill.....the actor is ill too


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## "Matt!" (Jul 24, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>BEEZ</b>!
> I cnat believe nobody mentioned Wilts 50 inch vertical


Thats because it was previously established that Wilt's 50 inches were probably exaggerated over time.


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## BEEZ (Jun 12, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Matt85163</b>!
> 
> 
> Thats because it was previously established that Wilt's 50 inches were probably exaggerated over time.


Sorry it wasnt. Its one thing to speak something and know fact, but its another to say it blindly when you do not know. As I stated in another thread so many people try to base basketball off of what he did. He also participated in other sports. Triathalons and such. that 50 inch vertical isnt something that came from basketball. So no it was not exaggerated.


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## Big John (Sep 11, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Matt85163</b>!
> 
> 
> Thats because it was previously established that Wilt's 50 inches were probably exaggerated over time.


Was that his vertical leap or something else?


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## "Matt!" (Jul 24, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>BEEZ</b>!
> 
> 
> Sorry it wasnt. Its one thing to speak something and know fact, but its another to say it blindly when you do not know. As I stated in another thread so many people try to base basketball off of what he did. He also participated in other sports. Triathalons and such. that 50 inch vertical isnt something that came from basketball. So no it was not exaggerated.


So you know this for a fact? You watched him do a standing jump of over four feet? Plus the seven feet of Wilt, and 3 feet of arms? Dude, that's 14 feet high he can touch, standing.

BigJohn, you pervert.


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## BEEZ (Jun 12, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Matt85163</b>!
> 
> 
> So you know this for a fact? You watched him do a standing jump of over four feet? Plus the seven feet of Wilt, and 3 feet of arms? Dude, that's 14 feet high he can touch, standing.
> ...


Quite simply Yes I know this for a fact. Standing jump is and was not the only way your vertical was determined back then. 50 inches is not even close to the world record. You act like it could not happen. There is a young guy in high school now by the name of Gullerimo Diaz with a 50 inch vert. You have to either read up on him or try to find some old tapes.


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

Beez, you're dead wrong on this one. I just did a little research and descovered his highjump record to be 6'6 (i've only heard that he could high jump his height). Subract 54 inches from that and you're left with 2 feet- could you possibly explain why highjump vert is measured from ones' knees? even if it is, this number has no realistic application. there is no way that wilt had a 54 inch vert off a power step, i have yet to see his head anywhere close to the rim on a dunk and getting his head to rim and that would only put his vert at 34 inches. you're the one buying into the hype (legend) without any strong evidence. i know all about wilt's athleticism but he didn't have a 50 inch vert.

from what i've read, it appears that wilt claimed his vert was around 50 inches, which to me seems like an out and out lie. seriously, that's about 6 inches higher than vince carter's vert and he's pretty much the greatest high flyer the nba has ever seen. don't believe everything you read. the doctor is searching for a video of his globetrotter days- has anyone seen it or any clips of wilt getting his head over the rim? i'd love to hear some details.

i believe that wilt could grab quarters from the top of the backboard but the man's vertical reach was close to 10 feet so that puts his vert at just over 3 feet, probably a max of 40 inches.


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## Stojakovic16 (Jan 12, 2003)

> In addition to his height, Chamberlain had long arms, and when standing under the basket, he could almost touch the rim, 10 ft (3.1 m) off the ground.


That's what it says on Encarta. If his vert was 50 in. that would be nuts!

It also says he preferred track and field over basketball when he was young, so I guess it is possible.


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## carver401 (Aug 24, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Bball_Doctor</b>!
> 
> 
> Most of these verticals are correct except for some and some have not been updated or are mixed with standing and running start verticals.
> ...



Where are u getting these from, I can almost guarentee that Iverson has not had his verticle measure since his "injuries" so obviously these are just your estamations and I question their accuracy. Could you possibly provide us with a reliable source to back these claims up.


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## BEEZ (Jun 12, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>SkywalkerAC</b>!
> Beez, you're dead wrong on this one. I just did a little research and descovered his highjump record to be 6'6 (i've only heard that he could high jump his height). Subract 54 inches from that and you're left with 2 feet- could you possibly explain why highjump vert is measured from ones' knees? even if it is, this number has no realistic application. there is no way that wilt had a 54 inch vert off a power step, i have yet to see his head anywhere close to the rim on a dunk and getting his head to rim and that would only put his vert at 34 inches. you're the one buying into the hype (legend) without any strong evidence. i know all about wilt's athleticism but he didn't have a 50 inch vert.
> 
> from what i've read, it appears that wilt claimed his vert was around 50 inches, which to me seems like an out and out lie. seriously, that's about 6 inches higher than vince carter's vert and he's pretty much the greatest high flyer the nba has ever seen. don't believe everything you read. the doctor is searching for a video of his globetrotter days- has anyone seen it or any clips of wilt getting his head over the rim? i'd love to hear some details.
> ...


whatever. I supplied yall with a link and can supply you with more but if thats is what you think than fine with me


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## Bball_Doctor (Dec 29, 2002)

*Re: Re: Vertical Leaps of Players in their Prime*



> Originally posted by <b>carver401</b>!
> 
> 
> 
> Where are u getting these from, I can almost guarentee that Iverson has not had his verticle measure since his "injuries" so obviously these are just your estamations and I question their accuracy. Could you possibly provide us with a reliable source to back these claims up.


AI vertical was around 41" in college and from what I have seen of him he is around 36" now...that is an estimated guess. VC's 42" was measured in a dunk competition...not NBA. According to one poster one site says he is 45" but 42" is the highest measurement I have ever seen of him. Kobe's is 40"....I read somewhere a couple years back...an article about the Lakers in training camp. An advertisement as most of you might have seen Spud is shown with a 44" but his highest is 48"...I read somewhere years back...an article about Spud. Chapman has a 40" is indicated in the 93-94 basketball almanac. Shannon is high 40's according to basketball phenoms...I took it as 47"-48". Nique was around MJ's...that is an estimated guess. Lebron is over 40"...42" is an estimated guess. Steve Francis has a 43" according to SLAM.


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