for people who dont know, javier Sotomayor was a basketball player around 14 years old and coach saw him and train him for high jump by age 21 he was breaking world record high jump, he has 17 out of the 35 highest jump in history and top 2 is only him not being challenge for the last 40 years
Bill Russell was legitimately scouted for both basketball and the high jump for the 1956 Olympics. His best jump his senior year of college would have gotten him silver in Melbourne that year. He even competed evenly with Charles Dumas who won gold that Olympics.
Wilt Chamberlain was a conference champion in the high jump and Randall Cunningham (even though he played football) was also an accomplished high jumper; in fact his daughter Vashti is an olympic high jumper and his son Randall II was Pac Ten high jump champion.
Tamberi have also dreamed of being a professional basketball player as a kid and he switched to high jump because of his father. He won every single major HJ title but he didn't gave up on his childhood dream and he still playes basket amateurly with his friends and even got invited to a NBA All-Star game twice!
I wanted to make a video on him, pretty sure he's got world records for his age grades In The masters, but he's not even the hottest topic in the topic family anymore hahah.
God catch; I thought it was me at first in that I was remembering them as D 3 when this happened........ He would've been even better had he taken high jump more seriously right out of the gate but I remember stories of how he would always sneak away and shoot hoop when he was supposed to be practicing.
Bro did the classic track technique where you line up at the starting line and hit everybody with the "narr, i dont even do this sport" then dominate the meet
damn, I thought that was a cool story, but then when you got to the part about him being "just another guy" for a decade, before putting up a new PB and still competing at 40, I thought it was a great story. So much respect, dude grinded for 10 years, which must have been so hard considering how quickly and "easily" he achieved success. That shows true heart and discipline. So sad that our society is always more interested in the first part of the story, than the second. That second part is really what makes a person, and what we should all aspire to emulate. anyway, great video, well put together and I watched the whole thing, and it was just a random recommend. Will check out more of your stuff!
I love the second part too. Stories where success isn't the end always hit harder. If you like this, than I recommend my 2.46m human jump limit video. wicked story :). Thanks for the comment.
I think young LeBron had the talent and athleticism to compete in the long jump. However, dude got way too big in his prime. Dude was built like a football player, a muscular 6'8" 250+lbs. Too much muscle for the track. He had the vertical, but his weight would've held him back. It's like with DK Metcalf, he can keep up with the B-list track athletes, but he can't compete with the elite
When Donald Thomas was at Lindenwood, they were not D1 yet. His first meet was at EIU, and I kept hearing people go crazy. I was pole vaulting at the time, but I was getting reports that some guy who was competing in his first meet ever in running shoes, had jumped 6’8, 6’10, 7’0, and going for 7’3….
Amazing story. As a former basketball player and high jumper myself, I've always thought that the reason the HJ WR still stands is less about the record and more about the athletes talents. The best jumpers in the world play basketball and volleyball. Period. If some of them would have chosen high jump at their youth, we would have a new world record five years after the current one was set. I was the best in my city at high jump but wasn't the highest jumper on my basketball team.
Thomas is only 40 now wow. I remember watching this live back when track and field was in the prime years. Such a shame what happened to the sport, it’s nowhere near as big now. Long jump and high jump are two events where the records are so far out of reach as well. Triple jump Jonathan Edwards is actually the craziest one.
Can someone tell my man this is not a Nike shocks model nor is it a basketball shoe😅, moreover the shocks were not too bad when it comes to functionality but the durability was ...
Random aside but there's an interview Kobe and LeBron did together when he was young, and Kobe said he's never seen a man jump as high and far off of one foot than LeBron
Hahaha Dan I've seen ur videos around! Insane hops. And I couldn't find any of Scott, so I used Jesse In 06 as filler footage. Only a keen eye would be able to point that out crazy haha.
Does anyone know of any other examples of athletes who competed in collegiate basketball and track? I know the former NBA player James White was on the track teams at Cincinnati and Florida while in college, but I can't find much information about his actual numbers. I imagine there have to be at least a few other examples.
Bill Russell was an elite high jumper in college as well as a superb basketball player - he won the basketball national championship in March 1956, and then jumped 2.09m in May at a meet in Fresno - seventh best in the world that year.
Really good story, Jumpman. I didn't remember this and knew nothing of his background. Andrew of Total Running Productions did a video about "verticals" which is now on 11 million views, and it is rubbish. Donald Thomas is an extreme exception to the rule. Being very young when he made the switch, he had yet to fully commit to basketball and so his physiology was still pliable. If he had been fully committed to basketball, he would have been far too heavy to succeed at high jump. In making the switch, he would have lost a lot of weight quickly in order to have improved in the way that he did. But in general, no basketball players can get anywhere near jumping over 2 meters if they weigh 200 lbs, no matter how tall they are.
Damn, Thomas is still active! (Just Googled it) He did 2.27 right after turning 40. That is only 1cm behind Dragutin Topic's 2.28m world record (done at age 41) edit: His 2.37m i the highest outdoor jump done by someone over 30, tied with Stefan Holm who ALSO did 2.37 at the same age (both 32 at the time)
Yes he could! But above 2:40 is hard! I was a soccergolie! Eventually I jumped 1:75 m in like broken sneakers. I can bearly tuch the rim in basket, no were near dunking, this guys dunks left and right, ofcorse they could jump like 2:10!
“We got a Michael Jordan up in here”….ill never forget being a chubby white 11yr old at my sister’s college “lil sibs weekend” and was knocking down 15ft jumpers around the key during open gym, only to have a black college dude drop that quote on me. (A black dude complimenting your basketball skills is Tier One of compliments for a white guy, even a higher tier than compliments from hot girls) Anyway, that quote was all that was running through my head throughout this entire video watching this dude hop
High jump is really weird about this when it comes to young prodigies. There are so many who looked to have incredible potential only to find out nope, what they've done is around their peak. It seems to be the worst among very strong jumpers who use a slightly ragged technique. That ragged technique never gets refined, it's almost luck when it works, and the athlete just doesn't follow through on what they ought to have been able to achieve. There is some unique nuance to developing consistent high jump technique that some athletes simply cannot do no matter the coaching or training available.
He had a slender frame when he was young tho - he didn’t put on all that bulk till later. but anyway I’ve heard more people talk about LBJ as a long jumper, not high jumper.
I loved this video.. but didnt need this video to be convince Lebron, a 6'8 freak athlete ,could be very competitive at high jump and long Jump... Same with Zach Lavine, Greg Jones jr, Shadon Sharpe and countless others
Hardcore LeBron James fanboys believes he can win in everything. I've seen someone claiming he could break the 500m world record on the rowing erg. (1:10.5 at the time of the claim (equals 998.9 watts), 1:09.8 now(equals 1029.2 watts) NO, HE COULD NOT I've also seen people claim that prime LeBron could beat prime Mike Tyson in a fight, because "LeBron is just built different, bro" People are really delusional
Mate, if I am being honest I think Donald is one of the greatest jumpers ever. This is because of his insane consistency (clearing 2.28 multiple times in the last few years) and making global championship teams at the age of 40. Do you agree? Is he one of the greats? I also wonder with this incoming 210 if you have a chance beating him now?
Long jump needs world class sprinting. High Jump seems more likely-- If he started before he turned 21 and spent a couple years remaking his body. Being 6'8" is a bigger advantage in high Jump than long jump.
Lebron is a bit too stiff for high jump, I dont see him doing the deep arches needed in a fosbery flop. He could probably get to the right height , but the acrobatics needed to pass the height is another thing. Zack lavine, Aaron gordon, Vince, Mike, Jrich, gerald green, those guys could do it I think
Can someone talk about his frankly WEIRD technique?! I’m not a high jumper myself so don’t know everything about the technique involved but why is he going over 1 leg before the other? Never seen that before lmao.
The fosbury flop comes in so many forms, what u do in the air doesn't matter too much as long as you get your hips up and shoulders back. Someone called it a 'hitch-kick' but it doesn't really have a name. Ja Vaughn Harrison is someone else who jumps like that today. I've also done it a few times when I don't think I'm going to make the height, almost like an instinctive attempt to try go higher haha.
@@JumpmanTF Haha makes sense, thanks for the info! I mean if it worked(s) for him then it worked(s) for him I guess! Love these off-season videos, it feels like ages until indoors. Mind you, over in upside-down land where you are the season is only just getting started - or is getting started sooner than in Europe - if I’m not mistaken?
A 20 year old Lebron was insanely fast and would easily have been able to compete in world class long jump...I don't know about high jump though...he is too beefy.
Thise aren't basketball shoes, they are runners. Shox.have more models than just basketball shoes. You can tell by the outsoles those aren't basketball shoes.
@@JumpmanTF The running ones are some of my girlfriend's favorite shoes. E erytime they release one particular pair, I have to buy them for her. So I'm very familiar.
@@JumpmanTF thats fair i searched up his height ja morant get higher though lowkey. like bro the best high jumpers not doing high jump man. a friend of mine would easily went d1 for highjump but he aint want to. he got his head to the rim at 6'1 at 15/16.
To make a video saying a freak athlete like LeBron James couldn't win in an athletic event solely based on Jumping is insane!! Especially if he trained only for it.
Very little chance Lebron James would medal in high jump, f.e. James White (check him out, he jumps higher and farther than Lebron) tried HJ and only cleared 2.13 m, although he was good at LJ (7.8 m). The thing is, in high jump, you need very powerful lateral motion, not only forward (like dunking a basketball). It's a completely different jump style, it only looks similar due to jumping off 1 leg. Donald Thomas was gifted with very powerful lateral and forward jumping ability, allowing him to comfortably dunk well and also clear huge heights in high jump. There's a reason why other ultra athletic, although not the best basketball players do not do well in Olympic sports. And to most surprise, many of them DO try out those sports, they just don't perform that great. NBA players being as athletic as Olympic athletes is a complete myth.
You are partially right, however the main thing why James White couldn’t jump that far or high wasn’t his ability to leap but his height. White is 6’7 james is even taller. These guys need substantially more energy and tendon elasticity to jump high and long at the same time. In the end it’s all about energy transfer and that’s why these high jumpers are all twigs. Thomas was a huge outlier there, something that was never seen before and since. Mike Conley could dunk a volleyball from behind the foul line you can check the video, he was a long or triple jumper. He made it look effortless as well. I suppose many long jumpers would be able to do so even if they are just 6’ like conley. Basketball athleticism is uniquely specific to transferring weight on a perfectly clean and gripping floor to mainly vertical jumping ability off of two feet. It has very little transfer into high competitive track and field events.
@@conandoyle1740 i'm completely right you are completely wrong, no offense. Being tall only helps in high jump, there are quite a few very tall high jumpers who achieved world records (f.e. Sjoberg or Sotomayor). High jump isn't totally dominated by tall people because they tend to go to other sports since 200 cm very athletic person will very likely play basketball at some kind of professional level. For 190 cm the chances are way slimmer so they have to try a sport like high jump. James White or Lebron James would not clear huge heights in high jump initially but after 10 years of training - they would be close to world record probably. I argued that these players couldn't be good initially at high jump not that they wouldn't have potential after many years of training.
@@Veggamattic yes, Lebron had crazy speed and forward bounce off 1 leg which correlates with long jump a lot but only let's us guess how he would do at high jump. Long jump 8 m+ easy with couple years of training.
yoooo THAT'S MY UNCLEEE WHOOHOOO!!!!1
do you do track?
Oh that’s pretty cool dude!
Tell Unc well done. Amazing story!
Nice
You should do high jump
Donald is incredible. 40 years of age and still making world/Olympic teams along with clearing 2.28 after becoming a forty year old. Dude is a beast
This was awesome Jumpman. I'd never even heard of him. Always love a good cross-sport success story.
for people who dont know, javier Sotomayor was a basketball player around 14 years old and coach saw him and train him for high jump by age 21 he was breaking world record high jump, he has 17 out of the 35 highest jump in history and top 2 is only him not being challenge for the last 40 years
Bill Russell was legitimately scouted for both basketball and the high jump for the 1956 Olympics. His best jump his senior year of college would have gotten him silver in Melbourne that year. He even competed evenly with Charles Dumas who won gold that Olympics.
Wilt Chamberlain was a conference champion in the high jump and Randall Cunningham (even though he played football) was also an accomplished high jumper; in fact his daughter Vashti is an olympic high jumper and his son Randall II was Pac Ten high jump champion.
This is probably my favorite video of yours. Very well done!
You didn't mention his CLUTCH HITCH KICK at 2.33 attempt 3, at World's.
That action, UNIQUE!
Carn Soaks!
I'm loving these off-season videos. Keep them coming, Jumpman!
Tamberi have also dreamed of being a professional basketball player as a kid and he switched to high jump because of his father. He won every single major HJ title but he didn't gave up on his childhood dream and he still playes basket amateurly with his friends and even got invited to a NBA All-Star game twice!
He posts snippets of the pick up games on insta sometimes. I love seeing athletes keeping it real showing they have fun still.
He honestly really inspires me as someone who started track this year and surpassed what alot of people expected me to do in the hj
Hell yeah man. Love to hear it. Next year world champ? Haha
9:35 Dragutin Topic also had a very long career, retiring at 40
I wanted to make a video on him, pretty sure he's got world records for his age grades In The masters, but he's not even the hottest topic in the topic family anymore hahah.
And also Protsenko went for a long time
Crazy Video one of the best Ive seen from you
Marco arop was aswell Basketballer now he is a top 5 greatest 800 guys and number three all time
Such a high quality video bro. You deserve more attention and publicity
Getting there boss!
Slight correction: while Lindenwood is now Division 1, at the time it was in the NAIA before moving to Division 2 and eventually D-1
Always miss something. The jumpman trademark
God catch; I thought it was me at first in that I was remembering them as D 3 when this happened........
He would've been even better had he taken high jump more seriously right out of the gate but I remember stories of how he would always sneak away and shoot hoop when he was supposed to be practicing.
Bro did the classic track technique where you line up at the starting line and hit everybody with the "narr, i dont even do this sport" then dominate the meet
damn, I thought that was a cool story, but then when you got to the part about him being "just another guy" for a decade, before putting up a new PB and still competing at 40, I thought it was a great story. So much respect, dude grinded for 10 years, which must have been so hard considering how quickly and "easily" he achieved success. That shows true heart and discipline. So sad that our society is always more interested in the first part of the story, than the second. That second part is really what makes a person, and what we should all aspire to emulate.
anyway, great video, well put together and I watched the whole thing, and it was just a random recommend. Will check out more of your stuff!
I love the second part too. Stories where success isn't the end always hit harder. If you like this, than I recommend my 2.46m human jump limit video. wicked story :). Thanks for the comment.
I think young LeBron had the talent and athleticism to compete in the long jump. However, dude got way too big in his prime. Dude was built like a football player, a muscular 6'8" 250+lbs. Too much muscle for the track. He had the vertical, but his weight would've held him back. It's like with DK Metcalf, he can keep up with the B-list track athletes, but he can't compete with the elite
Exactly but we know his work ethic he'd have cut the weight. No reason to think otherwise tbh
Yeah I could see him being really good in any of the jumps if he were to focus from high school, same with decathlon
30 seconds in but I already know this is gonna be a banger. keep it up jumpman
Amazing video, good narration, and I love the music choice, emulating Summoning Salt’s style.
Congrats!
Thanks man x
When Donald Thomas was at Lindenwood, they were not D1 yet. His first meet was at EIU, and I kept hearing people go crazy. I was pole vaulting at the time, but I was getting reports that some guy who was competing in his first meet ever in running shoes, had jumped 6’8, 6’10, 7’0, and going for 7’3….
I'm not even remotely interested or familiar with track & field, but you present it in such an entrhalling way I can't stop watching lol.
that means a lot man, always trying to convert people though hahahaha
Thanks for that, basketball fan here and it popped in my feed
Fantastic story man. I know of him but had no idea he had still been competing at that level.
He's a bit inconsistent these days to say the least, but hoping he's still jumping next year haha. 41 and pumping!
All time great jumpman video. Super interesting and definitely a story worth sharing
really cool video
What a story! Thanks for sharing this
Glad you enjoyed :)
THIS VID WAS AWESOME!!! i love these weird stories with great storytelling and laughable subject. Jump man, you made a classic, once again
These are the og's. This week in track was the side project bahahaha
Amazing story. As a former basketball player and high jumper myself, I've always thought that the reason the HJ WR still stands is less about the record and more about the athletes talents. The best jumpers in the world play basketball and volleyball. Period. If some of them would have chosen high jump at their youth, we would have a new world record five years after the current one was set. I was the best in my city at high jump but wasn't the highest jumper on my basketball team.
How have I never heard this story before.
As a sub-6ft white high jumper, Holm was my idol back in the day. What a beast
Thomas is only 40 now wow.
I remember watching this live back when track and field was in the prime years.
Such a shame what happened to the sport, it’s nowhere near as big now.
Long jump and high jump are two events where the records are so far out of reach as well.
Triple jump Jonathan Edwards is actually the craziest one.
Can someone tell my man this is not a Nike shocks model nor is it a basketball shoe😅, moreover the shocks were not too bad when it comes to functionality but the durability was ...
Random aside but there's an interview Kobe and LeBron did together when he was young, and Kobe said he's never seen a man jump as high and far off of one foot than LeBron
Fun watch. At 4:30 you have video of Jesse Williams jumping, not Scott Sellers. Jesse jumped 232 in 2006 @ NCAA nationals.
Hahaha Dan I've seen ur videos around! Insane hops. And I couldn't find any of Scott, so I used Jesse In 06 as filler footage. Only a keen eye would be able to point that out crazy haha.
He did the weird "bicycle pedaling" thing with his legs when he jumped. But he was great.
Does anyone know of any other examples of athletes who competed in collegiate basketball and track? I know the former NBA player James White was on the track teams at Cincinnati and Florida while in college, but I can't find much information about his actual numbers. I imagine there have to be at least a few other examples.
Bill Russell was an elite high jumper in college as well as a superb basketball player - he won the basketball national championship in March 1956, and then jumped 2.09m in May at a meet in Fresno - seventh best in the world that year.
Wilt was a menace in track and field, he ran a 4.6 40 yard dash in collage (prime Miami Lebron ran a 4.6)
Shelby McEwen played ball and had crazy dunks online. He got scouted because of a free throw line dunk at 17.
@@spookysquirtle Lebron was faster when he was 19 20. He was the fastest guy in the NBA.
@ not better than athletic prime in Miami where he ran a 4.8
Mike shox are great shoes. Btw he was wearing puma shoes in the picture you showed
Really good story, Jumpman. I didn't remember this and knew nothing of his background. Andrew of Total Running Productions did a video about "verticals" which is now on 11 million views, and it is rubbish. Donald Thomas is an extreme exception to the rule. Being very young when he made the switch, he had yet to fully commit to basketball and so his physiology was still pliable. If he had been fully committed to basketball, he would have been far too heavy to succeed at high jump. In making the switch, he would have lost a lot of weight quickly in order to have improved in the way that he did. But in general, no basketball players can get anywhere near jumping over 2 meters if they weigh 200 lbs, no matter how tall they are.
In bet Gerald Green is an exception.
Damn, Thomas is still active! (Just Googled it) He did 2.27 right after turning 40. That is only 1cm behind Dragutin Topic's 2.28m world record (done at age 41)
edit: His 2.37m i the highest outdoor jump done by someone over 30, tied with Stefan Holm who ALSO did 2.37 at the same age (both 32 at the time)
Miltiadis tendoglou the double Olympic Champion was doing parkours before getting scouted by a coach
Myabe something in his basketball routine made him better and once he started only doing professional training is jump progress went down or stopped
Yes he could!
But above 2:40 is hard!
I was a soccergolie!
Eventually I jumped 1:75 m in like broken sneakers.
I can bearly tuch the rim in basket, no were near dunking, this guys dunks left and right, ofcorse they could jump like 2:10!
“We got a Michael Jordan up in here”….ill never forget being a chubby white 11yr old at my sister’s college “lil sibs weekend” and was knocking down 15ft jumpers around the key during open gym, only to have a black college dude drop that quote on me. (A black dude complimenting your basketball skills is Tier One of compliments for a white guy, even a higher tier than compliments from hot girls) Anyway, that quote was all that was running through my head throughout this entire video watching this dude hop
High jump is really weird about this when it comes to young prodigies. There are so many who looked to have incredible potential only to find out nope, what they've done is around their peak. It seems to be the worst among very strong jumpers who use a slightly ragged technique. That ragged technique never gets refined, it's almost luck when it works, and the athlete just doesn't follow through on what they ought to have been able to achieve. There is some unique nuance to developing consistent high jump technique that some athletes simply cannot do no matter the coaching or training available.
Without a doubt if the most talented basketball players go train for high jump or long jump they’d dominate all of it and by far too
I think he would’ve been a lot better if he kept doing basketball training, I think whatever program he was on for track just did work for him
James White. if i'm not mistaken he was also a collegiate long jumper or something.. but yeah.. he was an Olympic level athlete
Top notch, with humour, from a kiwi. Choice bro
0:53 omg I go here and never knew of bro
LOL, auburn tends to claim him
@@JumpmanTF crazy
My mom went to auburn and did track yet never told me she met him (she high jumped)
Go Bahamas.,..
YES I! 🇧🇸
The high jump event requires flexibility and a slender frame; LeBron has neither. But it's a good dream for him to have.
He had a slender frame when he was young tho - he didn’t put on all that bulk till later. but anyway I’ve heard more people talk about LBJ as a long jumper, not high jumper.
242 to da wrld
I loved this video.. but didnt need this video to be convince Lebron, a 6'8 freak athlete ,could be very competitive at high jump and long Jump...
Same with Zach Lavine, Greg Jones jr, Shadon Sharpe and countless others
Zach yes but I don't know about Shaden...Gerald Green for sure though.
Hardcore LeBron James fanboys believes he can win in everything.
I've seen someone claiming he could break the 500m world record on the rowing erg. (1:10.5 at the time of the claim (equals 998.9 watts), 1:09.8 now(equals 1029.2 watts) NO, HE COULD NOT
I've also seen people claim that prime LeBron could beat prime Mike Tyson in a fight, because "LeBron is just built different, bro"
People are really delusional
Mate, if I am being honest I think Donald is one of the greatest jumpers ever. This is because of his insane consistency (clearing 2.28 multiple times in the last few years) and making global championship teams at the age of 40. Do you agree? Is he one of the greats?
I also wonder with this incoming 210 if you have a chance beating him now?
no chance, maybe when im 40 though and hes 56. And he's top two in longevity, but not sure about longevity alone making the man a legend.
In BASKETBALL SHOES?! Let alone Nike Shocks. Those were heavy shoes.
If you truly believe that Lebron couldn’t make podium on long jump, especially in his prime then you do not understand athleticism.
Long jump needs world class sprinting. High Jump seems more likely-- If he started before he turned 21 and spent a couple years remaking his body. Being 6'8" is a bigger advantage in high Jump than long jump.
Lebron is a bit too stiff for high jump, I dont see him doing the deep arches needed in a fosbery flop.
He could probably get to the right height , but the acrobatics needed to pass the height is another thing.
Zack lavine, Aaron gordon, Vince, Mike, Jrich, gerald green, those guys could do it I think
I say only Zach and Gerald on your list would be elite.
he went to my highschool wtf
🇧🇸 🇧🇸 🇧🇸 🇧🇸
Wow
i think bro forgot lebron did win a medal at the olympic games
Can't believe nobody knows about this
Can someone talk about his frankly WEIRD technique?! I’m not a high jumper myself so don’t know everything about the technique involved but why is he going over 1 leg before the other? Never seen that before lmao.
The fosbury flop comes in so many forms, what u do in the air doesn't matter too much as long as you get your hips up and shoulders back. Someone called it a 'hitch-kick' but it doesn't really have a name. Ja Vaughn Harrison is someone else who jumps like that today. I've also done it a few times when I don't think I'm going to make the height, almost like an instinctive attempt to try go higher haha.
@@JumpmanTF Haha makes sense, thanks for the info! I mean if it worked(s) for him then it worked(s) for him I guess! Love these off-season videos, it feels like ages until indoors. Mind you, over in upside-down land where you are the season is only just getting started - or is getting started sooner than in Europe - if I’m not mistaken?
7:57 bro lowkey hating
A 20 year old Lebron was insanely fast and would easily have been able to compete in world class long jump...I don't know about high jump though...he is too beefy.
Lebron is a freak, if he had focused on something he would have been an Olympian for sure.
I don't know about high jump but Long Jump for sure.
Lebron in his prime training only long jump / high jump for 6 months is delusional? Not a chance. A lot of NBA players could do this.
Those are not the shoes he was wearing. We are not blind
They were nike shox the running version. My mistake!
Black people are the most genetically gifted at high jump, I don't understand why so few of them choose it.
If you didnt cuss I'd give you a thumbs up
LeLAOlympics2028
Ahh Lebron lying becoming a cross sport spectacle would’ve been something
Instead of Michael Jordan's 2 season stint with baseball, could've had 30 year old lebrons 2 year stint with track and field.
@@JumpmanTF man would jump till he’s 40 just to compete at the same time as his kid in track and field too
Thise aren't basketball shoes, they are runners. Shox.have more models than just basketball shoes. You can tell by the outsoles those aren't basketball shoes.
Holy crap thank you. Interviews kept saying nike shox, but they didn't look quite right. I wasn't aware there were running versions!
@@JumpmanTF The running ones are some of my girlfriend's favorite shoes. E erytime they release one particular pair, I have to buy them for her. So I'm very familiar.
Whats crazy is that dude doesn’t even jump like prime Lebron. Lmfao the dunks you showed his head wasn’t over the rim.
He's also 6 foot 2, 7 inches shorter than lebron. So while his head isn't as high he's jumping higher comparatively.
@@JumpmanTF thats fair i searched up his height ja morant get higher though lowkey. like bro the best high jumpers not doing high jump man. a friend of mine would easily went d1 for highjump but he aint want to. he got his head to the rim at 6'1 at 15/16.
ILL TELL YOU I WOULDNT BE SUPRISED IF LEBRON DID IT
To make a video saying a freak athlete like LeBron James couldn't win in an athletic event solely based on Jumping is insane!!
Especially if he trained only for it.
Not sure about high jump but he would be ridiculous in long jump when he was young.
Very little chance Lebron James would medal in high jump, f.e. James White (check him out, he jumps higher and farther than Lebron) tried HJ and only cleared 2.13 m, although he was good at LJ (7.8 m). The thing is, in high jump, you need very powerful lateral motion, not only forward (like dunking a basketball). It's a completely different jump style, it only looks similar due to jumping off 1 leg. Donald Thomas was gifted with very powerful lateral and forward jumping ability, allowing him to comfortably dunk well and also clear huge heights in high jump. There's a reason why other ultra athletic, although not the best basketball players do not do well in Olympic sports. And to most surprise, many of them DO try out those sports, they just don't perform that great. NBA players being as athletic as Olympic athletes is a complete myth.
You are partially right, however the main thing why James White couldn’t jump that far or high wasn’t his ability to leap but his height.
White is 6’7 james is even taller.
These guys need substantially more energy and tendon elasticity to jump high and long at the same time.
In the end it’s all about energy transfer and that’s why these high jumpers are all twigs. Thomas was a huge outlier there, something that was never seen before and since.
Mike Conley could dunk a volleyball from behind the foul line you can check the video, he was a long or triple jumper.
He made it look effortless as well.
I suppose many long jumpers would be able to do so even if they are just 6’ like conley.
Basketball athleticism is uniquely specific to transferring weight on a perfectly clean and gripping floor to mainly vertical jumping ability off of two feet.
It has very little transfer into high competitive track and field events.
@@conandoyle1740 i'm completely right you are completely wrong, no offense. Being tall only helps in high jump, there are quite a few very tall high jumpers who achieved world records (f.e. Sjoberg or Sotomayor). High jump isn't totally dominated by tall people because they tend to go to other sports since 200 cm very athletic person will very likely play basketball at some kind of professional level. For 190 cm the chances are way slimmer so they have to try a sport like high jump. James White or Lebron James would not clear huge heights in high jump initially but after 10 years of training - they would be close to world record probably. I argued that these players couldn't be good initially at high jump not that they wouldn't have potential after many years of training.
I think you are right...he would have been much better as a long jumper.
@@Veggamattic yes, Lebron had crazy speed and forward bounce off 1 leg which correlates with long jump a lot but only let's us guess how he would do at high jump. Long jump 8 m+ easy with couple years of training.
@@mogg-ri4uj More like a couple weeks of training
Lebron james would of been amazing high jumper
He would have been better at long jump
How does this video effect LeBron's legacy
Lebron James is so irritating. He thinks his shit doesn’t stink.