Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O’Neal are two of the best NBA players ever in their position. These two centers dominated the game during their eras, becoming a nightmare for opposing players due to their skills on both ends of the floor. Other than shooting free throws, these two could do a lot on the court, which is why people often compared them.
As we all know, Wilt wasn’t thrilled by all those comparisons, often shutting down that Shaq was at the same level as him, claiming that it would have been impossible for O’Neal to compete against him in the 60s and more.
A lot has been said about these two in recent times, and one Redditor that goes by the name “halomace” recently shared a graphic comparing Wilt Chamberlain’s physical date to Shaquille O’Neal. Although not every data was measured at the same age, it’s interesting to see how Shaq stacked up against Wilt.
Wilt Chamberlain
7’1″ without shoes
7’8″ armspan
9’6″ standing reach (1956 footwear)
9.5″ hand length
11.5″ hand spread
258-320 lbs playing weight range
290-310 lbs in peak form
12’6″ max reach (1956)
13′ max reach (1960)
12’9″ max reach (1968)
4.6 hand timed 40 yard: 1966
Shaquille O’Neal
7’0″ without shoes
7’7″ armspan
9’5″ standing reach (1992 footwear)
11″ hand length
9″ hand spread
301-370 lbs playing weight range
315-335 lbs in peak form
12′ 5″ max reach (1992)
5.8 hand timed 40 yard: 2009
Another Redditor summed this up, explaining the essential things of the comparisons.
Wilt was 1″ taller without shoes, had 1″ longer arm span
Shaq had longer hands (11″ vs 9.5″) but Wilt had the bigger hand spread (11.5″ vs 9″)
Shaq weighed 10-25 pounds more during peak form
Wilt was more than a full second faster in the 40 meter dash
Wilt in peak form would’ve been able to jump 42″ with a running start (9’6 standing reach, 13′ max reach in 1960) whereas Shaq could get up 36″ with a running start.
Edit: didn’t realize that Wilt’s 40 meter dash was recorded when he was 30, whereas Shaq’s when he was 37. So prime Shaq would’ve been closer to Wilt’s time. Then again, Wilt during his mid-20s would’ve also clocked a faster time considering he was a track & field star in Kansas.
Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O’Neal are the perfect examples of what a dominant player is. They left their everything on the court, always bullying rivals, demonstrating that there was nobody meaner than them. They had some sort of rivalry, with Wilt constantly taking shots at O’Neal, but nobody can deny the greatness of these two. They scored a lot, won a lot and destroyed rivals a lot.
