In fact, the player who has been recorded closest to the top edge of the rebound is Ralph Sampson, a former Rockets center and known as the "Twin Towers" along with Olajuwon. This giant, who is 2.24 meters tall, is 3.07 meters tall in situ and can directly touch the basket! He reached a touch height of 3.93 meters, just one inch short of touching the top edge of the rebound!

Despite being a player who only played briefly in the college league and never played in the NBA, Manigut is still considered one of the greatest players in basketball history. Because there is a too strong opponent who lifted him to the sky - NBA superstar "Sky Hook" Abdul-Jabbar. In Abdul-Jabbar's opinion, there is no one who can compare to the many talented defenders that New York has produced over the decades: "He's the best player of his kind in New York's history, it's just amazing. ”

This little man who was active on the street court in the 60s of the last century has too many legends, some people say that his nickname "Goat" is the abbreviation of greatest of all time; Some say he once jumped from the free-throw line, whizzed through the air, and glided for three seconds; Some say he can easily pick off a coin that is placed on the top edge of a rebound, which has since become a must-have skill for every bouncer; Some people say that he once dunked 36 times in a row, and it was a back dunk! Doesn't sound too difficult? You can try it, in fact, even making a professional player jump and touch the basket 36 times in a row is definitely abuse.

"In my memory, I was in the air more often than on the ground." Manigut once proudly declared. And in the "Rebounds" film, starring movie star Don Cheadle about his legendary basketball career, the most impressive scene is when the goat puts a few bills on the top of the rebound. Is it possible for him to be only 1.83 meters tall?

Jamil Nelson and Chris Paul are also 1.83 meters tall, and their physical data reports show that they are 2.41 meters and 2.36 meters tall respectively. Judging from Manigut's photo, his arm span is not as terrifying as Rondo's, and even if his arms are long enough to reach 2.45 meters in place, he would have to jump at least 1.5 meters high to touch the top edge of the rebound. And the rumors about Manigut's bounce height on the rivers and lakes are the most exaggerated is only more than 1.4 meters.

Therefore, the rumor that "The Goat" could touch the top edge of the rebound is clearly exaggerated, and can only be achieved with the help of a trampoline like Don Cheadle. This exaggeration, like Manigault's nickname, is not actually the strongest in history, but stems from the teacher's spelling of the "gault" after his name Manigault as "goat".

Chamberlain, who is tall and has an amazing arm length and bounces, may not be one of the few people who can really challenge the edge of the rebound, and Chamberlain, who is tall and has an amazing arm length and bounce, may not be one of the few people who can really challenge the top edge of the rebound

Here's another story that has been passed down from generation to generation: Russell and Chamberlain, two of the NBA's greatest centers of the fifties and sixties, were able to touch the top edge of the rebound with ease. Considering that Chamberlain is a full 10 centimeters taller than Russell and his physical fitness is not inferior in any way, this difficult challenge mainly depends on the "basketball emperor".

Chamberlain's physical condition is a monster even in today's NBA: not only his 2.26-meter arm span and 2.92-meter touch height on the spot, but also super athletic talent. In 1955, "Sports News" once featured this athletic genius - in addition to playing basketball well, he was also a track and field master. 100 yards (91m) run in 10.9 seconds, 440 yards (402m) run in 49 seconds, long jump 6.7m, triple jump 15.2m, high jump 1.98m (at the time all competitors used to jump on their stomachs)...... And this is also when Chamberlain did not participate in professional training. At that time, the physical education teacher predicted that if he concentrated on practicing high jump, his score would definitely exceed 2.1 meters, which was already a result that could compete for the world championship. Since Chamberlain was not a superstar at the time, the reporter had no reason to brag for him, and these reports could still be believed.

So, Chamberlain's own unbelievable-sounding words do have a certain possibility: "I don't like the belief that most people think that only small dunks can jump high, and I have a vertical jump higher than Jordan's, and I can jump 46 inches (1.17 meters) or 48 inches (1.22 meters) with ease." If that's true, Chamberlain could indeed touch the top edge of the rebound – just 1 metre high with his spot. But beware, this lower limit number is already the bounce height of "Rain Man" Kemp's running feet. Is the "Basketball Emperor" really that able to jump? According to reports from the year, his vertical bouncing height was only 61 centimeters in his senior year of high school, and how much could he improve in a few years? Another rumor is closer to reality: Chamberlain's vertical bounce is close to 95 centimeters. This is already a result comparable to Xiao Si and other dunks, but it is still a little bit short of the top edge of the rebound.

To be precise, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was expected to push the limits in the '60s, when he was a UCLA player and was still called Lou Alcindor. Not only did he leave behind a three-time NCAA championship, but he also left behind a terrifying photo: Alcindo looked like he was about to hit the basket as he grabbed the rebound! However, Abdul-Jabbar ultimately won the game in the NBA with his technical style of play, leaving a reputation as "Sky Hook". The high score of touching the lower edge of the rebound and the passing bounce that is not inferior to the super dunk are almost ignored, and naturally no one asks him whether he can touch the upper edge of the rebound.

Thompson was the most famous flyer of the '70s, and he is rumored to have a vertical jump of 1.11 meters (another says 1.22 meters). Thompson suffers from his height, which is only 1.93 meters and 2.59 meters tall on the spot, which is not even possible with his maximum bounce value of 1.22 meters. It can be seen that without height as a foundation, it is impossible to challenge the top edge of the rebound. This conclusion was echoed by Thompson's former teammate Kiki Vanderwig: "I've never seen anyone do it, it's so far that I don't think anyone can touch the top of the rebound...... You've probably heard a lot of legends, but I don't think David can do it either. ”

In 1989, Drexler just warmed up and dunked the ball into an 11-foot-7-inch (3.53-meter) basket. Drexler and Jordan participated in a dunk contest with rising baskets, and he won the championship with a 3.60m finish. Therefore, there are many people who think that the "glider" can touch the upper edge of the rebound.

In fact, the first rumor mentioned above is likely to have gone along: Wikipedia sources say that Drexler set a Trail Blazers all-time record in 1989 by dunking the ball into an 11-foot-1-inch (3.38-meter) high basket. When he participated in the event in China after retiring, Drexler admitted that it was true that he competed with Jordan for the height of the dunk: "I am very good friends with Jordan, and that dunk was not a dunk action, but a dunk that was higher than who dunked into the basket, and I did dunk higher, almost 3.60 meters." But he immediately denied that he could touch the top edge of the rebound: "I could almost touch the top of the rebound, maybe a little bit (he made a gesture of a few centimeters). ”

Dominic Wilkins, another big dunker at the same time as Drexler, indirectly admitted that he could accomplish this feat. In an interview, he said, "I had a vertical jump of almost 50 inches (1.27 meters) back then. "The Essence of Human Cinema" is 2.74 meters high in situ, and it is possible to reach 3.95 meters in height.

However, judging from the data leaked from the team's internal test, Wilkins' vertical jump is 1.07 meters, although it is one of the best results among the big men, but it is not enough to reach the height of the mountains.

Oddly enough, there are not many people who pull Jordan into this discussion, and it seems that the greatness of the "flying man" no longer needs to be measured by this standard. However, we still have to see how good Jordan can jump.

In November 1986, Sports Illustrated magazine wrote an article titled "Preparation... Ignition... Levitating", in which Jordan told reporters that he had never measured his bounce stats before, and he felt that his highest jump was a dunk against the Knicks. "I feel like I'm at eye level with the basket. Sometimes my wrist hits the basket when I dunk, but that time I hit my elbow. ”

Of course, elbows to the basket are not enough. Carter, who stuffed his entire arm into the basket in the slam dunk contest, touched and bounced on the spot as high as Jordan, but his touch height was rumored to be 3.80 meters.

It's almost certain that Garnett was able to touch the top edge of the rebound when he said it in an interview with SLAM magazine in 1997. Let's take a look at what Garnett said 14 years ago. He recalled when he was in his rookie test, when McHale, who was working for the Timberwolves, said, "Let me see how high you can get to the rebound." "So I tried to reach the top of the rebound." It was this "Got up" that became a topic of conversation in the future, and even evolved into the miracle of "easily putting a coin on the top edge of the rebound" and "touching the top edge of the rebound N times in a row".

In 2006, when Garnett came to China for the first time to participate in a promotional event, a reporter asked him for confirmation, and Garnett completely rejected the statement of "continuously touching the top edge of the rebound": "I dare to think like that in my dreams, but not in real life." As for the "coin" statement, Garnett said vaguely: "I may have been able to do it when I was younger, but I can't do it now." ”

According to the principle of "doubt never exists", Garnett's statement that he can touch the top edge of the rebound is not accepted for the time being.

When they're both playing for the Suns, it's probably the most physical forward combination in league history. In the face of the same question as reporters, Xiao Si, who has always been a big mouth, seems very modest, but Marion is very dishonest.

"I've never touched the top edge of a rebound, I've never seen anyone touch it, I'm only three or four inches away from there. If you're looking for a player who can do that, I think you'd better ask LeBron James. Although the physical test data showed that Xiao Si was more than a few centimeters away from the top edge of the rebound, at least he did not answer in the tone of "Lao Tzu did it back then". Marion's performance was not very good, and a reporter once asked the Suns about the "hacker", and the answer was "Marion used to be able to do it". This kind of answer is really not credible.

Among active players, Dwight Howard is widely regarded as the most likely person to make history. Kissing the basket with his mouth during the training session, and sticking his head to the rebound 3.76 meters above the ground while violently dunking in the dunk contest (teammate Nelson's measurement may have been a little too much)...... These dazzling performances make people have to guess that the upper edge of the rebound is not a forbidden place for "Warcraft".

ESPN reporter Henry Albert explored the answer to this question during the 2007 U.S. men's basketball camp.

"Outsiders say I can touch the top edge of the rebound, and I tried, but it didn't work. I can really jump, but the top edge of the rebound is really too high. Dwight is probably the only person in this world who can do this, and you should go to him. "This is a recommendation from James.

"I think Dwight can touch the top edge of the rebound, and I asked him in practice, and Dwight said he can do it, and of course I haven't seen it with my own eyes," Paul said in a more affirmative tone than James, saying that he would also like to see how high Howard can jump.

Howard himself, on the other hand, admitted: "I can do it (with a coin on the top rim of the rebound)." I've never heard of anyone else who can do this, but I can jump that high. I did this for the first time when I was 17 years old and in high school. But now I can only touch the top edge of the rebound, and if you put an item on it, I can't guarantee that I'll get it safely. ”

But when Albert asked Howard to perform live, he was politely refused on the grounds that "the timing was not right", but "Warcraft" promised to find time to prove that he was not bragging, but asked the reporter to communicate with the Magic team and ask for the team's consent. Albert contacted the Magic a week later, and the reply was that there was no need to go to Orlando for a field trip, because the team had a lot of video materials that showed Howard's amazing jumps, including extreme touches, and they could just send it in.

Albert did get his hands on a lot of the video, but to his disappointment, there wasn't a single shot showing that Howard had actually touched the top edge of the rebound, and he was just close. So, Albert, who is more serious, contacted the staff of the Magic team and asked if it was possible to arrange a live performance for reporters to see. But the answer was no. The attitude on the team's side is that no matter what Howard has promised before, such attempts will not be allowed to prevent unnecessary injuries. Despite Albert's arguments: "Jumping as hard as you can is much less likely to get injured than in situations like a crash in an NBA game." "I've never heard of anyone being seriously injured because of a stress-free jump in training." But the Magic just won't let go.

Albert, who did not give up, contacted Howard's agent Goodwin and said that as long as Howard agreed, he was willing to go to Orlando out of his own pocket to witness history. Goodwin first said that this was a good idea and would discuss it with "Warcraft". But then Goodwin's staff informed Albert that the test was too much of a waste of time, so forget it. Albert said that all he needed was Howard to perform before and after training, and it was expected to be only 10 seconds. But two weeks later, he received a response he didn't want to hear: "Howard can do this, but he can't do this kind of thing all the time." ”

After a few tosses, Albert finally gave up. He is inclined to think that Howard can't actually reach the top edge of the rebound, and the rhetoric of the Magic team and his agent is covering him. While you have to admit that his kissing the basket and sticking a sticker to the rebound are absolutely top-notch performances, that doesn't mean he has a record that surpasses his predecessors. Even if he doesn't dunk and concentrate on sticking the sticker, the gap of the last ten centimeters is not so easy to make up. The pleas of his teammates on the national team, the pleas of reporters, the excuses of the Magic, the excuses of his agents, and the fact that those in history who said they could touch them have never been confirmed, and it is normal for Howard to be classified as exaggerating.

Of course, this doesn't mean that "Warcraft" is a bombastic person, and when you're just inches away from the top edge of the rebound, it's natural to think that you can do it, but it's just not at its peak this time. As everyone knows, it is such a little distance that has stumped how many famous heroes!

James White, who has played for the Pacers, Spurs and Rockets, is undoubtedly the least famous in this Huashan debate, but everyone has no small hopes for him: a two-handed dunk from the free throw line, a windmill dunk from the free throw line, and a hand-to-hand dunk from the free throw line...... These actions that people didn't dare to imagine before have been turned into reality by him one by one. So, can he touch the top edge of the rebound?

Albert completed the expedition this time, but the results were still disappointing. He saw White while playing for the Pacers in an interview with the local media Indianapolis Star, where he gave an affirmative answer to the question "Can you touch the top edge of the rebound?" So he called his agent, Bill McCandles.

As expected, McCandles had some hesitation about Albert's request, but unlike the big-name agents, he didn't deny that it was an idea to further boost White's reputation. "It's really the oldest legend I've ever heard. If you've been working with basketball, you've often heard rumors that a player can do this (touch the top edge of the rebound), but that's usually all nonsense. White's advantage is also that although he has not received particularly professional training, he still participated in some track and field competitions in college and achieved quite good results, such as 2.23 meters in the high jump, 7.79 meters in the long jump, and so on. Therefore, White should have some experience in touching high without the ball.

After consulting with White, McCandlelace replied to Albert: "He said he was willing to prove that he could actually touch the top edge of the rebound. Although he may only succeed in 1 out of 100 attempts now, he said that if you really want to send someone to shoot a video as a witness, he is willing to try it out in public. ”

The test was conducted in the basketball arena of the University of Cincinnati, where White's alma mater was located. To Albert's slight disappointment, White began by saying that reports that he could touch the top edge of the rebound were untrue: "Actually, I've never touched the top edge of the rebound. But now that I'm on the basketball court at the University of Cincinnati and doing a bounce test like this, I'm going to do my best to touch the highest place. ”

In order to protect the players, the test starts with a ruler. Because White is used to jumping on one foot and needs to have a long run-up distance, there is a certain danger in touching the rebound. So the staff attached a ruler on the side of the basket and asked White to try to touch the height of 3.95 meters first. If it succeeds, try to touch the top edge of the rebound......

It's close, really quite close, but White's hand is still 5 centimeters away from the height of 3.95 meters.

However, Albert still had hope for White at the time, as White had a small knee injury at the time, which could affect his bounce. So, Albert and White agreed to try again in a month. And the second attempt is the one that fans know after training with the San Antonio Spurs. The result was almost the same as last time, it was very close but still did not touch the 3.95-meter ruler, and there was no need to touch the upper edge of the rebound.

At this point, Albert's expedition came to an end, and he seemed to have given up: "If a guy who is 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 meters) tall and has the level of a high jumper who competes in the Olympics, and a guy who can make a dunk that Vince Carter and Michael Jordan would not dare to do, and can't touch the scale that is level with the top edge of the rebound, then no one in history can touch the top edge of the rebound." ”

However, White, who later joined the Rockets for a short time, personally told Wang Meng, a reporter of this newspaper in Houston, that he could do it: "In fact, I can touch the top edge of the rebound, and many people think that I can't do it because of that video." But when I was in San Antonio, I tried it again later and touched it. "However, he did not have a video to testify, can you believe it?

Former member of the Harlem basketball team, nicknamed "The Barbarians". On April 1, 2000, Wilson successfully dunked the ball into a basket with a height of 3.65 meters (12 feet), becoming the record holder for the highest dunk height in the world. Legend has it that Chamberlain did it before, but there is no evidence to prove it, and Wilson performed it perfectly during Harlem's public performance, supervised by a notary. It was later reported that Wilson had dunked a 3.7-meter basket, but there was no authoritative proof. Later, another world record holder, Wayne Clark, who was able to fly over the 1.78-meter bar when dunking, also dunked a 3.65-meter basket at the 2006 American City Slam Dunk, but was significantly less comfortable than Wilson. As for the rumored claim that Clark dunked a 3.7-meter basket, it is obviously not convincing.

The player, who plays in the NBA Development League, may be the only person to have video testified that he touched the 3.95-meter height scale. However, because the video was shot too rudimentarily and did not be notarized on the spot by a certifier like Wilson hired back then, the test results were not entirely credible. Judging from the bounce of his dunk during the training game, as well as the way and tools used to measure the height in the video, Thomas's 3.95-meter touch height is watery.

Fans who follow European basketball will remember this name, he is the No. 15 player of the Lithuanian team, who has been firmly in the main center position in recent years, and is a standard blue-collar player. If you look at Jaftokas' current game, you would never think that he used to bounce amazingly. Wikipedia writes that in 2000 and 2001, the 2.11-meter-tall Jaftokas was crowned the champion of the Lithuanian League Slam Dunk Contest in succession, and in 2001, he staged a 3.65-meter basket, tying Wilson's world record. It's a pity that this genius loves drag racing, and in 2002, he was in a serious accident on a motorcycle, and he recuperated for more than a year before returning to the race. At that time, his head coach was the former Chinese men's basketball coach Younas, which was also one of the biggest regrets of Lao You's coaching career - the ban on "strictly prohibiting drag racing" against Jaftokas did not prevent him from having an accident.