Even though the rumors are refuted 100 times, some people still believe it! Take a look at the five major rumors in NBA history

NBA has gone through nearly 80 years since its establishment. In the long history, stories inside and outside the arena have continuously nourished the enthusiasm of fans, but have also spawned countless rumors that are difficult to distinguish between true and false. With the advent of the information age, data transparency, player interview documentary, and professional analysis are popularized, which should have made many false rumors self-defeated, but there are always some rumors like "stubborn vines". Even though they have been denied hundreds of times, they are still circulating in the fan circle, and even make many people believe it. Today we will disassemble these 5 classic NBA rumors that have been circulating for more than 10 years, and see why they have such "lasting vitality". Perhaps you have been kept in the dark by these statements.

1. Flying Jordan stays in the air for 3 seconds

When it comes to Michael Jordan, the label of "Flying Jordan" has long been deeply rooted in people's hearts. At the 1988 slam dunk competition, he started from the free throw line and completed his gliding dunk. His body stretched in the air made countless fans amazed "He seems to be able to stay in the air"; in the game, he often jumped with his opponent at the same time, but could wait until the opponent landed before taking action calmly. This visual "time difference" made "stagnant" a iconic symbol of Jordan.

So, the saying "Jordan stayed in the air for 3 seconds" came into being - it was originally derived from the exaggerated rendering of the "Flying Man" myth in street stall literature. Later, after word of mouth among fans and fermentation of online jokes, it gradually became a "recognized fact". But from a scientific point of view, this statement is completely untenable. According to the principles of physics, the time of the human body's stagnation in the air depends mainly on the vertical jumping height: the time of the ordinary NBA player's stagnation is about 0.7-0.9 seconds, and the top bouncer can reach about 1 second. Jordan's vertical jump height is about 1.2 meters. According to professional calculations, his extreme air stagnation time is only 1.09 seconds, which is already the ceiling-level data in NBA history.

To achieve "3 seconds of stagnation in space", it means that the vertical jump height needs to reach about 11 meters - this is equivalent to the height of three floors, far exceeding the physical limit of the human body, unless it is out of gravity. Even so, some fans stubbornly believe that "Jordan is an existence beyond common sense" and even took out a video of slow-playing the game to "prove it". In fact, slow-moving the lens only lengthens the visual feeling, not the real time; the reason why Jordan "looks stuck in the air for a long time" is more because he has strong control over his body in the air and can extend the shooting window by adjusting his posture, rather than really "staying in the air".

2. Kobe is a talented and hard-working player

"Have you ever seen Los Angeles at 4 a.m.?" This famous saying by Kobe Bryant makes "working" his most distinctive label. Fans talked about his training volume of 1,000 goals a day and his 20-year career self-discipline. In addition, he was selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the 13th pick in the first round that year, and was then traded to the Lakers, which gradually led to an extreme statement: "Bryant can succeed depends entirely on hard work, he has no talent."

This statement is not only a misunderstanding of Kobe, but also a one-sided interpretation of "talent". It is true that Kobe's efforts are far beyond ordinary people, but he can become the "offensive kaleidoscope" of the new century NBA and the top 10 superstar in history, and top talent is the foundation. Judging from the physical conditions, Kobe's physical coordination and flexibility are top in history - he can complete a pull-up layup when he loses balance and change directions instantly during a high-speed breakthrough. The completion of these movements depends on his innate physical control ability. His physical strength is also amazing: in the 2005-06 season, Kobe averaged 41 minutes per game, and carried the team's offense many times in overtime. This endurance is by no means achieved by training alone.

More importantly, Kobe's "basketball talent" is reflected in his learning ability and sense of the field. He can quickly absorb Jordan's offensive skills in the early stages of his career, and later developed "older killer moves" such as low-post back-to-body and mid-range jump shots; in the game, he can always predict the opponent's defensive loopholes and find the best time to shoot at critical moments. As Lakers legend Shaquill O'Neal said: "If Kobe has no talent and just hard work, he can only become an All-star like Butler at most, and he will never stand at the top of history." Attributing Kobe's success to "no talent depends on hard work" is not only an ignorance of his talent, but also a violation of the objective law of "working requires talent support."

3. James plays with his body only by his body. Since entering the league, LeBron James has shocked the world with his explosive physical talent - a height of 2.06 meters and a weight of 113 kilograms, but he has the speed and explosive power of defenders, can defend from No. 1 to No. 5, and can complete dunks in fast attacks. But what comes with this talent is a rumor that has been passed down to this day: "James is useless except for his physical body, and he has no skills." The absurdity of "Brother Ru" is that he completely ignores the evolution and comprehensiveness of James' career. The NBA never lacks "body flow". Players: Sean Kemp, Amare Stoudemire and others have shined in the league with their physical talents, but most of them have rapidly declined after the age of 30 due to injuries or single skills. James can still maintain the top level in the league until he is 40 years old, relying on skills and football merchandising far beyond "body flow".

From a technical perspective, James' passing ability is historically level - he averaged 7.4 assists in his career, and has achieved comprehensive data of "25+7+7" for five consecutive seasons. He is the first player in NBA history to reach 40,000 points + 10,000 rebounds + 10,000 assists at the same time. His offensive methods are also constantly enriching: he relies on breakthroughs in the early stages, developed a stable mid-range jump shot and three-pointer in the later stages, and was able to end the game with a back-to-body single in the playoffs at the age of 39.. On the defensive end, he has been selected into the best defensive lineup for 5 times. At his peak, he was the top "forward gate" in the league.

If James "only his body", he would not have been able to create a historical record like "Project 411", he would not have won the championship four times and was elected as the regular season MVP four times, and he would not have been able to lead the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals at the age of 38. Those voices who criticized him for being "unskilled" were either too narrow-minded in his understanding of basketball technology or were blinded by the appearance of "body flow".

4. Wolf King Garnett touches the rebounding edge

Kevin Garnett is one of the most interesting inside players in NBA history. He is 2.11 meters tall, but he has the flexibility of a guard. He can complete a one-stop dunk in a fast break and can dive from the basket to the outside of the three-point line on the defensive end. He is extremely popular, and the nickname of "big box office" is enough to prove the fans' love for him, and the rumor that "Garnett can touch the upper edge of the rebound" is gradually taking shape in this popularity.

The height on the upper edge of the rebound is 3.95 meters. To reach this height, the player's standing touch height plus bounce height must reach more than 3.95 meters. Garnett's standing touch height is about 2.75 meters and the vertical bounce height is about 0.9 meters. The sum of the two is only 3.65 meters, and there is still a 30 cm gap from the upper edge of the rebound of 3.95 meters - this is equivalent to the diameter of a basketball, and it is definitely not something you can touch by "a little bit". In fact, Garnett's extreme height is "head frame" (basket height 3.05 meters), which is already top in the center, but is still far from "touching the upper edge of the rebound".

Why can this rumor be passed down to this day? On the one hand, Garnett often staged exaggerated blocks and dunks in the game, which gave people the illusion of "jumping very high" visually; on the other hand, a video of "Garnett touching the upper edge of the rebound" was circulated on the Internet in the early days, but it was later confirmed that it was edited and synthesized - the rebounds in the video were artificially lowered, not the standard 3.95 meters. Even so, some fans still believe that "Garnett hides strength" and even believe that "the league deliberately prevents him from showing it in order to protect the rebound." This excessive worship of idols has made the rumors lose space for rational scrutiny.

5. "Basketball Emperor" Chamberlain has bench pressed 245 kg

Wilt Chamberlain is the most "legendary" player in NBA history - 100 points in a single game, 50.4 points per game per season, and 30.1 points per game in his career. These data are enough to make him the "Basketball Emperor". His physical talent is also infinitely amplified, and the saying "Chamberlain bench press 245 kg" is the most typical rumor.

245 What is the concept of kilograms? This is the level of a professional strongman - in the World Weightlifting Championships, the men's bench press record of 105 kg or above was about 267 kg, and 245 kg is already in the top ten in history. The bench press data of NBA players is far from that of the Hercules: According to public information, Shaquille O'Neal's bench press at its peak was about 198 kg and Dwight Howard had about 168 kg, and there were only a handful of players who could exceed 200 kg.

Chamberlain is indeed outstanding - he mentioned in his autobiography that he can lift his teammates easily and crush his opponents at the basket with his strength during the game, but that doesn't mean he can reach the 245kg bench press level. The source of this rumor was an exaggerated report on Chamberlain's power in early sports media. Later, after the fans added fuel to the fire, it gradually changed from "powerful" to "bench press 245 kg". More importantly, Chamberlain has never participated in a formal bench press test in his career. The so-called "245 kg" has no data support, which is completely nonsense.

Even though some sports science experts have repeatedly pointed out that "humans cannot complete 245 kg bench presses under the size of basketball players", some fans still believe that "Chamberlain is an existence beyond the times, and conventional science does not apply to him." This blind superstition of "legend" has allowed this baseless rumor to be passed down to this day.

Basketball is a sport based on science and facts. The greatness of a star never depends on the pile of rumors. Instead of indulging in these rumors that cannot stand up to be scrutinized, it is better to calm down and appreciate the stars' true performance on the field - those precise shooting, clever passing, and tenacious defense are the real charm of the NBA. After all, true greatness is always more powerful than fictional rumors. What do you think about this?