Wilt Chamberlain was the best athlete to play in the NBA. You can make the argument that he’s the best athlete that competed in any sport. He had strength (bench press 550 pounds), vertical leaping ability (40” plus), and speed. Wilt could run the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds. He is said to have beaten Jim Brown (in Brown’s prime) in two races. Wilt ran a sub-eleven second 100 meters and a 49-second 400m.