The NBA’s Top 10 Fastest Players
For years in the NBA when you thought of the fastest player in the League, it was Allen Iverson. But the Answer got older and it seems that guards somehow got even faster. In the current issue of HOOP Magazine, Hornets rookie Darren Collison came out and said that he’s at the top of the list: “I definitely think I’m the fastest player. I got a chance to watch Ty Lawson’s game and he is probably up there. I’d definitely say I’m the fastest.” Whether or not you believe the rookie is up to you, but here’s my list of the NBA’s top 10 fastest players.
In alphabetical order…
Aaron Brooks
Darren Collison
Monta Ellis
T.J. Ford
LeBron James
Brandon Jennings
Ty Lawson
Chris Paul
Rajon Rondo
Derrick Rose
Honorable Mention: D.J. Augustin, Leandro Barbosa, Jerryd Bayless, Earl Boykins, Will Bynum, George Hill, Tony Parker, Nate Robinson
What do you think? Who are the ten fastest guys in the NBA today?
Other Must-Read Articles On DimeMag.com:
- My Top 10 Favorite Celtics Of The Past 25 Years
- Austin’s Top 10 Favorite Sonics Of The Past 25 Years
- Which Corey Brewer Dunk Was Better? Robin Lopez vs. Derek Fisher
Follow Aron on Twitter at @the_real_aron.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DIMEMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
March 18th, 2010 at 10:13 am
Bones Justice says:
Can we have a follow up: Top 10 Slowest?
March 18th, 2010 at 10:14 am
Rafa23 says:
westbrook? he is faster than some of the guys mentioned
March 18th, 2010 at 10:21 am
vince says:
you forgot devin harris and westbrook. also gotta love the rose and james mentioning.
eric gordon is faster than rose btw.
March 18th, 2010 at 10:23 am
isotope says:
wow. Finally a top ten list without… oh, never mind.
March 18th, 2010 at 10:24 am
Rexpac says:
ah, hellllloooo, the Gouch!
March 18th, 2010 at 10:24 am
Drew says:
Yea, gotta go with Vince here, Devin Harris is one of the fastest dudes in the league with or without the ball. Doesn’t even look like hes trying half the time too.
March 18th, 2010 at 10:24 am
cdubb says:
I´d go with barbosa, rose, collsion and john wall. nobody can run w/ those guys. honorable mention: tp, monta ellis and aaron brooks
March 18th, 2010 at 10:29 am
ProphetGK says:
Just add Westbrook and you are good..
March 18th, 2010 at 10:31 am
bubeezy says:
fast and quick are two different things. on Fast alone Lebrons strides are a mans among boys in the league.
March 18th, 2010 at 10:35 am
Heckler says:
dwyane wade is faster than he gets credit for.
also DIME, if you want a good top ten list, take out guards. challenge yourself and readers to pick the top 10 fastest NON-guards in the league
March 18th, 2010 at 10:36 am
Aron Phillips says:
You guys are totally right! I don’t know how I left off Westbrook from the list, but I think he wouldn’t crack the Top 10 right now. Thoughts?
March 18th, 2010 at 10:39 am
Kevin says:
Anyone who says LeBron shouldn’t be on this list is an idiot. No one is faster end to end. Haters.
March 18th, 2010 at 10:39 am
catdog32 says:
From baseline to baseline, Rodney Carney is the fast dude in the league. He gets there in like 4 strides. Hes not the quickest, but he is the fastest.
March 18th, 2010 at 10:42 am
ShowKase says:
Boooooo! The folks at Dime just make up list to put “That Guy” on it every time. To bad he cant get on a NBA Championship list….I’m just sayin.
March 18th, 2010 at 10:43 am
M Intellect says:
Shout to Bubeezy – Fast and quick is two different things and both of those are different in game situations. Quick is kinda related to acceleration and how ‘fast’ is basically top speed. For Example; A Yamaha R6 is quicker then an Aston Martin DB7 but a DB7 can, at Top Speed move faster.
The easiest thing to go by is Combine Results and even though he wans’t even mentioned, Deron Williams was faster then Chris Paul and Monta Ellis came in slow.
March 18th, 2010 at 10:46 am
isotope says:
Lebron should NOT be on the list. And i’m not an idiot. Dude is fast, but top ten? I think not. If it was all about strides then Michael Johnson would never have won any gold medals. I MIGHT even put Josh Smith ahead of Lebron.
BTW here are predraft sprint (3/4 court) times:
Darren Collison 3.10
Ty Lawson 3.12
Tyreke Evans 3.15
Toney Douglas 3.03
Eric Gordon 3.01
Derrick Rose 3.05
Joe Alexander 2.99
Aaron Brooks 3.2
Mike Conley Jr 3.09
Rodney Stuckey 3.11
Ronnie Brewer 3.14
CJ Watson 3.15
Will Bynum 3.0
Nate Robinson 2.96
Monta Ellis 3.31
Chris Paul 3.22
LeBron James n/a
Dwyane Wade 3.08
March 18th, 2010 at 10:52 am
dlee9 says:
As some of said, FASTEST and QUICKEST are two different things.
I’ve heard that back a few years ago, when AI was still healthy and with the Sixers, Samuel Dalembert was just as fast as AI baseline to baseline.
I absolutely do not doubt this. And yes, like one of you guys said, Lebron’s stride is like a man among boys.
Also, don’t forget “fastest” throughout a game – Names like Rip and Ray come to mind.
All in all, I got money on Nate Robinson in a field and track setting. He is just so “ath-the-let-tic.”
March 18th, 2010 at 10:59 am
dlee9 says:
I saw Allen Iverson play in person a few years ago.
Even from my nosebleed seats, anyone could tell that Iverson was on another level in terms of his speed.
March 18th, 2010 at 11:07 am
loganlight says:
Would we name Nash more of a quick player?
LL
March 18th, 2010 at 11:12 am
Chicagorilla says:
A lot of these guys are fast based on their stamina. They are fast in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and some are even stronger come the 4th qrt (LBJ) so thats something that should be thought about. While Javel McGee is fast and could keep up in a 1 time sprint with these guards, run that sprint 10 times and see if he can keep up.
1) Collinson – if you didn’t watch him at UCLA then you won’t understand
D. Wade
2) Nate Robinson
3) Jennings
4) Rose
5) Devin Harris
6) TJ Ford (if not for injuries he’d be #1 or #2)
7) Aaron Brooks
9) Lebron
10)Ty Lawson
March 18th, 2010 at 11:12 am
Ekstor says:
I watched both Collison and Westbrook at UCLA. Westbrook is quicker… but Collison faster. What you guys may not know is that both of Darren’s parents are track athletes (sprinters I believe). They wanted him to pursue a track career.
March 18th, 2010 at 11:13 am
Ian says:
tp is top ten
or quickest top ten??
March 18th, 2010 at 11:26 am
Chaos says:
so are we talking fastest with or with out the ball. watching lebron with out the ball he gets up the court like a friggin gazelle so he would be in the top ten but with the ball you gotta go with
brooks, robinson, lawson, collison, paul, rose, rondo, wade, jennings, westbrook.
March 18th, 2010 at 11:36 am
D-Mavs says:
Two words:
Rodrigue Beaubois
March 18th, 2010 at 11:43 am
belloblock says:
I don’t kno about that list…quick and fast are totally different
March 18th, 2010 at 11:53 am
life-p says:
Raymond Felton…how quickly we forget.
March 18th, 2010 at 11:57 am
ajsdfowp says:
footrace should be a new event during All Star Weekend…
March 18th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Jesus says:
Where the hell is Raymond Felton? He’s faster than most of the guys mentioned
March 18th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
RC says:
Aaron Brooks and Chris Paul are amazingly fast.
Lebron is fast in the ground and in the air.
Everybody in the list is right on.
Barbosa can push the ball forward really fast but I dont know nowadays since I havent played much.
The only person I dont think is that fast is Bayless. Maybe I dont pay attention to the guy that much. But I dont see him in the same level as these guys mentioned in the article.
March 18th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Big V says:
Barkley followed by Bavetta.
March 18th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Student Of The Game says:
Lebron James honestly? Ok sure he looks fast but if we put these guys on a track do you honestly see James coming in the top ten? You gotta specify if we are talking about with the ball or without the ball and if we are talking about just pure speed or basketball speed. if we talk about pure speed on a track Lebron is not coming in the top ten in the league.
March 18th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Chicagorilla says:
@Student of the game,
Have you seen what happens when Lebron’s teammates get a steal and he heads up court? There is no one faster. Honestly I just left him off my list because I’m tired of him making every top ten list. But Honestly I don’t think there is a FASTER person in the NBA. He covers more ground because his legs move fast AND he has huge strides. That’s why sprinters are usually tall or have long legs (&short torso).
@life-p,
good call, I forgot about my boy Felton. At UNC he was the fastest in college without question. He’s grossly underrated in the L. He looks like he gained a little weight though.
Also that Mavs rookie is actually pretty past.
Fast = North-South Speed
Quick = East-West speed.
D.Rose = Fast
CP3 = quick
If there was actually a foot race, Collinson would win because he has the technique down pat. But trust me, Lebron would be 2nd every time.
March 18th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
isotope says:
@Chica
Michael Johnson 6′0″
Asafa Powell 6′3″
Carl Lewis 6′2″
No way Lebron is top 10. Gotta disagree. I used to beast super football/basketball athletes in the sprint when i was in high school.
March 18th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
ticktock6 says:
I put Chris Paul more in category of “quick” than “fast.” I’ve watched every Hornets game this year except 1. You only think CP is fast, until you see Collison. Chris Paul is slooow and then makes his mind and goes superquick on the attack. He also makes better decisions in a split second at a high speed.
But Collison is just a blur. His parents were sprinters for Guyana in the 80s. Mom ran the 400m and his dad the 100 and 200. Bred for speed!
March 18th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
karizmatic says:
Just been reading the comments, thought I’d put my two cents, in…LBJ belongs on this list he is freakishly fast…I think Devin Harris probably should be on this list, and I’ve yet to see anyone faster than AI in his youth.
March 18th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
DPGC says:
JOHNNY FLYNN !!!
March 18th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
control says:
LeBron is legit on this list. Some of his come behind blocks have been with a guy who has 3-5 steps on him and he still manages to snuff them. Guy is just a freak of fuckin nature.
Aaron Brooks might be the quickest guy in the league though. He is normally two or three steps into his drive before the defender even knows to start moving.
With the ball in hand, dodging around people, Nash might be the fastest guy in the league (without losing control). His lateral quickness is gone due to his back (which contributes to his being a weak defender) but with the ball in hand there ain’t a guy who can compare to him.
March 18th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
stillanetsfan says:
devin harris has the guinness world record for fastest dribble the length of the court
March 18th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
CTP says:
DERON WILLIAMS is a lot faster than he gets credit for. If he wants, he can get to the rim WAAAAAY fast. I’m not sayin he is faster than these dudes, but he is AS fast..
March 18th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
LakeShow84 says:
LMAO @ Iso #4
But LBJ does belong on the list..
You gotta be fast to come from behind and pin someones shit.. Plus hes catching guards on the break.. not like hes chasin down PF’s and C’s..
Quickest?? he shouldnt be on the list (even though he is also pretty DAMN quick) but fastest he should be.. he can go coast to coast pretty damn fast..
March 18th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
mavsfan says:
Rodrigue Beaubois deserves to be on this list. Also, Devin Harris and Russel Westbrook.
March 18th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Chicagorilla says:
@Isotope,
6ft with long legs = Michael Johnson
read the entire statement.
6′2 and 6′3 is tall also. The avg height of a man is 5′10.
And As much as I would like to agree that Lebron isn’t on this list, I can’t. Dude is just that much of a freak.
March 18th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
trenton says:
How can u guys at Dime missed out on Devin Harris? This is unacceptable, his name is not even in the honorable mention list. Devin Harris is registered in the world guiness book of records as the fastest man to run while dribbling a ball. I say it again the records belongs to him and no1 has broke it yet.
March 18th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
sh!tfaced says:
I hear Arenas and Crittenton are pretty fast… on the draw
March 18th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
trenton says:
Here is a link to Devin Harris setting the world record:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wf9Hz3bfpA
Baseline to baseline in 3.9 sec!!!!
Hes basically running close to 25 feet per second.
Can your boy Lebron top that speed? I dont think so.
March 18th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
brado says:
LBJ? Please…..leave him out!
March 18th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Bobby Matrix says:
How in the world is Jerryd Bayless just an honorable mention?! For my money Jerry”The Rottweiler”Bayless is definately in the top 5. He runs the court like he’s being chased by the cops. Dude is electric and deserves more love then what you gave him. Don’t sleep on him cuz in a couple year’s time Jerryd will be a stud!
March 18th, 2010 at 2:45 pm
M Intellect says:
I’m really sorry but Chicagorilla, you talk shit.
“These guys are fast because of their stamina?” – Errm, yeeeaaah.
“I didn’t put LeBron in because of I’m sick of him being on every top 10 list” – You’re sick of him being in every list then argue for him being fast like he’s paying you. Sounds like you don’t wanna admit you forgot him of your first list.
“Collinson (Actually it’s, Collison), has the technique down pat” – Dude, when did you see him run the 200 bend?
March 18th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Scoty says:
Monta chased down Collison from behind last night to poke the ball away. I really wish they would just have a race at all star weekend or something to settle this.
March 18th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Magicman101 says:
Here is a link to Devin Harris setting the world record:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wf9Hz3bfpA
Baseline to baseline in 3.9 sec!!!!
Hes basically running close to 25 feet per second.
Can your boy Lebron top that speed? I dont think so.
This was the first thing I thought of… great research you did before posting this garbage. Should of been the people who I think are the fastest because you obviously haven’t done your work.
Props to Trenton/isotope
March 18th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Scoty says:
and Monta went through those pre draft workouts not long after knee surgery. Barely even rehabbed before. That was one of the reasons he fell so far in that draft.
March 18th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Kermit The Washington says:
Dag…that Devin Harris info kinda slammed the door on THIS debate, huh? Nice work fellas!
March 18th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
EN FUEGO says:
Damn. Joe Alexander 2.99?! That’s faster than you can say “BUST” hahaha
March 18th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
trenton says:
There’s a big misconception on several posts here that quick and fast are of different meaning. They are BOTH the same. I think the word are people are trying to say is agility. There’s a difference between some1 who is very quick and some1 who is very agile. Quickness being rapid movement while agility relates to the ease of movement with fluidity.
@ Chicagorilla
Quickness doesn’t describe movement from side to side, you’re mixing it up with lateral speed.
March 18th, 2010 at 5:51 pm
T DOG says:
yall are killin me here u gotta put rondo up dere.
March 18th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
MC Welk says:
According to Draft Express sprint times it’s
1. Nate Robinson
2. Sonny Weems
3. Will Bynum
4. Eric Gordon
5. Toney Douglas
6. Derrick Rose
7. Speedy Claxton
8. Raymond Felton
9. Rodney Carney
10. DJ Augustin
11. George Hill
12. Jerryd Bayless
March 18th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
AllThatJazz / Amar says:
DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE BROWWWWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
(too bad it’s not actually in the NBA anymore)
March 18th, 2010 at 7:44 pm
Tom says:
Draft Combine Numbers… (NA means they either weren’t at the combine or didn’t do the sprint test).
Dime’s Top 10:
Aaron Brooks 3.20
Darren Collison 3.10
Monta Ellis 3.31
T.J. Ford 3.20
LeBron James NA
Brandon Jennings NA
Ty Lawson 3.12
Chris Paul 3.22
Rajon Rondo NA
Derrick Rose 3.05
Dime’s Runners Up:
D.J. Augustin 3.07
Leandro Barbosa NA
Jerryd Bayless 3.07
Earl Boykins NA
Will Bynum 3
George Hill 3.07
Tony Parker NA
Nate Robinson 2.96
Top 5 NBA Players not on Dime’s list:
Sonny Weems 2.96
Joe Alexander 2.99
Eric Gordon 3.01
Toney Douglas 3.03
Joey Graham 3.05
Top 5 guys who didn’t make the league:
Cookie Belcher 2.91
Jason Gardner 2.92
Sir Valiant Brown 3
Schea Cotton 3
Damon Hancock 3.03
NBA Top 5…
Sonny Weems & Nate Robinson (tie): 2.96
Joe Alexander (is he still in the league?): 2.99
Will Bynum: 3
Eric Gordon: 3.01
Personally, I think it’s either Weems, Robinson, Rondo, LeBron, or Barbosa.
March 18th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
mrparker says:
I wouldn’t base the whole arguement on a stop watch at the nba combine.
Jumping and sprinting use the same kind of explosion. My point being a guy who is 6′8″ and damn near hits his head on the rim every time he dunks is probably one of the fastest guys in the league.
Don’t listen to me listen to Rip Hamilton.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyBT7xEdnAw
March 18th, 2010 at 10:02 pm
REAL TALK says:
I ALREADY KNEW BEFORE I EVEN LOOKED AT THE LIST *THAT OVERRATED PERSON WITH NO CHAMPIONSHIP RINGS* WAS GOING TO BE ON THIS LIST. Sad Sad world we live in.
March 18th, 2010 at 10:22 pm
Rich says:
How in the hell did Jameer get no mention whatsoever?
March 18th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
LBJ? says:
Come on? Dev harris on bench? How about Tony? PArker is the fastest no doubt
March 18th, 2010 at 11:25 pm
KT says:
did not read everyone’s post, but Leandro Barbosa, (or Lil Leon as i like to call him) is def faster than Derrick Rose.
March 19th, 2010 at 1:48 am
MJ says:
Patrick Mills deserves a mention
He was running rings around all-NBAers at the Olympics
March 19th, 2010 at 3:12 am
Colton says:
lebron james is FAST!
for anyone who thinks otherwise. you’re an idiot!
March 19th, 2010 at 3:46 am
Human says:
Top ten fastest players would be the 10 Celtics that trample over their 4 or 5 other team mates to get to the buffet…….
March 20th, 2010 at 6:37 am
aussie says:
where the hell is luc longley????????
March 20th, 2010 at 6:39 am
aussie says:
no seriously i think Patty Mills should get a mention, he is a freak and he is from oz =)=)=)
March 20th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
M8E says:
you guys have to mention monta ellis. theres a reason why hes the one man fast break. cant no one stop him and he will put it in the basket whether its a 360 reverse layup or a plain ol’ simple one.
March 21st, 2010 at 9:12 pm
Student Of The Game says:
Lebron does not belong on this list just because he looks fast coming from behind blocking shots…. It’s embarassing how everyone rides Lebron’s jock on everything. He is a special player we all know that, but come on. Top 10 fastest players in the league???? That’s a joke point blank.
March 21st, 2010 at 11:43 pm
Mark says:
LOL @ isotope’s first comment.
March 22nd, 2010 at 9:28 am
Marinekn123 says:
You must consider that when LBJ are running these guys down that they are dribbling a basketball. Could he run them down if he was dribbling a ball also.
March 22nd, 2010 at 10:12 am
Student Of The Game says:
@Marinekn123: THANK YOU!!!
March 22nd, 2010 at 1:25 pm
B. Perry says:
It is important to seperate FAST and QUICK. Damien James was one of the fastest (with Lawson and Collison) at the draft combine but no one would even concider him in this conversation.
Hands down Lebron James is the FASTEST player in the NBA.
Now when it comes to quick, there are a lot of other guys in the league that could be considered for this list. But I dont have a problem with the guys on there already
March 22nd, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Marinekn123 says:
To be honest I think every team in the NBA has at least one player that they could argue to be on this list.
March 25th, 2010 at 2:07 am
JJ says:
1.Derrick Rose
2.Lebron James
3.Brandon Jennings
4.Rajon Rondo
5.Aaron Brooks
6.Ty Lawson
7.Nate Robinson
8.Darren Collison
9.Shannon Brown
10.DJ Augustin
April 9th, 2010 at 8:22 pm
xo polodolo ox says:
BARBOSA IS FASTER DEN ALL OF DEM BOYS WAT DO YALL BE SAYIN