10 Most Jacked Players in the NBA

This won’t come as a surprise to fans, but NBA players are a bunch of absolute rigs. The league boasts a level of athleticism unlike any sport on the planet, requiring a mixture of size, speed, and strength inconceivable to us regular folk. Turn on any game throughout the season, and you’ll notice a buffet of broad shoulders, ice-cold six-packs, and tree trunk legs that all seem designed in a German lab. Speaking of labs, the modern-day NBA athlete is treated like a formula one racing car, given access to the best sport scientists in the world, resulting in the most ripped specimens the game has ever seen. Performing Olympic level acrobatics whilst flying through the air, these sporting gods constantly remind us how inept we mere mortals genuinely are.

1. LeBron James

• Team: Los Angeles Lakers
• Country: USA
• Born: 30 December 1984, Akron, Ohio, United States
• Spouse: Savannah James
• Height: 2.06 m
• Weight: 113 kg
• Education: St. Vincent–St. Mary (Akron, Ohio)

One of the most dominant players to ever step foot on a basketball court, King James has reigned supreme as the most physically gifted athlete in the NBA for two decades. Incredibly buff and shredded, a player of his size simply shouldn’t be able to move the way he does. However, as the back tattoo suggests, the “chosen one” defies all reality and logic. Longevity has been a critical factor for his success; the 36-year-old reportedly spends over USD$1.5 million a year staying in peak condition, covering costs including the home gym, trainers, massage therapists, and nutritionists. When you couldn’t get any more jealous, the power forward has the silky skills of a point guard and is considered one of the greatest passes of all time.

2. Zion Williamson

• Team: New Orleans Pelicans
• Country: USA
• Born: 6 July 2000 (age 21 years), Salisbury, North Carolina, United States
• Height: 2.01 m
• Weight: 129 kg
• Education: Duke (2018-2019)

Zion Williamson might be the only NBA player that looks better suited for football than basketball. On the court, the young phenom sticks out like a sore thumb on steroids (not suggesting he’s on steroids), with his sheer mass often too much for his opponents to handle. However, what makes Zion a human highlight reel is his god-given ability to launch that giant frame above the rim like an Olympic high jumper. One of the most aggressive dunkers of all time; the number 1 draft pick will often posterize players nearly a foot taller than him. Oh, and the worst part is, he seems super down to earth and really likeable.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo

• Team: Milwaukee Bucks
• Country: Greece
• Born: 6 July 2000, Salisbury, North Carolina, United States
• Height: 2.11 m
• Partner: Mariah Riddlesprigger
• Weight: 110 kg

Giannis Antetokounmpo has undergone one of the most remarkable body transformations or “glow ups” the NBA has ever seen. Entering the league as a skinny, fragile rookie, the Greek Freak has become a Greek God, stacking on layer upon layer of lean muscle mass from lifting bulk weights. Equipped with one of the longest wingspans in the game, his arms look like two muscle-bound anacondas when dribbling the ball and pack serious venom when attacking the rim.

4. Blake Griffin

• Team: Brooklyn Nets
• Country: USA
• Born: 16 March 1989, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
• Height: 2.06 m
• Weight: 113 kg
• Education: Oklahoma (2007-2009)

Dishing out some of the greatest slams of all time, Blake Griffin’s body was born to dunk. While he may not be the exact specimen he was in the “Lob City” days with the LA Clippers, make no mistake, the power forward has a physique his colleagues could only dream of. With a robust frame, Griffin’s agility and speed have given him the athletic edge over his opponents throughout his career. Sure, his explosiveness may have dropped in recent years, but Griffin’s body still looks tier one.

5. Dwight Howard

• Team: Los Angeles Lakers
• Country: USA
• Born: 8 December 1985, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
• Height: 2.08 m
• Weight: 120 kg

Dwight Howard’s upper body is so broad it looks like he’s wearing shoulder pads. Shredded from head to toe, his superhuman physique has become iconic among NBA fans. His time in the NBA has been strange, with the former Orlando Magin star bouncing around teams for the past few seasons, however, when Howard returned to the Lakers in 2019, he placed a renewed focus on explosiveness and strength. The then-33-year-old came into training 25 pounds lighter, with reports suggesting he had lost as much as 40 pounds (18.1kg) from the player that arrived at the Wizards the year prior.

6. Russell Westbrook

• Team: Los Angeles Lakers
• Country: USA
• Born: 12 November 1988, Long Beach, California, United States
• Spouse: Nina Earl
• Height: 1.91 m
• Weight: 91 kg
• Education: UCLA (2006-2008)

Whilst relatively shorter than other beasts on this list, Russell Westbrook is still supremely jacked. Looking like a piece of chiselled granite, the combination of speed and force he applies on the court is unrivalled to this day. As arguably the most explosive athlete in the NBA, Westbrook’s fitness regime is second to none. Meticulous in preparation, Brodie’s fitness focus starts from the moment he wakes up. In an interview with GQ, the new Lakers recruit revealed he kicks off his day with anywhere between 25 and 50 push-ups, just to get the blood flow moving.

7. Semi Ojeleye

• Team: Milwaukee Bucks
• Country: USA
• Born: 5 December 1994, Overland Park, Kansas, United States
• Height: 1.98 m
• Weight: 109 kg
• Education: Southern Methodist University (2016–2017), Duke University (2013–2015)

Semi Ojeleye may be a role player on the court, but he’s a superstar in the gym. The shooter has a sprinter’s body, often utilising his muscle-bound frame to block opponents on the defensive end. According to the 2017 second-round pick, he began lifting at age 13, which led to a life-long obsession. In recent years, Ojeleye has changed his routine to better suit conditioning and mobility.

“In high school, and when I first got to college, it was a lot of moving as much weight as possible and developing power. That was great, because I got that base, but when I got on the court, I didn’t feel that great. My athleticism was straight-line. I definitely wasn’t fluid at all,” he told GQ. Later in college, and after I got here with the Celtics, it was about mobility. There’s only so much strength you can use on the court without it just becoming unfluid and stiff. That’s been my main focus now—maintaining the strength that I have and turning it into basketball skills.

8. Andre Iguodala

• Team: Golden State Warriors
• Country: USA
• Born: 28 January 1984, Springfield, Illinois, United States
• Spouse: Christina Gutierrez
• Height: 1.98 m
• Weight: 98 kg
• Education: Arizona (2002-2004)

Even in his late 30s, Andre Iguodala’s physical gifts make him a menace on both sides of the court. The swingman is one of the fittest in the league, with barrel-shaped biceps that would make Mr Olympia proud. In an interview with Phil Star, Iguodala shared his vertical routine, which includes jogging for a minimum of 45 minutes three times a week and skipping rope 100 times three a week. He said jumping rope, simple as it may seem, not only gives you explosiveness and calf strength, it also builds stamina while working on overall leg strength.

9. Serge Ibaka

• Team: Los Angeles Clippers
• Country: Congo / Spain
• Born: 18 September 1989, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
• Height: 2.08 m
• Weight: 107 kg

A lean, mean blocking machine, Serge Ibaka might be the sexiest player in the league. Owning a perfectly symmetrical rig of steel, if basketball didn’t work out, the runway would’ve been a great second career option.

10. Kawhi Leonard

• Team: Los Angeles Clippers
• Country: USA
• Born: 29 June 1991, Los Angeles, California, United States
• Partner: Kishele Shipley
• Height: 2.01 m
• Weight: 98 kg
• Education: San Diego State (2009-2011)

His supersized hands might be the star of the show, but let’s not forget Kawhi Leonard is a freak athlete. With a mixture of size, strength, speed and agility, he can defend just about anyone on the court. Plus, he possesses explosive lift to power over opponents when attacking the rack. Back in 2017, typically media-shy Leonard revealed the biggest challenge on the road was diet.

“You definitely have to be focused in on it, but it’s difficult trying to eat something that’s good for you on the road,” he said. “We usually have a nutritionist who will let us know what we should eat and what we shouldn’t eat from the hotel menus. She looks all of that over for us throughout the whole year.”