Michael Phelps is widely regarded as the greatest swimmer ever. He is the most successful Olympian of all time with 28 medals, which include 23 gold medals. However, there was someone who bested Phelps in multiple events when they were 10 years old. Former NBA player, Kris Humphries was the country’s top swimmer at his age. He even held the National Record for the 50-meter freestyle for 10 and under boys for almost two decades.

The former power forward didn’t exactly dominate in the NBA. He was at best a role player during his 13-year NBA career. Humphries played for nine different teams, with the Brooklyn Nets franchise being his best stint. The Minnesota native has had quite a colorful life with his swimming history and his infamous marriage to Kim Kardashian.

While he wasn’t perhaps the best basketball player, Humphries dominated most of the swimming events as a kid. In 1995, he finished first in the 50-meter butterfly event with the legendary Phelps coming in second. He finished ahead of Phelps again in the 100-meter freestyle by a stunning four seconds.

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However, Michael Phelps wasn’t the only future Olympian who lost out to Humphries. The 12-time Olympic medalist, Ryan Lochte, also faced defeat from the former NBA big man. Lochte finished a full three seconds behind Humphries in the 50-meter freestyle, which the former Brooklyn Nets?player won.

Kris Humphries was better than Michael Phelps?

Kris Humphries was a child prodigy in swimming. He beat future swimming legends and Olympics Gold medalists in various events as a 10-year-old. However, he gave up swimming and chose basketball as his future when he was 12 years old. Even though his NBA career didn’t pan out the way he would have hoped it would, he played in the league for 13 years.

Michael Phelps’ total of 82 medals in the international long course competitions includes 65 gold medals. He has been named the World Swimmer of the Year eight times in his distinguished career.

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Phelps dominated swimming competitions for most of his life, but there was a time when a former NBA player was better than him in swimming. What could have been if Humphries continued swimming instead of jumping to basketball, we’ll never know.