Home

Swimming

Young Michael Phelps Was Once Destroyed by a 15 Year NBA Veteran Who Was a Swimming Prodigy of His Own

Published 06/30/2022, 7:30 AM EDT

Follow Us

via Getty

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

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.

Wife Vanessa Once Gave Billionaire Kim Kardashian a Special Kobe Bryant Gift Worth Nearly $2,000 Even Before Its Public Release

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?

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

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.

via Imago

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Swimming stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

WATCH THIS STORY: How old was Shaquille O’Neal when he retired?

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.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Pragya Vashisth

257Articles

One take at a time

Pragya is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Having completed Masters in Sports Management from the International Institute of Sports Management, Mumbai, he has been a passionate fan of the NBA since 2010. Pragya is a massive supporter of LeBron James and just wants to enjoy the twilight years of his Hall of Fame career.
Show More>

Edited by:

Veer Badani