Kris Humphries: Better youth swimmer than Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte?
By John Buhler
Before he won 23 Olympic Gold medals, American swimmer Michael Phelps was getting beat in the pool by Atlanta Hawks’ Kris Humphries as a 10-year-old.
Who has had the better professional career: 23-time Olympic Gold medalist American swimmer Michael Phelps or NBA journeyman big man and former Kardashian beau Kris Humphries? Easily Phelps, as he is the most decorated Summer Olympic athlete all-time.
Sure, Humphries has carved out a respectable 12-year NBA career as a veteran big man, now on his eighth team in the Atlanta Hawks, but it pales in comparison to what Phelps did in the pool in four Summer Olympiads (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016).
Flash back 21 years ago and it wasn’t Phelps that was the fastest 10-year-old swimmer in the country, nor was it his Team USA Olympic teammate Ryan Lochte. It was actually 10-year-old Kristopher Humphries who tore it up during the 1994-95 youth United States Swimming circuit.
Humphries did mention this briefly to People magazine when he was dating Kim Kardashian back in 2003, but never elaborated. Hawks.com’s K.L. Chouinard did his research, finding the official records of Humphries, Phelps, and Lochte’s timings back in 1994-95.
Humphries clobbered his competition of 10-year-olds, winning the 50 m freestyle, the 100 m freestyle, the 50 m backstroke, the 50 m breaststroke, the 50 m butterfly, and 200 m individual medley.
Phelps finished ninth to Humphries in the 100 m freestyle, fourth in the 50 m backstroke, second in the 50 m butterfly, and eighth in the 200 m individual medley. Lochte would place 16th in the 50 m freestyle and eighth in the 50 m backstroke to Humphries in the same competition.
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Humphries would eventually get out of the pool and focus all of his energy to his efforts on the hardwood. He would star in one season at the University of Minnesota before being a first-round pick by the Utah Jazz in the 2004 NBA Draft.
At 6’9″, Humphries’ reach in a pool would be otherworldly. Phelps is still pretty tall at 6’4″, but how would an NBA wingspan fare in the water? Did Humphries choose the right sport is the bigger question?