Michael Phelps’ GOAT Skills Were Threatened by Kim Kardashian’s Ex-Husband and NBA Star More Than Once

It’s not a surprise that Michael Phelps’ prowess as a swimmer dates back to his childhood. Even at just ten years old, Phelps recorded the year’s fastest 100-meter butterfly time for his age class in the U.S. But that was back in 1995, and Phelps wasn’t quite the king of the pool.

In the same year, Kim Kardashian’s ex-husband, Kris Humphries, was the one to watch out for. In fact, Humphries defeated Phelps as well as Olympic champion Ryan Lochte in multiple disciplines.

Kris Humphries was faster than Michael Phelps

Before Humphries became an NBA star, he was a child prodigy in swimming. He was so good that he posted national-best times in six different events: the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 50m backstroke, 50m breaststroke, and 200m individual medley. His 50m and 100m freestyle lasted as the U.S. national records for over 18 years.

In many of these disciplines, like 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle, Humphries finished ahead of Phelps. He even defeated Ryan Lochte, along with Phelps, in the 50m freestyle. Granted, they were just around ten years old at the time, it makes you wonder what could have been the shape of swimming history if Humphries had kept swimming.

Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time. He has 28 Olympic medals, 23 of which are gold, and also holds 27 World Championship titles. If Humphries hadn’t picked up a basketball, would we be celebrating someone other than Phelps as the GOAT?

READ MORE: “You Have All the Money”- Michael Phelps’ Dad Figure Failed to Understand His Miserable Behavior When He Was Suffering Mentally

Why did Humphries quit swimming?

If Kris Humphries already had a yellow brick road laid down for him in swimming, why did he leave it all behind for another sport?

But let’s not forget he averaged 6.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in the NBA. In an interview with People, Humphries revealed why he turned his back on the pool to pursue basketball. “I was so good at a young age that I got a little burnt out,” he said. 

“I also grew up in the Michael Jordan era … for me, I watched [basketball] and saw it as a challenge. It’s hard to stay focused on something when you have a ton of success at a young age, so I picked up basketball a little later and rolled with that.”

Humphries had a successful NBA career, but what if he had continued his swimming journey instead? He might have given a tough competition to the most decorated Olympian. What do you guys think?

DIVE DEEPER: Michael Phelps Savagely Responded To Why He Didn’t Sue the Kid Who Nearly Ended His Career: “Kid’s Gotta Look At Himself”