By –Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, Lionel Messi make the first three.
Who is the greatest athlete of the 21st century? That’s easy. It has to be Tom Brady, the quarterback of the greatest dynasty America’s favorite sport has ever seen, a seven-time Super Bowl champion and five-time Super Bowl MVP. Yep, Tom Brady.
Except… it has to be Lionel Messi, the best player in the world’s favorite sport, an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner as the footballer of the year. Yep, definitely Messi.
Except… no. LeBron James, right? Four-time NBA champion, four-time Finals MVP, four-time regular-season MVP, 20-time All-NBA, and the player with the most points scored in NBA history. No athlete has dominated the public conversation like LeBron has. He has to be No. 1.
Except… what about Serena Williams? Winner of 23 Grand Slam titles, Serena Slam (holding all four major titles at the same time), and four Olympic gold medals. And she won her final Grand Slam event while pregnant, putting her career on hold while she was at her most dominant.
Except, if you are going to pick a tennis player, what about Roger Federer? He transcended an entire sport with his artistry, his chess game on the court, and his blazing forehand. He won 20 Grand Slam titles and became the most beloved tennis player of all time. Gotta be Fed.
Except Rafael Nadal won 22 Grand Slam titles and Novak Djokovic has won 24. You have to pick one of them over Federer.
Hmm. Maybe this isn’t so easy. We didn’t even mention the Olympians: Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, and Simone Biles. Or Kobe. Gotta throw Kobe Bryant into the discussion. Or Lewis Hamilton. Or Peyton Manning. Or Floyd Mayweather. Or Tiger. Geez, almost forgot about Tiger Woods.
Ranking the top 100 most accomplished athletes since 2000 wasn’t quite so easy after all — but it sure was fun. Twenty-five years ago, ESPN SportsCentury ranked the top 100 North American athletes of the 20th century. Michael Jordan was No. 1 on that list, ahead of Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Wayne Gretzky. (Jordan should have been No. 1, but hey, I’m a baseball writer.) We also ranked a horse: Secretariat.
There were so many transcendent athletes over the past 25 years, we thought it was time to do another ranking. I promise you there are no horses this time (sorry, American Pharoah). But as we close in on the first quarter of the 21st century, however, we have acknowledged our top 100 greatest athletes.
ESPN editors from around the globe contributed to the discussion and the rankings, as well as the individual sport lists that will run next week.
This isn’t just a discussion of MVP awards, but of truly transcendent performance. Since 2000, for example, Tom Brady won seven Super Bowls, only four of those came after 2000 and only three of those he was named MVP. LeBron has won four NBA titles, but only in his best season was he the MVP. If you consider 33 of his 15 majors since 2000, so he’s going to be high on the list. But overall? There are a lot of amazing performances.
1. Michael Phelps, swimming
Key accomplishments: Record 28-time Olympic medalist, 23-time Olympic gold medalist, most gold medals at a single Olympics when he won eight at Beijing in 2008
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Phelps earned a historic eight gold medals, more than any athlete in a single Olympics, while breaking world records in seven of his eight races. Throughout the Games, fans and members of the media tried to crack the code on what made Phelps — who eventually won 23 Olympic gold medals and became the most decorated Olympian of all time — so unbeatable. His mother, Debbie Phelps, was in Beijing, and often fielded their questions. Was it his size-14 feet? His extra-long arms? His breakfast regimen? “No,” Debbie answered repeatedly. “It’s his hard work.” — Alyssa Roenigk
2. Serena Williams, tennis
Key accomplishments: 23-time major champion (second most by any player all time), women’s record 365 major match wins, 73 career titles are fifth most by a woman in the Open era
There is little that Williams didn’t achieve during her record-setting career, including winning 23 major titles. But it might have been her last one that was the most improbable. She needed to win one more Grand Slam to break the tie with Steffi Graf for most in the Open era (which began in 1968) — a mark Williams said she had been “chasing for a really long time” — and remained in the 2017 Australian Open draw even after finding out she was pregnant shortly before competition began. She was in peak Serena form, never dropping a set en route to a final showdown with her sister Venus. She defeated Venus to take sole ownership of the record.
Williams played in four more major finals after her return from maternity leave and a complicated childbirth. She didn’t win another title. “The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus Grand Slams,” Williams wrote in Vogue in a 2022 essay announcing her impending retirement. “I didn’t get there … But I showed up 23 times, and that’s fine. Actually it’s extraordinary.” — D’Arcy Maine
3. Lionel Messi, soccer
Key accomplishments: 10-time LaLiga champion, seven-time Copa del Rey winner, four-time Champions League winner, six-time Champions League top scorer, 17-time FIFA FIFPRO World 11, World Cup winner, two-time Copa America winner, two-time FIFA World Cup Golden Ball winner, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, record goal scorer for Barcelona and Argentina
Messi winning the World Cup in Argentina in 2022 was perhaps the biggest Hollywood ending that soccer has ever seen. After losing the 2014 final, it looked like it would never happen for Messi, who had won everything else in the game for club and country, but the crowning moment of his career finally arrived at age 34. He scored twice in the final as Argentina beat France on penalties, sparking an outpouring of emotion and celebrations around the globe. “This guy transcends rivalries — even between Brazil and Argentina,” Brazil legend Ronaldo said. “I saw Brazilians and people all over the world rooting for Messi. It’s a fitting finale for a genius who has marked an era.” — Sam Marsden
4. LeBron James, basketball
Key accomplishments: NBA 75th Anniversary team, NBA’s all-time scoring leader, 20-time All-Star, 19-time All-NBA selection, six-time All-Defense, four-time MVP, four-time Finals MVP, four-time NBA champion, three-time All-Star Game MVP
The “48 special” game happened 17 years ago this spring. That’s when James scored 29 of the last 30 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers in a double-overtime upset Game 5 road win against the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals. The 48-point game was a mesmerizing performance that stands as one of the classic games of this century … and it probably doesn’t even rank in the top 10 of James’ playoff performances. It might not be one of his top three conference finals games. This is what James’ greatness rests on: No one has ever been this good for this long. That long-ago night in the Palace of Auburn Hills is merely one of 29 40-point games James has in the playoffs alone.
That win paved the way to his first Finals, starting a run of 10 appearances in 14 years. During that stretch he won four NBA titles, four MVPs and four Finals MVPs with three different teams, as well as two Olympic gold medals. He also won at least one road game in 29 consecutive playoff series. He has scored in double figures in 1,222 consecutive regular-season games — the last time he didn’t, his son Bronny, now his Laker teammate, was 2 years old. Volume isn’t a vogue way to measure achievement in the NBA anymore, and it lends credence to those who want to push James down all-time lists. It’s the only side of the argument to take against James, who has essentially renamed the NBA’s record book for himself. — Brian Windhorst
5. Tom Brady, football
Key accomplishments: Seven-time Super Bowl champion, five-time Super Bowl MVP, three-time NFL MVP, two-time AP Offensive POY, 15-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro, NFL record for career passing yards/TDs
When Brady was asked which of his seven Super Bowl rings was his favorite, he was fond of answering: “The next one.” That sums up the player whom Bill Belichick referred to as the “ultimate winner” who often played his best when the stakes were highest. Belichick noted how Brady entered the NFL as a sixth-round pick “with little to no fanfare” and left “as the most successful player in league history.” Said Belichick: “His relentless pursuit of excellence drove him on a daily basis. His work ethic and desire to win were both motivational and inspirational to teammates and coaches alike.” — Mike Reiss
6. Roger Federer, tennis
Key accomplishments: 20-time major champion, 369 majors wins, eight Wimbledon titles (most by a man all time), 103 tour singles titles (second most by man in Open era)
It’s not unusual for a professional athlete to feel emotional during their final match or game before retiring. But what is unusual is when everyone else in the competition is equally emotional about it. Such was the case for Federer during the last match of his career at the Laver Cup — an event he co-founded — in 2022. Having previously announced a doubles match alongside Rafael Nadal would be his swan song, Nadal — his fiercest of rivals for nearly 20 years — cried right alongside him when it was over, as did Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, the rest of their European teammates and even Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe, their opponents from the World team. “I think we are all going to be forever grateful to be a part of the GOAT’s final match,” Sock said later. — D’Arcy Maine
7. Simone Biles, gymnastics
Key accomplishments: Seven-time Olympic medalist (tied for most by American gymnast), four Olympic gold medals (2016, tied for most by female gymnast at single Games)
Since winning her first national title in 2013, Biles has gone undefeated in all-around competition in every meet she has competed in, a staggering achievement in a sport that used to age-out athletes in their teens. Now 27, Biles punctuated her return to gymnastics after taking two years off following the Tokyo Games by winning U.S. trials by an astounding 5.5 points. In her third Olympics in Paris, Biles can become the first gymnast to win all-around gold in nonconsecutive Olympics. She also has five skills that bear her name — including a vault with the highest difficulty level in women’s gymnastics. — Alyssa Roenigk
8. Tiger Woods, golf
Key accomplishments: 13 major wins (most of any player during span), 11 major wins as world No. 1 golfer (nine more than any other player all time)
Even after a record-breaking career in which Woods won 82 times on the PGA Tour, including 15 major championships, and was ranked the No. 1 golfer in the world for 281 consecutive weeks and 683 overall, golf fans are still left wondering what the Hall of Famer might have accomplished had injuries and self-inflicted problems off the course not hampered him over the past 15 years. That’s a testament to Woods’ greatness on the course, where he won 131 times around the world. He won his first major at age 21 and brought youth and energy to a sport that desperately needed it with his fist pumps and club twirls. — Mark Schlabach
9. Usain Bolt, track
Key accomplishments: Eight-time Olympic gold medalist, 100m world-record holder, only sprinter to win Olympic 100m and 200m titles at three consecutive Olympics
Their legs are a blur. What’s in focus is Bolt’s expressive mug as he surges ahead in the 100-meter semifinal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, his fourth and final Games. In the photo, the now 37-year-old Jamaican is looking back, smiling, almost taunting the three men giving chase. The race is not over — and yet it is. The image was a sensation at the time and has endured as one of the most indelible of Bolt’s career, which saw him set his first world record in the 100 at 21. His 2009 world record in the 100 (9.58 seconds) still stands today. — Alyssa Roenigk
10. Kobe Bryant, basketball
Key accomplishments: NBA 75th Anniversary team, Basketball Hall of Famer, five-time champion, two-time Finals MVP, 2007-08 MVP, 18-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA selection, 12-time All-Defense, four-time All-Star Game MVP
For all of the accomplishments Bryant amassed, the five championships chief among them, and all of the otherworldly scoring feats — nine straight 40-point games in 2003, four straight 50-point games in 2007, the 81-point night against Toronto, the 60-point send-off against Utah — his lasting achievement was inspiration. The Lakers legend’s self-described “Mamba mentality” has transcended basketball, and sports for that matter, a branded way of life that fans and admirers of Bryant aspire to reach. It promises that with enough drive, enough work, enough will and enough focus, you too can shape your existence the way Bryant did.
After a horrific helicopter crash in 2020 killed Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others, Bryant’s impact continues to be felt posthumously. His name is as relevant as ever in the NBA, with countless players paying homage to the shooting guard by wearing Nos. 8 and 24 and the league renaming the All-Star MVP trophy in his honor. “He’s like our generation’s Jordan,” Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas told ESPN last season. “How the other guys liked Jordan, that’s how we are with Kobe.” — Dave McMenamin
To be Continued
Copied: ESPN
