Here is my meta-list of the Best Athletes of ‘all time’, which means in this case, from the end of the 19th Century to the present. I collected several lists of best athletes overall, regardless of sport, but because I found only a few such lists, I expanded the search to include sport-specific “Best Athletes” lists. I tried to include an equal number of lists per major sport to avoid tipping the balance in favor of some sports and away from others. The results are relatively diverse, with many different sports and countries represented, although the majority of athletes on the list are from the U.S. The results are below. The numbers in bold indicate the number of original “Best Athletes” lists the individual was on. Athletes who are on the same number of lists are listed in order of their dates of birth. I have included photos of most of the athletes (I ran out of steam toward the end, but I may finish eventually.) I have tried to find photos of the athletes engaged in the act of playing their sport, while trying to avoid staged or posed shots. (For more information, see Note on Photos, below.) For a ‘Best Athletes’ list organized by sport, but without photos, go here.
17 “Best Athletes” Lists
Michael Jordan (US, 1963- ) – Basketball, Baseball
Kirthmon Dozier/Associated Press
16 Lists
Babe Didrikson Zaharias (US, 1911-1956) – Golf, Basketball, Baseball, Track & Field, Diving
15
Jim Thorpe (US, 1888-1953) – Football, Baseball, Track & Field
Associated Press, IOC/Getty Images
Babe Ruth (US, 1895-1948) – Baseball
Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images
Jim Brown (US, 1936- ) – Football
Associated Press
Pelé (Edson Arantes do Nascimento) (Brazil, 1940- ) – Soccer
Muhammad Ali (US, 1942- ) – Boxing
Associated Press.
Martina Navratilova (Czechoslovakia, 1956- ) – Tennis
Tony Triolo/Sports Illustrated
Carl Lewis (US, 1961- ) – Track & Field
Wayne Gretzky (Canada, 1961- ) – Ice Hockey
ESPN
14
Wilt Chamberlain (US, 1936-1999) – Basketball
NBA Photos/NBAE/Getty Images
13
Jackie Robinson (US, 1919-1972) – Baseball
Associated Press
Jackie Joyner-Kersee (US, 1962- ) – Track & Field
Getty Images
Tiger Woods (US, 1975- ) – Golf
Getty Images
Roger Federer (Switzerland, 1981- ) – Tennis
AAP/Dave Hunt
12
Jesse Owens (US, 1913-1980) – Track & Field
AP Photo
Jack Nicklaus (US, 1940- ) – Golf
AP Photo
Joe Montana (US, 1956- ) – Football
Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images
Jerry Rice (US, 1962- ) – Football
Getty Images
Bo Jackson (US, 1962- ) – Baseball, Football
Lonnie Major/Getty Images
11
Willie Mays (US, 1931- ) – Baseball
Loomis Dean/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Michael Phelps (US, 1985- ) – Swimming
10
Joe Louis (US, 1914-1981) – Boxing
Costa/News
Ted Williams (US, 1918-2002) – Baseball
AP/Ted Sande
Bill Russell (US, 1934- ) – Basketball
Getty Images
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (US, 1947- ) – Basketball
AP Photo/Reed Saxon
Chris Evert (US, 1954- ) – Tennis
Larry Bird (US, 1956- ) – Basketball
George Long/WireImage
Earvin “Magic” Johnson (US, 1959- ) – Basketball
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
9
Ty Cobb (US, 1886-1961) – Baseball
Sporting News
Lou Gehrig (US, 1903-1941) – Baseball
Charles Conlon/Sporting News
Joe DiMaggio (US, 1914-1999) – Baseball
Reuters
Sugar Ray Robinson (US, 1921-1989) – Boxing
PA Photos /Landov
Billie Jean King (US, 1943- ) – Tennis
AP Photo/Elise Amendola
Bobby Orr (Canada, 1948- ) – Hockey
Montreal Gazette/Montreal Star
Mark Spitz (US, 1950- ) – Swimming
Rich Clarkson/WireImage.com
Walter Payton (US, 1954-1999) – Football
Heinz Kluetmeier/SI
Steffi Graf (Germany, 1969- ) – Tennis
Chris Eason
8
Paavo Nurmi (Finland, 1897-1973) – Track & Field
Gordie Howe (Canada, 1928- ) – Ice Hockey
Denis Brodeur/Getty Images
Hank Aaron (US, 1934- ) – Baseball
AP Photo
Diego Maradona (Argentina, 1960- ) – Soccer
Nadia Comaneci (Romania, 1961- ) – Gymnastics
AP Photo
Michael Johnson (US, 1967- ) – Track & Field
Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters
Lance Armstrong (US, 1971- ) – Cycling
Getty Images
Usain Bolt (Jamaica, 1986- ) – Track & Field
7
Mickey Mantle (US, 1931-1995) – Baseball
Daily News
Sandy Koufax (US, 1935- ) – Baseball
Oscar Robertson (US, 1938- ) – Basketball
AP Photo
Rod Laver (Australia, 1938- ) – Tennis
AP Photo
Lawrence Taylor (US, 1959- ) – Football
Stephen Dunn/Allsport
Deion Sanders (US, 1967- ) – Football, Baseball
Randy Pench, Associated Press
Barry Sanders (US, 1968- ) – Football
AP Photo/Duane Burleson
Pete Sampras (US, 1971- ) – Tennis
Serena Williams (US, 1981- ) – Tennis
celebritynetworth.com
6
Cy Young (US, 1867-1955) – Baseball
Public Domain
Rocky Marciano (US, 1923-1969) – Boxing
Herb Scharfman /UPI
Bruce Lee (US/Hong Kong, 1940-1973) – Martial Arts
From The Big Boss (1971), directed by Wei Lo and Chia-Hsiang Wu
Wilma Rudolph (US, 1940-1994) – Track & Field
Getty Images
Edwin Moses (US, 1955- ) – Track & Field
AP Photo
Cheryl Miller (US, 1964- ) – Basketball
Rick Stewart/Getty Images
Mario Lemieux (Canada, 1965- ) – Ice Hockey
Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images
Annika Sörenstam (Sweden, 1970- ) – Golf
Travis Lindquist/Getty Images
Mia Hamm (US, 1972- ) – Soccer
Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia, 1973- ) – Track & Field
Wikipedia Commons
Ronaldo (Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima) (Brazil, 1976- ) – Soccer
PA
LeBron James (US, 1984- ) – Basketball
USATSI
Rafael Nadal (Spain, 1986- ) – Tennis
ESP
Lionel Messi (Argentina, 1987- ) – Soccer
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
5
Bobby Jones (US, 1902-1971) – Golf
Arnold Palmer (US, 1929- ) – Golf
Walter Iooss, Jr./SI
Johnny Unitas (US, 1933-2002) – Football
http://sports-kings.com
Pete Rose (US, 1941- ) – Baseball
AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy
Dick Butkus (US, 1942- ) – Football
Jean-Claude Killy (France, 1943- ) – Alpine Skiing
Eddy Merckx (Belgium, 1945- ) – Cycling
George Best (Northern Ireland, 1946-2005) – Soccer
Irish Star/Irish Daily Star
Julius Erving (US, 1950- ) – Basketball
Jimmy Connors (US, 1952- ) – Tennis
Björn Borg (Sweden, 1956- ) – Tennis
Walter Iooss, Jr.
Sergey Bubka (USSR/Ukraine, 1963- ) – Track & Field
Bonnie Blair (US, 1964- ) – Speedskating
Tom Lynn /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images
Mike Tyson (US, 1966- ) – Boxing
Michael Schumacher (Germany, 1969- ) – Auto Racing
Zinedine Zidane (France, 1972- ) – Soccer
Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco, 1974- ) – Track & Field
Tom Brady (US, 1977- ) – Football
Ian Thorpe (Australia, 1982- ) – Swimming
Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP
4
Honus Wagner (US, 1874-1955) – Baseball
http://www.thesportsfanjournal.com
Jack Johnson (US, 1878-1946) – Boxing
Walter Johnson (US, 1887-1946) – Baseball
Sports Illustrated
Jack Dempsey (US, 1895-1983) – Boxing
Rogers Horsby (US, 1896-1963) – Baseball
AP Wirephoto
Harold “Red” Grange (US, 1903-1991) – Football
Donald Bradman (Australia, 1908-2001) – Cricket
Ben Hogan (US, 1912-1997) – Golf
AP Photo/stf
Henry Armstrong (US, 1912-1988) – Boxing
Don Hutson (US, 1913-1997) – Football
AP Photo/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Stan Musial (US, 1920-2013) – Baseball
Maurice Richard (Canada, 1921-2000) – Ice Hockey
Althea Gibson (US, 1927-2003) – Tennis, Golf
Keystone
Roger Bannister (UK, 1929- ) – Track & Field
Getty Images
Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico, 1934-1972) – Baseball
Walter Iooss, Jr.
Rafer Johnson (US, 1935- ) – Track & Field
Al Oerter (US, 1936-2007) – Track & Field
Dawn Fraser (Australia, 1937- ) – Swimming
Jerry West (US, 1938- ) – Basketball
George Long/Getty Images
Bobby Hull (Canada, 1939- ) – Ice Hockey
Chicago Tribune
Kathy Whitworth (US, 1939- ) – Golf
Johan Cruyff (Netherlands, 1947- ) – Soccer
Dan Gable (US, 1948- ) – Wrestling
Eric Heiden (US, 1958- ) – Speedskating, Cycling
Steve Redgrave (UK, 1962- ) – Rowing
Cynthia Cooper (US, 1963- ) – Basketball
Bill Baptist/NBAE/Getty Images
Janet Evans (US, 1971- ) – Swimming
Lisa Leslie (US, 1972- ) – Basketball
Paula Radcliffe (UK, 1973- ) – Track & Field
Monica Seles (Yugoslavia/Serbia, 1973- ) – Tennis
Sachin Tendulkar (India, 1973- ) – Cricket
David Beckham (UK, 1975- ) – Soccer
Peyton Manning (US, 1976- ) – Football
Kobe Bryant (US, 1978- ) – Basketball
Venus Williams (US, 1980- ) – Tennis
Ronaldinho (Ronaldo de Assis Moreira) (Brazil, 1980- ) – Soccer
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, 1985- ) – Soccer
3
Satchel Paige (US, 1906-1982) – Baseball
AP Photo/Matty Zimmerman
Josh Gibson (US, 1911-1947) – Baseball
© Bettmann/CORBIS
Sonja Henie (Norway, 1912-1969) – Figure Skating
Fanny Blankers-Koen (The Netherlands, 1918-2004) – Track & Field
Emil Zátopek (Czechoslovakia, 1922-2000) – Track & Field
Getty Images
Bob Mathias (US, 1930-2006) – Track & Field
Willie Shoemaker (US, 1931-2003) – Horse Racing
John Swart/AP Photo
Elgin Baylor (US, 1934- ) – Basketball
Getty Images
Bob Gibson (US, 1935- ) – Baseball
Richard Petty (US, 1937- ) – Auto Racing
Margaret Court (Australia, 1942- ) – Tennis
AFP/Getty Images
Bob Beamon (US, 1946- ) – Track & Field
O.J. Simpson (US, 1947- ) – Football
Peggy Fleming (US, 1948- ) – Figure Skating
Dale Earnhardt, Sr. (US, 1951-2001) – Auto Racing
Donald Miralle /Allsport
John McEnroe (US, 1959- ) – Tennis
Greg Louganis (US, 1960- ) – Diving
John Elway (US, 1960- ) – Football
Dan Marino (US, 1961- ) – Football
Mary T. Meagher (US, 1964- ) – Swimming
Michelle Akers (US, 1966- ) – Soccer
Alexander Karelin (Russia, 1967- ) – Wrestling
© Lars Nyberg
Tony Hawk (US, 1968- ) – Skateboarding
Shane Warne (Australia, 1969- ) – Cricket
Brian Lara (Trinidad & Tobago, 1969- ) – Cricket
Sheryl Swoopes (US, 1971- ) – Basketball
Kelly Slater (US, 1972- ) – Surfing
Bernard Rabejac-Quiksilver
Tegla Laroupe (Kenya, 1973- ) – Track & Field
(c) Agentur Diener/Rudolf Schmied
Alex Rodriguez (US, 1975- ) – Baseball
Manny Pacquiao (The Philippines, 1978- ) – Boxing
2
Bill Tilden (US, 1893-1953) – Tennis
Sammy Baugh (US, 1914-2008) – Football
Don Budge (US, 1915-2000) – Tennis
Eddie Arcaro (US, 1916-1997) – Horse Racing
Otto Graham (US, 1921-2003) – Football
George Blanda (US, 1927-2010) – Football
Maureen Connolly (US, 1934-1969) – Tennis
Larissa Latynina (USSR/Ukraine, 1934- ) – Gymnastics
A.J. Foyt (US, 1935) – Auto Racing
Garfield Sobers (Barbados, 1936- ) – Cricket
Sadaharu Oh (Japan, 1940- ) – Baseball
Gale Sayers (US, 1943- ) – Football
Dave Winfield (US, 1951- ) – Baseball
Viv Richards (Antigua & Barbuda, 1952- ) – Cricket
Grete Waitz (Norway, 1953-2011) – Track & Field
Ann Meyers (US, 1955- ) – Basketball
Ian Botham (UK, 1955- ) – Cricket
Sebastian Coe (UK, 1956- ) – Track & Field
Joan Benoit Samuelson (US, 1957- ) – Track & Field
Mary Decker Slaney (US, 1958- ) – Track & Field
Serge Blanco (Venezuela, 1958- ) – Rugby
Daley Thompson (UK, 1958- ) – Track & Field
Ayrton Senna (Brazil, 1960-1994) – Auto Racing
David Campese (Australia, 1962- ) – Rugby
Tracy Caulkins (US, 1963- ) – Swimming
Teresa Edwards (US, 1964- ) – Basketball
Laird Hamilton (US, 1964- ) – Surfing
Mary Lou Retton (US, 1968- ) – Gymnastics
Emmitt Smith (US, 1969- ) – Football
Lisa Fernandez (US, 1971- ) – Softball
Picabo Street (US, 1971- ) – Alpine Skiing
Manon Rhéaume (Canada, 1972- ) – Ice Hockey
Roman Šebrle (Czech Republic, 1974- ) – Track & Field
Derek Jeter (US, 1974- ) – Baseball
Marion Jones (US, 1975- ) – Track & Field
Anderson Silva (Brazil, 1975- ) – Mixed Martial Arts
Alexei Nemov (Russia, 1976- ) – Gymnastics
Floyd Mayweather Jr. (US, 1977- ) – Boxing
Cael Sanderson (US, 1979- ) – Wrestling
Valentino Rossi (Italy, 1979- ) – Motorcycle Racing
Michael Vick (US, 1980- ) – Football
Shaun White (US, 1986- ) – Snowboarding, Skateboarding
Sidney Crosby (Canada, 1987- ) – Ice Hockey
Maria Sharapova (Russia, 1987- ) – Tennis
Note about the photos: I think we all agree that lists are more interesting when they include some visuals. To that end, I have tried to obtain public domain photos for the athletes, but because I think action shots say ‘athlete’ much more than posed publicity head shots, many of the photos I have found are copyrighted. I have included the source and photographer’s name, if available, for each copyrighted photo. I believe that my use of these photographs is permissible under the doctrine of fair use and for educational purposes, so I have not undertaking the time-consuming process of asking for permissions from each copyright owner. Furthermore, my use of these photos is strictly non-commercial. If you own the copyright to one or more of the photos and have any concerns about their use on this site, please contact me directly by leaving a comment. If you believe I need permission to use the photo, I hereby request permission.
Lance Armstrong ? Where is Marit Bjørgen and Bjørn Dæhlie cross-country skiers from Norway?
Mr. Engan:
Thank you so much for your feedback. I agree that it seems a little odd that, given his doping scandal, Lance Armstrong would be on so many lists of best athletes, but it is true. As you know, these are not my personal opinions – I just collected “best athletes” lists from the Internet and combined them into this meta-list. Maybe as more “best athletes” lists are made in the future, Lance Armstrong will not be listed as much. As for the Norwegian cross-country skiers you mentioned, I had a rule that an athlete had to be on at least two “best athletes” lists to make it onto my meta-list. These two athletes were not on at least two lists that I found. You must excuse my English-language bias – I can only collect “best of” lists that are in English to create my meta-lists. It may be that lists of athletes that are in European languages might contain the names of these two athletes, but they were not found on the English-language lists of “best athletes” that I found.