Sports’ greatest living athletes include the Great One and the GOAT
Upon Willie Mays’ death last month at age 93, spontaneous eulogies surfaced from all over the baseball landscape, all with a common refrain.
Prior to his passing, Mays was the world’s best living ballplayer.
His resume (660 home runs, 3,293 hits, 24 all-star nods, 12 Gold Gloves) is nearly impossible to debate. As veteran ESPN baseball scribe Tim Kurkjian noted, Mays possessed “the greatest combination of power, speed and defense in the history of baseball.” He was the true natural, equipped with a staggering baseball IQ and unbridled zeal for the game.
Now, his death – along with the recent departures of basketball icons Jerry West and Bill Walton – opens the door to a far more contentious debate: Who replaces Mays as the greatest living baseball player? For that matter, who are the best living athletes in other sports?
It’s a tricky discussion, not steeped in mere stats. As Tampa Bay Times columnist John Romano noted, clutch performance comes into play, as does star power. Which athletes were worth the price of admission alone? Who was most respected – or feared – in their respective sports?
All those factors warrant consideration.
As we mourn the loss of these legends, let’s deliberate this topic – in a civil manner, for the sake of Walton, West and the “Say Hey Kid.” Here are our picks for the best living athlete in each of 11 sports, with some other candidates tossed in.
Baseball
Barry Bonds
Other contenders: Johnny Bench, Roger Clemens, Ken Griffey Jr., Rickey Henderson, Derek Jeter, Sandy Koufax, Greg Maddux, Cal Ripken Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Pete Rose, Nolan Ryan, Carl Yastrzemski
Pardon us while we duck, ‘cause we know the vitriol will fly from all directions over this choice. Here’s our stance: Disparage Bonds all you wish for his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs and insufferable persona, but substances don’t enhance hand-eye coordination or defense. Even the thinner, younger version of Bonds posted Hall of Fame credentials (he was National League MVP in 1990, 1992 and 1993), and his career WAR (162.8) is the fourth-highest ever, even higher than Mays’ (156.2). We’ll let posterity debate the validity of his 762 career home runs, but steroids can’t account for the eight Gold Glove Awards or big league-record 2,558 walks.
Men’s basketball
Michael Jordan
Other contenders: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Bob Pettit, Oscar Robertson
Anyone who watched even a few episodes of the ESPN documentary “The Last Dance” likely came away convinced that Jordan was not only one of the greatest players who ever lived, but its greatest competitor. No one could take a benign comment or perceived slight and transform it into motivational fuel like Jordan. A six-time world champion and five-time MVP, he may go down as his sport’s most complete and entertaining player, a gravity-defier who single-handedly filled arenas. In addition to his 32,292 career regular-season points (still fifth all-time), Jordan made the NBA All-Defensive first team nine times.
Women’s basketball
Diana Taurasi
Other contenders: Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings, Cynthia Cooper, Brittney Griner, Lisa Leslie, Cheryl Miller, Breanna Stewart, Sheryl Swoopes
In observance of the WNBA’s 25th anniversary in 2021, an ESPN panel voted Taurasi the greatest player in league history. Toss in her amateur resume (five Olympic gold medals, two NCAA titles at Connecticut, two Naismith College Player of the Year awards), and this ageless wonder – still playing at 42 – gets our nod to lead this list. Taurasi and Sue Bird are the only two Olympic basketball players of any gender to win five gold medals. Taurasi will seek a sixth in Paris later this summer.
Men’s golf
Jack Nicklaus
Other contenders: Gary Player, Tiger Woods
The easiest choice on this list. Woods’ recent physical struggles, and his self-infliction prior to that, keep the Golden Bear’s record of 18 major championships secure. Nearly as astounding are Nicklaus’ 18 runner-up finishes in majors. His victory in the 1986 Masters at age 46 remains arguably the most improbable – and inspiring – triumph in golf history.
Women’s golf
Annika Sorenstam
Other contenders: Laura Davies, Juli Inkster, Inbee Park, Patty Sheehan, Karrie Webb
Upon retiring from competitive golf at a relatively young age (38), Sorenstam had built the greatest resume in women’s golf history. Her 96 international pro tournament wins (including 10 majors) are the most ever, and she achieved a career Grand Slam by winning each of the then-four majors at least once. She was the all-time leading points earner in the Solheim Cup (the Ryder Cup of women’s golf) upon her retirement and joined Mickey Wright as the only players to win 11 LPGA events in one season.
Football
Tom Brady
Other contenders: Ronnie Lott, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Lawrence Taylor
Tough to argue with seven Super Bowl rings. Driven by a perpetual chip on his shoulder pads, Brady siphoned every molecule of skill from his lanky frame to become the NFL’s greatest winner and one of its most efficient snipers. His records are too numerous to list, but we love his 13,400 career playoff passing yards, which is more than the combined total of John Elway, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly (13,337).
Hockey
Wayne Gretzky
Other contenders: Sidney Crosby, Phil Esposito, Mario Lemieux, Bobby Orr, Alexander Ovechkin
A quarter-century after his retirement, the “Great One” remains the NHL’s all-time leader in regular-season goals (894), regular-season assists (1,963), playoff goals (122) and playoff assists (260). He has more career assists than any other player has points. He remains the only player to eclipse 200 points in a regular season, and he has done it four times. And oh, by the way, he won four Stanley Cups in Edmonton. Need us to go on?
Men’s soccer
Lionel Messi
Other contenders: Kylian Mbappe, Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo
With Pele’s passing last year, Messi assumes the greatest-living-player distinction, sealed by his two-goal performance for Argentina in a triumphant 2022 World Cup final. He may also lead his country to back-to-back Copa America titles if he’s victorious in Sunday’s final against Colombia. He has been named the world’s best player by FIFA a record eight times, remains the all-time leading goal-scorer for legendary club Barcelona FC and has tallied the most international goals (108) of any South American male.
Women’s soccer
Marta
Other contenders: Michelle Akers, Mia Hamm, Birgit Prinz, Homare Sawa, Abby Wambach
Currently an Orlando Pride forward, Marta Vieira da Silva (known around the globe only as Marta) holds the World Cup record (men’s and women’s) with 17 goals and became the first soccer player of any gender to score in five different World Cups. She has been named FIFA World Player of the Year six times, with the most recent honor coming in 2018, when she was 32.
Men’s tennis
Novak Djokovic
Other contenders: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal
With deference to Rod Laver and Pete Sampras, this is really a three-man race. Djokovic, Federer and Nadal all won at least 20 Grand Slam singles titles, but Djokovic owns the most (24) and has made the most major finals appearances (36). He’s also the only one of the three to win each Grand Slam event at least three times and remains the only man in history to be reigning champ of all four of those majors at once. Bottom line, no one has excelled on all surfaces quite like Djokovic.
Women’s tennis
Serena Williams
Other contenders: Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Venus Williams
As a conqueror of barriers (see 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” showdown), King may be her sport’s most important figure, and Court – who shined in the 1960s and ‘70s – owns the most Grand Slam titles with 64 (when counting doubles and mixed doubles). But we still defer to Williams, whose 23 Grand Slam singles titles are most of the Open Era (1968-present, when Grand Slams let pros compete against the amateurs). Williams also remains the only player to win a Career Golden Slam (all four majors and an Olympic gold medal). Moreover, she and sister Venus were unbeaten in 14 major doubles finals.