Top 10 Athletes of Our Lifetime

Throughout our lives, we have been able to witness some of the greatest athletes and sports moments of all time. From Lebron James to Serena Williams and the Kick Six to Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, there have been players and moments that will never be forgotten. These 10 athletes are some of the most memorable ones since 2000:

Lebron James

Arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, Lebron had to be on this list. A 4x NBA Champion, 4x NBA Finals MVP, 4x MVP, 16x All-Star, 13x All NBA First Team, 5x All-Defensive First Team, 2x Gold Medalist, his list is never-ending. Lebron has been at the top of the league since he was drafted in 2003, starting his 17th year; he’s never missed a beat, seemingly getting better each year even at age 36. As one of the most dominant and decorated athletes ever, Lebron starts off this top 10.

Tom Brady

Tom Brady is the greatest football player of all time. The length of his dominance is unmatched by any athlete in any other sport. From 2002 to 2020 Brady has been in the conversation to win MVP or to win a Super Bowl. Belichick and Brady are one of the best coach, player duos of all time. A 6x Super Bowl Winner, 4x Super Bowl MVP, 3x MVP, holds multiple QB records, Brady has stood the test of time, not letting age set him back at all. 

Serena Williams

Serena Williams dominated the 2000s and 2010s, proving herself to be the greatest woman athlete of that time. She has the most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era at 23, second-most doubles titles at 14, and 3 gold medals. Williams has shown to people all around the world the dominance she has and the dominance that women can have in sports.

Michael Phelps

As the most decorated Olympian of all time, Phelps has cemented himself as a top athlete. He has won 28 medals, with 23 golds and 13 individual golds. He is the oldest gold medal winner in swimming at 28, and started his Olympics at age 15! He has set 39 world records and currently holds 4. His Olympic dominance is incredible and unlike no other.

Usain Bolt

Usain Bolt is the fastest man ever. His 9.58s 100m record still stands today. Bolt has 8 gold medals and won gold in three straight Olympics for the 100m and 200m. He has 11 golds at the world championships and won every year from 2009 to 2015 except for a false start in 2011. Bolt made track exciting for people to watch not just in Jamaica, but around the world and it became not if he would win, but how much would he win by.

Lionel Messi

Messi’s brilliance on the soccer pitch this century has put him in the conversation of being the greatest soccer player ever. He won the 2019 FIFA Men’s Player, a 6x Ballon D’or winner, 3x UEFA Best European Player, a 4x Champions League winner, and countless other feats. He is 6th in all-time goals scored and first for goals scored on the same club. Messi has dominated soccer this century and is not stopping soon.

Kobe Bryant

With the incredibly saddening passing of Kobe Bryant, his impact will never be forgotten. While his feats were amazing on the court, he did much off of it too. His 5x Finals wins, 2x Finals MVP, 1x MVP, a top 5 scorer of all time, and much more were not all he did. His mamba mentality that inspired many kids and even past and current players is something that will have an everlasting impact on the game of basketball. The Black Mamba was one of the biggest stars of this century, but he was much more than that. RIP Kobe Bryant.

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods simply made golf fun. His reign might’ve been more 90s to 2000s, but it was so incredible that it deserves a spot on this list. He has 5 Masters wins, 4 PGA Championships, 3 US Open Championships, and 3 British Open Championships. He has 82 all-time wins and a crazy win percentage of 33%. Tiger is also the only player to have won all 4 major tournaments in a row from 2000-2001. Tiger’s dominance of golf is so unbelievable that it’s hard to understand how good he was in his prime. 

Simone Biles

Biles was outstanding at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. She was the most decorated female there, winning 5 medals: 4 gold and 1 bronze. At 22, she already had the most World Gymnastic Championship gold medals at 10. She has 15 World Championships total among all events. She is the most decorated gymnast ever and is the greatest too.

Roger Federer

Federer’s list of accomplishments is unmatched by many. His 20 Grand Slam titles is tied for first all-time, his 10 consecutive and 8 consecutive Grand Slam appearances are the longest streaks as well as his 31 all-time appearances. Federer is 1 of 8 men to have won a career Grand Slam and has won the most Wimbledons of all time at 8. He holds countless other records in tennis history that will be held for a very long time.

Honorable Mentions: Mike Trout, Cristiano Ronaldo, Aaron Rodgers, Sidney Crosby, Floyd Mayweather

Our lifetime has given us some of the greatest athletes ever and some of the most exciting to watch. It will be even more exciting to watch what new ones come along and to see the old ones continue their greatness.