1. Michael Jordan
   Michael Phelps
2. Bo Jackson
   Deion Sanders

Basketball great, Michael Jordan, may have retired as a professional player in 2003, but he is still very much a part of the game as the owner of the Charlotte Hornets. Jordan has twice been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

1. Steffi Graf
   Lindsey Vonn
2. Maria Sharapova
   Usain Bolt

Maria Sharapova is a Russian professional tennis player. She achieved her first Wimbledon title at just 17 years old when she defeated the reigning champion, Serena Williams. By age 18 she held the Women’s Tennis Association’s #1 ranking.

1. Sugar Ray Leonard
   Aaron Rodgers
2. Pete Sampras
   Joe Montana

Aaron Rodgers plays in the National Football League (NFL) as a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. He is one of the few quarterbacks with a passer rating of at least 110 in multiple seasons.

1. Muhammad Ali
   Jerry Rice
2. Roger Federer
   Cristiano Ronaldo

Legendary professional boxer, Muhammad Ali, was given the name Cassius Clay at birth. Although “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” is perhaps his most famous quote, he once also noted “It’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as I am.”

1. Magic Johnson
   Rafael Nadal
2. Wilt Chamberlain
   Paula Radcliffe

While growing up, Rafael Nadal played both tennis and football. He decided to focus on tennis and has gone on to become known as the greatest clay-court player in the game’s history.

1. Hank Aaron
   Wayne Gretzky
2. Shaquille O'Neal
   Michael Johnson

Canadian Wayne Gretzky is widely regarded as professional hockey’s greatest player. After retiring from the game, he went on to work with the Canadian Olympic hockey team. They took home the gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City – their first in 50 years.

1. Joe DiMaggio
   Alexander Karelin
2. Jackie Robinson
   Julius "Dr. J" Erving

Jack Roosevelt Robinson was a professional baseball player and the first African-American of the 20th Century to play in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is quoted as having said “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”

1. Nadia Comaneci
   Muhammad Ali
2. Bill Russell
   Michael Phelps

Nicknamed “the Flying Fish," competitive swimmer Michael Phelps retired from the sport after the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He has amassed an astounding total of 23 gold, three silver and two bronze medals at the Olympics.

1. Tiger Woods
   Jim Thorpe
2. Michael Jordan
   Wayne Gretzky

Jim Thorpe was not only a baseball player but also the first Native American to earn an Olympic gold medal for his home country when he won the pentathlon and decathlon events at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm. Although he was stripped of his medals for violating the amateur eligibility rules, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) restored his them in 1983.

1. Serena Williams
   Jerry Rice
2. Lou Gehrig
   Pele

Lou Gehrig’s prowess in baseball earned him the nickname "The Iron Horse." Later in his career, he suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) which became known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease" after his death.

1. Usain Bolt
   Bo Jackson
2. John McEnroe
   Babe Ruth

George Herman "Babe" Ruth is a baseball icon having set many records during his career as both a pitcher and slugging outfielder. He earned the distinction of being among the first five inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Babe Ruth’s record of 714 home runs stood until 1974 when Hank Aaron surpassed it.

1. Lindsey Vonn
   Jesse Owens
2. Roger Federer
   Deion Sanders

Lindsey Vonn is an American alpine ski racer. She has won four gold medals at the World Cup championships. Vonn is the very first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the downhill event – a feat she accomplished at the 2010 games in Vancouver.

1. Rafael Nadal
   Aaron Rodgers
2. Tom Brady
   Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson is often called one of track and field’s greatest sprinters. He is a four-time Olympic gold medalist with the distinction of being the first and only male, so far, to win both the 200m and 400m races at the same Olympics (Atlanta, 1996).

1. Wilt Chamberlain
   Julius "Dr. J" Erving
2. Mike Tyson
   Carl Lewis

When Julius "Dr. J" Erving retired from playing professional basketball he had already played in over 800 games, averaging 22 points per game. Among his many awards are four for being Most Valuable Player.

1. Joe Montana
   Jim Thorpe
2. Bill Russell
   LeBron James

William Russell is a retired professional basketball player who helped his team, the Boston Celtics, to 11 NBA championships in his 13-year career. Russell was voted NBA Most Valuable Player five times and was ranked All-Star 12 times.

1. Tiger Woods
   Shaquille O'Neal
2. Sugar Ray Leonard
   Paolo Maldini

Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is a professional golfer and entrepreneur. To date, he has amassed 79 PGA Tour wins (the second-highest for any player) with a total of 186 top-10 finishes.

1. Alex Rodriguez
   Hank Aaron
2. Paolo Maldini
   Pele

Pele, whose birthname is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is a retired Brazilian professional football (soccer) player. He is generally regarded as the greatest player ever in the sport and was a part of 3three Brazilian teams to win the FIFA World Cup (1958, 1962 and 1970).

1. Mike Tyson
   Alexander Karelin
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
   Cristiano Ronaldo

Michael “Iron Mike” Tyson currently holds the record for being the youngest heavyweight boxing champion in the world. He accomplished this in 1986 when he was just 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old. Iron Mike was the first boxer (and only heavyweight) to unify the WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles.

1. Steffi Graf
   Jackie Robinson
2. Lance Armstrong
   Tom Brady

American football quarterback Tom Brady plays for the New England Patriots in the National Football League (NFL). Currently, Brady is one of only two players to have earned five Super Bowls wins. He has been voted Super Bowl MVP four times.

1. Muhammad Ali
   Roger Federer
2. Joe Montana
   Julius "Dr. J" Erving

Joseph Montana is a former American football quarterback. He earned the nicknames "Joe Cool" and "The Comeback Kid" during his 16-season National Football League (NFL) career. Montana led the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowl wins.

1. Joe DiMaggio
   Rocky Marciano
2. Bo Jackson
   Aaron Rodgers

Joseph “Joe” DiMaggio was a Major League Baseball player with the New York Yankees. He earned the nicknames "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper" and has a record 56-game hitting streak. DiMaggio played on nine World Series-winning teams, was voted MVP three times and named an All-Star in each of the 13 seasons in which he played.

1. Tom Brady
   Mike Tyson
2. Magic Johnson
   Alex Rodriguez

Alexander "A-Rod" Rodriguez is a Dominican-American former professional baseball player. During his 22-season career in Major League Baseball (MLB), A-Rod played for the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and New York Yankees. He has been called one of baseball’s greatest players ever.

1. John McEnroe
   LeBron James
2. Jim Brown
   Serena Williams

LeBron James is a professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). So far, he has won three NBA championships (two of them with the Miami Heat) and has been voted MVP four times. James was the 2004 NBA Rookie of the Year and has two Olympic gold medals to his credit – Beijing, 2008 and London, 2012.

1. Nadia Comaneci
   Maria Sharapova
2. Paula Radcliffe
   Lindsey Vonn

In the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci became the first person to score a perfect 10 in an Olympic gymnastics event. She was just 14 years old at the time. The scoreboard showed her score as 1.00 since they were not yet designed to accommodate a score of 10.00.

1. Michael Jordan
   Bill Russell
2. Jim Thorpe
   Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille O'Neal is a retired basketball player who had a 19-year career in the NBA where he played for six teams. He is just over 7 feet tall and is noted for being one of the heaviest players in the NBA. O’Neal, who is also a sports analyst, is often referred to by his nickname, “Shaq."

1. Usain Bolt
   Wayne Gretzky
2. Michael Johnson
   Hank Aaron

As currently the fastest man in the world, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt holds world records in the 100m, 200m, and 4 × 100m relays. He won gold in all three events at the Olympic Games in 2008 (Beijing), 2012 (London) and 2016 (Rio de Janeiro). He is generally regarded as the greatest sprinter who ever lived.

1. Magic Johnson
   Deion Sanders
2. Rafael Nadal
   Tiger Woods

Earvin "Magic" Johnson is often called one of basketball’s best players. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers over a 12-year period but abruptly retired form the game when he contracted the HIV virus. Magic Johnson would return to the game twice, however, before retiring for the last time in 1996.

1. Lou Gerigh
   Cristiano Ronaldo
2. Sugar Ray Leonard
   Carl Lewis

Portuguese professional footballer Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro plays for both the Spanish club Real Madrid and the Portuguese national football team. He has scored over 600 senior career goals for his club and country. Ronaldo holds the distinction of being the first player in history to win four European Golden Shoes.

1. Wilt Chamberlain
   Jackie Robinson
2. Paolo Maldini
   Lionel Messi

Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine professional footballer. Messi, who plays for Spanish club FC Barcelona and Argentina's national football team, is the only player, thus far, to win five FIFA Ballon d'Or. He has tied with Cristiano Ronaldo for a record four European Golden Shoes.

1. Serena Williams
   Pete Sampras
2. Michael Phelps
   Steffi Graf

Professional tennis player Serena Williams was ranked #1 in the world by The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for the first time in 2002. So far, she has held that title eight times. Among her many accomplishments are 23 Grand Slam singles titles and four Olympic gold medals.

1. Jack Nicklaus
   Jim Brown
2. Babe Ruth
   Joe Montana

James “Jim” Brown is a former professional American football player and actor. He was a Cleveland Browns fullback in the National Football League (NFL) and is often called one of the greatest players in the game’s history. He was inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

1. Roger Federer
   Jesse Owens
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
   LeBron James

Swiss professional tennis player Roger Federer began his professional career in 1998. He has consistently ranked among the top-10 male players in the game. So far, Federer has amassed 18 Grand Slam singles titles – a current record.

1. Muhammad Ali
   Joe DiMaggio
2. Bo Jackson
   Tom Brady

Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson is a multitalented athlete, having excelled in baseball, American football, and track. He has the distinction of being one of a handful of athletes who have been named an All-Star in two major sports. To date, Jackson is the only athlete to have done so in both baseball and American football.

1. LeBron James
   Alex Rodriguez
2. Lou Gerihg
   Rocky Marciano

Rocco Marchegiano is Rocky Marciano's birth name. He is a renowned American professional boxer. He was undefeated throughout his career and was the world heavyweight champion from 1952 to 1956, having successfully defended his title six times.

1. Pete Sampras
   Alexander Karelin
2. Mike Tyson
   Jim Thorpe

Petros "Pete" Sampras is often lauded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. He became a professional player at age 16. Sampras has been Wimbledon champion seven times and won the U.S. Open five times.

1. Serena Williams
   Pele
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
   Jesse Owens

Track and field athlete James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens won gold medals in the 100m, 200m, long jump, and 4 x 100m relay at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. His world record in the long jump stood for 25 years.

1. Jerry Rice
   Wayne Gretzky
2. Tiger Woods
   Lance Armstrong

Jerry Lee Rice is a former American football player and is considered by many to be the best wide receiver to ever play the game. He won three Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers and set a total of 38 records during his 20-year NFL career. Rice has been a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee since 2010.

1. Bill Russell
   Steffi Graf
2. Aaron Rodgers
   Alex Rodriguez

Stefanie "Steffi" Graf is a German former professional tennis player. She was ranked the WTA #1 female player for an incredible 377 weeks. Graf is the only player, to date, to achieve a "Golden Slam" – champion in all four major competitions and winning an Olympic gold medal in one calendar year.

1. Shaquille O'Neal
   Julius "Dr. J" Erving
2. Wilt Chamberlain
   Rafael Nadal

NBA basketball player Wilt Chamberlain has several records to his credit, including being the first player to score over 30,000 cumulative career points. He is also the only player, to date, to score 100 points in one game. Chamberlain became a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee in 1978.

1. Jackie Robinson
   John McEnroe
2. Lou Gerigh
   Magic Johnson

John McEnroe is a former tennis champion and one of the game’s all-time leading title holders. In 1999, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. McEnroe is also famous for his many temperamental outbursts during his matches.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo
   Rocky Marciano
2. Lindsey Vonn
   Sugar Ray Leonard

Former professional welterweight boxer "Sugar" Ray Leonard won an Olympic gold medal in boxing at the 1976 Montreal games. He earned the World Boxing Council's middleweight title in 1987 by defeating "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler in what has been called one of professional boxing’s greatest matches.

1. Jack Nicklaus
   Babe Ruth
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
   Pete Sampras

Retired professional basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for 20 seasons and won six NBA titles, five which were with the Los Angeles Lakers. Abdul-Jabbar was named the 1970 NBA Rookie of the Year and is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history.

1. Jim Brown
   Deion Sanders
2. Nadia Comaneci
   Michael Johnson

Former American football and baseball player Deion Sanders was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011. He is the only person who has played in both the World Series and a Super Bowl. Sanders is also the only athlete, to date, to get a touchdown and hit a home run in the same seven-day period.

1. Michael Jordan
   Maria Sharapova
2. Alexander Karelin
   Usain Bolt

Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Karelin is a retired wrestler who is considered the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of all time. He has competed for the Soviet Union, Russia and the Russian Federation. His other nicknames include "Russian Bear," "Russian King Kong," and "The Experiment."

1. Jack Nicklaus
   Jesse Owens
2. Paula Radcliffe
   Joe DiMaggio

American golfer Jack Nicklaus has won six Masters Tournaments out of a total of 18 career major championships – both of these are professional records. Nicknamed "The Golden Bear," his 18 championship wins include six Masters Tournaments, five PGA Championships, four U.S. Open titles and three British Opens.

1. Lance Armstrong
   Lionel Messi
2. Pele
   Jerry Rice

Lance Armstrong is both a cancer survivor and a former professional cyclist. Armstrong held the distinction of having won seven Tour de France titles, but was later stripped of his medals due to evidence of his using performance-enhancing drugs.

1. Carl Lewis
   Lionel Messi
2. Jim Brown
   Jack Nicklaus

Frederick Carlton "Carl" Lewis won numerous medals in track and field at the international level. Among these are nine Olympic gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m and long jump. Lewis holds the distinction of having won his four long jump gold medals in successive Olympic games.

1. Maria Sharapova
   Paolo Maldini
2. Rocky Marciano
   Michael Phelps

Paolo Maldini is a former Italian professional footballer (soccer player). He has had an extremely successful career both with his club, A.C. Milan, and as part of the Italian national team. After retiring, Maldini has gone on to become a professional tennis player.

1. Lance Armstrong
   Nadia Comaneci
2. John McEnroe
   Paula Radcliffe

English long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe has won the London Marathon three times (2002, 2003 and 2005). She also won the New York Marathon in 2004, 2007 and 2008. Radcliff retired from competitive running in 2015 but has held the women's marathon world record for 15 years (2002 – present).