Throughout the history of sports, a few athletes have stood above the rest in male athletics. Some sports have a player/competitor whose legacy was so far superior to their peers and whose skillset was so advanced in comparison to their competition that they will be remembered forever, perhaps even as the GOAT (greatest of all time) of their respective sport.
Die-hard sports fans, casual viewers, and people who don't care about sports at all know about these elite athletes who transcended sports themselves to become global megastars. You can never give too much praise to these high-quality sports figures, so we wanted to look back and rank the 25 greatest athletes in all of sports history.
This list isn't about how athletic someone was. In that case, an athletic specimen without great accolades or a multi-sport athlete like Bo Jackson would be on the list. Instead, we sought out to discover which athletes dominated their sport the most in comparison to the athletes that they were competing against. For example, Tom Brady ranks high on this list. While he wasn't the fastest or strongest athletically, he still dominated in the NFL and established himself as the greatest player in the history of his sport.
1. Michael Jordan (Basketball)
Michael Jordan was so dominant as a basketball player that he transcended sports and became a global superstar as popular as the most important figures in the world. The Jordan shoe brand is one of the most important/massive businesses in the world, and it is all because of the GOAT. It all started with hoops, though.
In the NBA, His Airness led the Chicago Bulls to becoming the greatest dynasty in league history. He went back-to-back-to-back two times, as no one could slow him down due to his unmatched athleticism and skill. Jordan has a case as both the best offensive player and the best defensive player in NBA history. He was the league's scoring champion 10 times, but he also amazingly set a record for First Team All-Defensive nods with nine.
Jordan's impact on the world went beyond basketball. He changed the culture more than any athlete before him and most likely any one after. When it strictly came to dominating his peers in a particular sport, though, no one did it better than Mike.
2. Wayne Gretzky (Hockey)
If you took all 894 of Wayne Gretzky's career goals away, his 1,963 career assists would still be enough for him to remain the all-time points leader. That stat should tell you everything you need to know about how dominant The Great One was in comparison to his peers.
Nearly every record in the book in the NHL belongs to Gretzky, In fact, No. 99 holds or shares 57 different NHL records. He was fast on the ice and precise with his shots and passes. It led to four Stanley Cup Final victories and a legitimate claim as the greatest male athlete ever.
3. Tom Brady (Football)
Championships aren't easy to come by in any sport, but especially in the NFL. That is, unless you are Tom Brady. The longtime New England Patriots quarterback led arguably the greatest dynasty in sports since John Wooden's UCLA Bruins teams of the '60s-'70s. Brady won six Super Bowls with New England.
The quarterback even went on to win a seventh Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers later in his career, proving he wasn't just the product of a great system. Brady could throw the ball all over the field with incredible accuracy, and his football intelligence always meant he was a step ahead of his defenders.
The best NFL player ever finished his career with 15 Pro Bowls, three MVPs, five seasons leading the league in passing touchdowns, and another four seasons leading the league in passing yards.
4. Michael Phelps (Swimming)
The most decorated Olympian of all time is Michael Phelps, an American swimmer. Phelps swam his way to 28 total medals, 23 of which were gold. Both of those numbers stand alone as Olympic records, as do the eight gold medals he won in the 2008 Olympics. That performance in Beijing was arguably the greatest individual display in a sporting event ever.
5. Tiger Woods (Golf)
Tiger Woods' fall from grace over the last decade-plus has been tragic, but his run from 1999-2009 was arguably the greatest in the history of sports. During that span, Woods was the Player of the Year nine times and won 5.8 times per season. He won 13 of 35 majors during that span. His 82 PGA wins are the most of all time.
6. Pele (Soccer)
Soccer is the biggest sport in the world, and no one has been bigger in the sport than Pele. The Brazilian was voted the Athlete of the 20th century by the International Olympic Committee. Pele's 1,279 career goals are considered the most in soccer history. Pele's foot skills were not only ahead of their time, but they have stood the test of time. He was able to dribble through and around defenders before sending shots on goal and into the back of the net.
7. Muhammad Ali (Boxing)
Muhammad Ali will be remembered forever because he used his platform to be an activist long before it was normal for players to do that. He will also always be remembered for his skills in the ring, though. Ali, who won 56 of his 61 boxing matches, is the best boxer of all time.
Ali famously said, “Float like a butterfly sting like a bee,” and there is no better quote to describe his fighting style. Fighting at the heavyweight division, Ali fought with incredible speed. His body movement was so quick that most fighters couldn't touch him. He also had the knockout power to go on the offensive, though, as highlighted by his 36 knockout victories.
8. Jerry Rice (Football)
Jerry Rice is the first player to appear on this list who isn't the consensus GOAT of his sport. Even so, a big reason for Rice ranking lower than Tom Brady is because Brady's position (quarterback) is considered the most important position in football.
The fact that Rice ranks among the best male athletes ever despite playing the receiver position should go to show you how impressive he was. The 49ers star led the NFL in receiving touchdowns and receiving yards six times each en route to going to 13 Pro Bowls. Rice wasn't the fastest pass catcher ever, nor was he the strongest. He had sure hands and incredible route running, though, and that led to him thriving for a long time, even with different quarterbacks throwing him the football.
9. LeBron James (Basketball)
While we think Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever, there are those out there who have LeBron James higher on their all-time list. Jordan vs. LeBron debates have become commonplace in sports dialogue, but that is not the point of this article. Instead, we wanted to highlight why King James is one of the best male athletes in the history of sports.
James' durability and longevity are among the best we've seen in any sport ever. The Chosen One came into the NBA out of high school in 2003 as the biggest prospect in sports history. Now, he is still hanging around as one of the best basketball players in the world, despite being months away from reaching his 40th birthday.
James' sustained dominance in the NBA has allowed him to become the all-time scoring leader. He is the only player with over 40,000 points, and his points total is only growing. James even has 20 All-Star appearances and 10 NBA Finals appearances to his name. Everyone else above James on this list, except for Tiger Woods, is retired. James is still going strong, and he is currently trying to add to his resume at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
10. Usain Bolt (Track & Field)
Usain Bolt is the fastest man to walk (run) the Earth. The Jamaican holds the world record in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4 x 400 meter relay. In 21 Olympic or World Championship races from 2008-2016, Bolt took first 19 times. The only times he wasn't the first place finisher occurred because of a false start and a teammate's failed drug test. Bolt's long strides and signature celebration made him one of the most memorable athletes in the history of the Olympic Games.
11. Barry Bonds (Baseball)
Barry Bonds was the hardest player to rank on this list because PED usage clouds his legacy. Bonds' use of banned substances is well documented, and his cheating of the game of baseball is what holds him out of the top 10 best male athletes ever.
Even so, Bonds deserves recognition because he would be the undisputed MLB GOAT if it wasn't for steroids. Bonds amazingly won seven NL MVPs, and his 762 career home runs and 73 single season longs balls are both records. Teams would often rather walk Bonds and give him a free pass than give him the chance to knock one out of the park.
Unfortunately, you can't have a conversation about Bonds without bringing up that he did cheat, and most of his very best seasons came when he was using steroids. Even so, he had a Hall of Fame career well before he started using PEDs, and there is no denying that Bonds' numbers are jaw-dropping.
12. Jon Jones (MMA)
Like Bonds, Jon Jones has some drug testing-related issues that will forever hold him back in the eyes of many fans, but also, like Bonds, no one came close to being as dominant as him in his respective sport. Jones is the greatest MMA fighter ever, and he has been unstoppable in the UFC for a very long time.
Jones became the youngest UFC champion ever when he won the Light Heavyweight Championship at the age of 23 in 2011. He has done nothing but fight in title bouts ever since. While there have been controversies along the way, Jones' elite grappling, wrestling, and striking have allowed him to rack up a record 15 title wins.
13. Roger Federer (Tennis)
Roger Federer spent 310 weeks as the number one singles tennis player in the world, 237 of which were consecutive. Federer has won 103 singles titles on the ATP tour, and he has 20 major titles to his name. Federer is even the King of tennis' biggest event, as he has won Wimbledon eight times. The tennis star spent nearly two decades at or near the top of his sport.
14. Babe Ruth (Baseball)
In many ways, Babe Ruth is the first superstar in sports in American history. His resume stands the test of time, though. The seven-time champion led the AL in home runs 12 times. The Sultan of Swat helped take baseball to the next level and set a precedent for the New York Yankees being MLB's most prestigious team for the century that would succeed his career.
15. Lionel Messi (Soccer)
We give Lionel Messi a slight edge over his longtime rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, on this list of greatest male athletes of all time. Messi scores goals more frequently (105 minutes per goal), he has more assists (374), and he has more Ballon d'Or trophies (eight). Messi and Ronaldo have both had tons of success, but it is nearly impossible to mention one without talking about the other. They are neck and neck when it comes to career statistics and accolades.
16. Cristiano Ronaldo (Soccer)
As mentioned above, the Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo debate is one of the most talked about sports debates in the world, and it is certainly close. In this exercise, we gave the nod to Messi, but just barely. Ronaldo certainly has a case as the greatest soccer player ever, and he still lands within the top 20 for greatest male athletes ever.
17. Floyd Mayweather (Boxing)
Floyd Mayweather has a legitimate case as the best boxer ever, even over Ali. Still, landing in the top 20 of the best male athletes ever is pretty impressive for the man nicknamed “Money.” Mayweather amassed an incredibly impressive 50-0 record during his time in the ring. Mayweather's patented Philly Shell defense led to the best defensive instincts we've ever seen in boxing, and Money always knew when and how to capitalize with counterstrikes. Ali's superior offense is the thing that keeps him above Mayweather on this list despite Mayweather's perfect record.
18. Jimmie Johnson (NASCAR)
Jimmie Johnson became the first rookie NASCAR racer to ever lead the point standings during his rookie season, and he hasn't slowed down since. Johnson has seven Cup Series Championships, and he is still going strong in 2024, too.
19. Sachin Tendulkar (Cricket)
Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest cricket player ever. While not super popular in the United States, cricket is more popular than every other sport in the world besides soccer. Tendulkar was an incredible batsman who found success in cricket for a very long time.
20. Jesse Owens (Track & Field)
Jesse Owens was one of the United States' first megastars in Olympic sports. In the 1936 Olympics Games, Owens won four gold medals. With those games being played in Berlin, Germany, Owens success impacted the world on a level greater than sports. The track star also has claim to perhaps the greatest single-day feat in sports history. At the 1935 Big Ten track meet, Owens had “the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport” when he broke three world records and tied another in less than an hour.
21. Tony Hawk (Skateboarding)
More talented skateboarders have risen through the ranks in recent years, but Tony Hawk will stand the test of time as the most important skateboard ever. A number of the best tricks ever were invented by Hawk, including the ollie-to-Indy, the gymnast plant, and the frontside 540-rodeo flip.
Hawk can be credited with popularizing skateboarding and turning it into a legitimate sport. Now, skateboarding is in the Olympics. Hawk was not only an influential figure in the sport, though, he was also incredibly talented. Hawk won 73 titles while dominating the scene in the '80s and '90s.
22. Nolan Ryan (Baseball)
Nolan Ryan made his MLB debut in 1966. He didn't leave MLB until after 1993. His incredible career spanned over four different decades. Father Time didn't impact the legendary pitcher the way it was supposed to. Even in the twilight of his career, Ryan still had one of the fastest fastballs in baseball.
While his pitches were a little wild, they were impossible to hit. Ryan led the MLB in strikeouts on 11 different occasions. His jersey is retired by three different teams, and his 5,714 career strikeouts are nearly 1,000 more than the next closest pitcher.
23. Anderson Silva (MMA)
Unfortunately, Anderson Silva lost seven of his last nine fights in the UFC, with another one of those fights being a no-contest. The bad run to end his career doesn't help his ranking here, but Silva was considered the UFC GOAT before he lost his belt for good near the end of his career.
The end of “The Spider's career” shouldn't hold him back too much, though, as he was well out of his prime, and he shouldn't be punished for sticking around and entertaining fans. After all, sports are the business of entertainment. Silva's prime, which did last a long time, was special.
At his best, Silva had separate win streaks of nine wins and 17 wins. Sixteen of those 17 wins came in the UFC in what was the longest winning streak in company history. Silva had a flashy style and effective striking. He amassed 11 title fight wins during his time in the UFC.
24. Mike Tyson (Boxing)
Muhammad Ali is the most influential boxer ever, and Floyd Mayweather's resume is better than any other man to step foot in the ring, but Mike Tyson was the scariest fighter to ever put the gloves on. Tyson struck fear into his opponents, and for good reason. Tyson's knockout power was unmatched, and he was the face of the golden era of boxing.
25. Peyton Manning (Football)
Peyton Manning's career was interesting, as he only finished his career with two championship victories, which is far less than most of the athletes on this list. Even so, Manning's spot in the top 25 best male athletes ever is warranted because he was so incredibly talented.
Manning was a quarterback who played for the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos. His incredible precision throwing the football and superior understanding of the game made him a force to be reckoned with. Manning prowess throwing the football led to an NFL record five MVP awards, and his 2013 season where he threw 55 touchdowns passes can be looked at as the best single season in the history of football.
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