10 Sportspeople Considered The Greatest Ever
Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.
Muhammad Ali has died at the age of 74. He wasn't just the greatest boxer of all time, but was arguably the greatest sportsperson of all time as well.
Almost nobody else can make such a claim. Ali's ability in one of few sports with legitimate global appeal, and his contrary, often plainly rebellious personality marked him out as a truly transcendent figure. His influence extended beyond his ability to box, as people generations apart who never watched his work in the ring were nevertheless inspired by the man.
The question of 'Greatest of All Time' is not so clear-cut for most other sports. The debates usually descend into provocative, hate-laden affairs, but everybody enjoys one of those. So here's ten (ten!) controversial opinions to argue with me about. One of them is cricket, though. Can anyone really work themselves into a fervor over cricket? The answer: probably. This is the internet, afterall.
10. Basketball: Michael Jordan
Iconoclasm is a funny thing. Eventually, attacking prevailing opinions on certain subjects becomes so in vogue and ubiquitous, that it almost becomes counter-cultural to renounce these new claims and concur with the prior status quo.
So, Michael Jordan then. Growing up in Britain, there was only one basketballing-man I knew: Jordan. Why? Because we were told he was the greatest.
Yes, that's a fairly spurious argument. One of Jordan's greatest achievements was in becoming the most aggressively marketed sportspeople of all time; a campaign of that proportion is always going to aggrandise the true talents of a man.
But such a widespread and successful branding exercise could never have succeeded without considerable sporting prowess to back it up, and Michael Jordan had that in spades. Five MVP trophies, six championships, ten scoring titles: the accolades speak for themselves.
Was Jordan the most technically proficient ball-basketer to ever step on a court? Arguably not (and argue you will). But his legacy dictates, and will always dictate, that he is. Plus: sneakers.
An Alternative Choice: LeBron James
If Jordan is the greatest only on a vaguely philosophical basis, LeBron may be the actual best with a ball beneath his hands. His abilities seemingly transcend human capabilities. In fact, the man himself transcends humanity. Just look at the guy; he's basically nine feet tall. Yet he's as graceful as ballet-dancing swan (depicting a graceful swan, in Swan Lake). Swans.