Top Ten Athletes who are Most Important to Their Sport

The Top Ten
Diego Maradona (Association Football) Diego Armando Maradona (October 30, 1960 - November 25, 2020) was an Argentine professional footballer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award. Maradona was given the nickname "El Pibe... read more
Michael Jordan (Basketball) Michael Jeffrey Jordan, also known by his initials MJ, is an American retired professional basketball player. Widely viewed as the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan made six NBA Finals appearances in his career, winning the NBA championship each time.
Babe Ruth (Baseball) George Herman Ruth Jr., better known as Babe Ruth, was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935.
Pelé (Association Football) Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as "Pelé", was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward. In 1999 he was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and was included in the Time list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. In 2000, Pelé was... read more
Larry Bird (Basketball) Larry Joe Bird is an American retired professional basketball player who played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association. Bird is a 3x champ, 1x ROTY, 1x Finals MVP, 3x 3PT Contest winner, all with the Boston Celtics. (1979-1992)
Ayrton Senna (Auto Racing) Ayrton Senna da Silva (21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver who won three Formula One world championships for McLaren in 1988, 1990 and 1991 and is regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time. He was killed in an accident while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand... read more
Wayne Gretzky (Ice Hockey) Wayne Douglas Gretzky CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League for four teams from 1979 to 1999.
Roger Federer (Tennis) Roger Federer (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 3 in men's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, the most in history for a male tennis player. He has held the world No... read more
Muhammad Ali (Boxing) Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. (January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer, activist, entertainer, poet, and philanthropist. Nicknamed The Greatest, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sporting figures of the 20th century, and... read more
Wilt Chamberlain (Basketball) Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American basketball player. He was born on August 21, 1936 in Philadelphia and died on October 12, 1999 in Los Angeles due to heart failure... read more

The Newcomers

? Duke Kahanamoku (Surfing)
? Rusty Wallace (Auto Racing)
The Contenders
Sir Donald Bradman (Cricket) Sir Donald George Bradman often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has been cited as the greatest achievement by any sportsman in any major sport.
Holger Nielsen (Handball) Holger Louis Nielsen (18 December 1866 in Copenhagen - 26 January 1955 in Hellerup) was a Danish fencer, sport shooter, and athlete. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. He is probably best known for drawing up the first set of rules for the game of handball.
Jim Brown (American Football) James Nathaniel Brown was a former professional American football player and actor. He was a running back for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League from 1957 through 1965.
Jack Nicklaus (Golf)
Mike Tyson (Boxing) Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. He reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title at 20 years, four months and 22 days old.
Phil Taylor (Darts)

For many, darts is just a pub game, but Taylor was definitely the most important figure in the sport.

Tiger Woods (Golf) Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer who is among the most successful golfers of all time.
Usain Bolt (Athletics) Usain St Leo Bolt is a Jamaican retired sprinter, widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time. He is a world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4 × 100 metres relay... read more
Nadia Comaneci (Gymnastics) Nadia Elena Comăneci is a Romanian retired gymnast. She is a five-time Olympic gold medalist, all in individual events.

In 1976, at the age of 14, Comăneci became the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10.0 at the Olympic Games. At the same Games (the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal),... read more
Serena Williams (Tennis) Serena Jameka Williams is an American former professional tennis player. The Women's Tennis Association ranked her world No. 1 in singles on eight separate occasions between 2002 and 2017. She reached the No. 1 ranking for the first time on July 8, 2002.
Venus Williams (Tennis)
Gabby Douglas (Gymnastics)
Richard Petty (Auto Racing)
Arnold Palmer (Golf) Arnold Daniel Palmer was an American professional golfer who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport's history.
Magic Johnson (Basketball) Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association for 13 seasons.
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