Top 18 North American Athletes of the 20th Century

Eleven different sports, one century, and a shortlist that famously found room for a horse. Comparing across disciplines is where the arguments start.

1

Michael Jordan

Six NBA titles, five MVPs, and the most recognisable athlete of the television era.

1000pts

2

Jackie Robinson

Broke baseball's colour line in 1947 and won the MVP two years later.

852pts

3

Wayne Gretzky

Holds hockey's career records for goals, assists and points, most by margins nobody has narrowed.

691pts

4

Secretariat

The only non-human on ESPN's SportsCentury top 50, ranked 35th for the 1973 Triple Crown.

639pts

5

Jack Nicklaus

Won 18 major championships across four decades, still the benchmark in golf.

624pts

6

Bill Russell

Won eleven NBA championships in thirteen seasons, the deepest winning record in team sport.

511pts

7

Babe Ruth

Rewrote baseball's power records and turned the home run into the sport's central event.

511pts

8

Willie Mays

660 home runs, twelve Gold Gloves, and the catch that still defines outfield defence.

511pts

9

Joe Louis

Held the heavyweight title for nearly twelve years and defended it 25 times.

443pts

10

Jim Brown

Led the NFL in rushing eight times in nine seasons, then retired at 30 at his peak.

443pts

11

Jim Thorpe

Won the 1912 Olympic pentathlon and decathlon, then played professional football and baseball.

365pts

12

Muhammad Ali

Three-time heavyweight champion whose refusal of the draft made him a global political figure.

365pts

13

Hank Aaron

Passed Ruth's home run record in 1974 under a torrent of hate mail and finished with 755.

365pts

14

Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Won six Olympic medals and still holds the heptathlon world record set in 1988.

365pts

15

Jim Ryun

Broke the mile world record as a teenager and held it for eight years.

365pts

16

Wilt Chamberlain

Averaged 50 points across a season and scored 100 in a single game, both still untouched.

275pts

17

Jesse Owens

Won four golds at the 1936 Berlin Olympics in front of the regime staging them.

46pts

18

Ted Williams

The last man to bat .400 in a season, and he did it in 1941 aged 22.

46pts