The All-Time All-Time

Last update: 3/5/25

RankPlayerPositionLeague
1Wayne GretzkyCNHL
2Tom BradyQBNFL
3LeBron JamesPick oneNBA
4Michael JordanSGNBA
5Barry BondsOFMLB
6Babe RuthOFMLB
7Jerry RiceWRNFL
8Kareem Abdul-JabbarCNBA
9Peyton ManningQBNFL
10Willie MaysOFMLB
11Roger ClemensPMLB
12Lou Gehrig1BMLB
13Randy JohnsonPMLB
14Lawrence TaylorDENFL
15Alexander OvechkinLWNHL
16Steph CurryPGNBA
17Ray LewisLBNFL
18Magic JohnsonPGNBA
19Shaquille O’NealCNBA
20Emmitt SmithRBNFL
21Tim DuncanCNBA
22Mario LemieuxCNHL
23Kobe BryantSGNBA
24Hank AaronOFMLB
25Ted WilliamsOFMLB
26Greg MadduxPMLB
27Gordie HoweRWNHL
28Aaron RodgersQBNFL
29Alex RodriguezSSMLB
30Reggie WhiteDENFL
31Bobby OrrDENHL
32Kevin DurantSFNBA
33Larry BirdSFNBA
34Mike Schmidt3BMLB
35Sidney CrosbyCNHL
36Patrick RoyGNHL
37Albert Pujols1BMLB
38Bruce SmithDENFL
39Giannis AntetokounmpoPFNBA
40Aaron DonaldDTNFL
41Joe MontanaQBNFL
42Karl MalonePFNBA
43Ty CobbOFMLB
44Patrick MahomesQBNFL
45Clayton KershawPMLB
46Connor McDavidCNHL
47Drew BreesQBNFL
48Deion SandersCBNFL
49Mike TroutOFMLB
50Pedro MartinezPMLB
51Justin VerlanderPMLB
52James HardenSGNBA
53Anthony MunozOTNFL
54Rogers Hornsby2BMLB
55Brett FavreQBNFL
56Mickey MantleOFMLB
57Stan MusialOFMLB
58Barry SandersRBNFL
59Rod WoodsonSNFL
60Mark MessierCNHL
61Hakeem OlajuwonCNBA
62Jaromir JagrCNHL
63Martin BrodeurGNHL
64Wilt ChamberlainCNBA
65Walter JohnsonPMLB
66Lefty GrovePMLB
67Phil EspositoCNHL
68Nicklas LidstromDNHL
69Ray BourqueDNHL
70Dominik HasekGNHL
71Bruce MatthewsOGNFL
72Mariano RiveraRPMLB
73Max ScherzerPMLB
74Kawhi LeonardSFNBA
75JJ WattDENFL
76Jimmie Foxx1BMLB
77Jean BeliveauCNHL
78Tom SeaverPMLB
79Bobby HullLWNHL
80Joe GreeneDLNFL
81Kevin GarnettPFNBA
82Dirk NowitzkiPFNBA
83Maurice RichardRWNHL
84Manny RamirezOFMLB
85Alan PageDTNFL
86Moses MaloneCNBA
87Rickey HendersonOFMLB
88Miguel Cabrera1BMLB
89Bill RussellCNBA
90Derrick BrooksLBNFL
91Walter PaytonRBNFL
92Jim BrownRBNFL
93Warren SpahnPMLB
94Joe DiMaggioOFMLB
95Ronnie LottSNFL
96Ed ReedSNFL
97Guy LafleurCNHL
98Doug HarveyDNHL
99Christy MathewsonPMLB
100Marshall FaulkRBNFL

Leave a Reply

Hi (hopefully) awesome reader! I welcome your comments. However, please be aware that I make all of my arguments using facts, statistics, and logic. Unfortunately, the average comment on a top-100 list goes something like this:

"UR StooPid. (Insert player) is trash. I've watched (pick a sport) for (pick a number of years) and (pick a player) is better than everyone. UR DUMB. HAHA6969."

–Some Jabroni

As cognitively stimulating as this species of comment is, it ends up being a missed opportunity to share a nuanced perspective. I reply to all comments that show even the most basic levels of thought and humility. The people who make the comments like the example above are under the assumption that the three seconds of thought that popped into their brains after reading the list is more than the 1000s of hours that I put into creating and maintaining the lists. I would be happy to defend any placement, or make an adjustment if one is warranted. If you are a jabroni, like the one above, then your comment will die in the lonely void of the unpublished comments section.

For everyone else, I look forward to your comments!

P.S. The theme of this site and the top-100 lists is that athletes from previous generations have historically been grossly overrated by sports publications in a way that is statistically improbable. Click on the "About" dropdown menu to see just how badly the average top-100 list disproportionately favors athletes from older generations when leagues were smaller, race quotas existed, and globalization wasn't a thing. Also, please consider reading "The History" section of the sport you are commenting on.

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