Kobe tied for second? I'm shocked.
Who's the best athlete in the world right now?
Kevin Hench / FOXSports.com
Who is the best damn athlete in the world?
As sports arguments go, this one is as fun as it is eternal.
BlogJam ...
FOXSports.com's Kevin Hench picked his top five phenomenal athletes. Do you agree, disagree? Here's your chance to voice your opinion.
Best Damn Sports Show Period was nice enough to invite you to weigh in by voting for your favorite. On last Thursday night's show, BDSSP revealed your pick as the Most Phenomenal Athlete Now — Kobe Bryant!
They had narrowed the list down to five finalists — Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods, LaDainian Tomlinson, Roger Federer and LeBron James — to be judged in five categories: wow factor, athletic ability, showmanship, idolization and things you've never seen before.
With the caveat that Ronaldinho would most definitely have cracked my top five, here's my take on Best Damn's Fab Five, in ascending order with scores for each category (1-10) and a total out of 50.
5. ROGER FEDERER (Résumé)
Wow factor — The nice thing about someone earning fairly unanimous acclaim as the greatest ever at his sport is that you can usually take a few years off from the debate. It took Pete Sampras almost his entire career to reach the top of the mountain, establishing a new record for Grand Slam victories with his next-to-last major win. When he retired with 14 major titles under his belt, the record figured to be safe for a long while. But then along came this Swiss kid with a 120-mph forehand. Wow. I remember the first time I saw him on TV and calling my wife into the room (tennis is her favorite sport) to tell her, "I think this guy is the best player I've ever seen." Federer has already won 10 majors. He's 25. Wow. Score: 10.
Athletic ability — Insane court coverage, ridiculous power, deft touch. Bonus points for being good enough at soccer to consider a pro career. An avid skier, I'm guessing he's no slouch on the slopes either. Score: 10.
Photo Gallery...
Federer through the years
Showmanship — He lacks the passion of John McEnroe (who doesn't), but he's got more going on than the robotic Bjorn Borg and the placid Sampras. He may also be a victim of his own success. After all, how much showmanship can you display when you're constantly up 6-1, 6-0, 5-1? Score: 8.
Idolization — Renowned author and tennis aficionado David Foster Wallace described Federer's ferocious forehand motion as "a great liquid whip." McEnroe calls it simply "the greatest shot in our sport." Federer is the first living Swiss to be pictured on a postage stamp. But he still hasn't been able to pull tennis back from the margins of the sports world so he gets a point deducted. Score: 9.
Things you've never seen before — Andre Agassi and Jimmy Connors were the best returners of serve of their generations. Likewise, Sampras, Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker were the best serve-and-volleyers. Borg, Mats Wilander and Ivan Lendl could beat you from the baseline. Federer can do it all like no one before him. He is the first player to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in three successive years. Score: 10.
Total: 47
4. LEBRON JAMES (Résumé)
Wow factor — I remember all the hype. The Sports Illustrated cover when he was in high school. The breathless whispers that the heir to Air was coming. Then the announcement that ESPN would be televising one of his high school games. And anybody who watched that game had the same reaction: Wow. How could anyone so young have such a complete game? But surely he'd have a tough time adjusting to the NBA. Nope. But the NBA has had a tough time adjusting to him. He's averaged 26.7 points per game, 6.7 rebounds and 6.4 assists for his four-year career. Again, I repeat, wow. Score: 10.
Athletic ability — He is, of course, a freak. He's bigger than Bill Russell but handles the ball and sees the floor like Bob Cousy. He drops dimes with the precision of John Stockton and dunks with the violence of Darryl Dawkins. If Antonio Gates is the best tight end in football, imagine what it must have been like trying to cover LeBron at St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School. He would have been an unstoppable force in the NFL. Score: 10.
Photo Gallery...
LeBron through the years
Showmanship — While his commercial showing him calmly draining full-court jumpers was clearly doctored, LeBron did drop in a 70-footer against the Celtics this season and then calmly accepted high-fives from his teammates. His full artistic expression has been somewhat muted by the limitations of the Cavaliers, but when he gets a couple of real running mates, look out. Score: 9.
Idolization — Nike wagered $90 million that LeBron would be worshipped. So far The Chosen One has not disappointed, though some might say his obsession with his worldwide brand has robbed him of his killer instinct on the court. He needs to win a title to max out in this category. Score: 9.
Things you've never seen before — Uh, everything about this guy is something we've never seen before: a 6'8, 250-pound wall of granite that runs like a gazelle, jumps out of the gym and loves to pass? The guy should play with restrictor plates. (Oh, that's right, he does. They're called his teammates.) Score: 10.
Total: 48
2. (tie) TIGER WOODS (Résumé)
Wow factor — Tiger began making adults go "wow" — and making them jealous of his swing — ever since he was three years old. As a pro, no athlete has made viewers, commentators and fellow competitors go wow as often as Tiger has these last 11 years. Score: 10.
Athletic ability — When everyone assumes something you are doing in a Nike commercial is a computer graphic trick, that's some serious hand-eye coordination. Tiger's ball-bouncing-on-his-club routine punctuated by the flick and smash out of midair remains the coolest thing in sports advertising. With those skills, you get the feeling if his dad had been nuts about football or hoops, little Eldrick could have become a phenom in those sports too. Okay, I hear you, how much athletic ability do you need in a sport that made Craig Stadler a millionaire? But that's part of what makes the yoked, 6'1, 185-pound Tiger so transcendent. Score: 9
Photo Gallery...
Tiger through the years
Showmanship — P.T. Barnum himself would be jealous of the circus atmosphere Tiger creates. His entire career has been a flair for the dramatic. Two of my favorites: the ridiculous chip-in on 16 at the 2005 Masters and his finish at the 2000 Mercedes Championship, where he eagled the 72nd hole to force a playoff, then went birdie-birdie on the first two extra holes to beat Ernie Els. Score: 10.
Idolization — Just look at the disparity in interest between when Tiger is playing and in the hunt and when he is not. Not even Michael Jordan at the peak of his powers had as big a gap between himself and the other players in terms of idolatry. Score: 10.
Things you've never seen before — He won the Masters by 12 strokes with a tournament record 18-under when he was 21. The guy was hitting short irons for his second shot into the Par-5's. His ability was so unprecedented he sent tour officials scrambling to "Tiger proof" their courses, lest he make a mockery of the sport, which — for long stretches — he has anyway. Score: 10.
Total: 49
2. (tie) KOBE BRYANT (Résumé)
Wow factor — You've got to assume Jerry West is one of the harder people in the world to impress with your basketball skills. When you make Jerry West go "wow," you're special. Ever since Kobe wowed West at his workout before the 1996 draft, he's been wowing the rest of us with his spectacular skills, unmatched in the NBA. Score: 10.
Athletic ability — Imagine if Michael Jordan was just a little bigger and stronger and had a little more range on his jumper. He might lack some of M.J.'s intangibles, but his athletic ability is off the chart. Score: 10.
Photo Gallery...
Kobe through the years
Showmanship — Like all great athletic showmen, Kobe is at his best when it matters most. In the Game-Winning (or OT-forcing) Shot Montage Hall of Fame, the Holy Trinity is Larry Bird, Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Something happens to Kobe with the game on the line where there is no shot too preposterous for him to bury at the buzzer. Score: 10.
Idolization — There was no greater testament to the idol worship that surrounds Kobe in Los Angeles than the loyalty his fans showed throughout his Eagle County, Co. ordeal. Not only were talk radio callers presuming his innocence — when all they had was his word — but parents were still letting their pre-teen daughters wear Kobe jerseys at Staples Center. Speaking of jerseys, Kobe's No. 24 is the top seller in the U.S. and, incredibly, China. Score: 10.
Things you've never seen before — Here's the thing about Wilt Chamberlain's various scoring binges: all those points were coming in and around the paint. For Kobe to ring up 10, count 'em 10, 50-point games this year primarily on pull-ups, turnarounds and deep 3's is insane. That said, most of his repertoire — the step-back, the up-and-under, the facial — was already perfected by Jordan. Score: 9.
Total: 49
1. LADAINIAN TOMLINSON (Résumé)
Wow factor — LaDainian Tomlinson has played six years in the NFL. He ranks 12th on the NFL's all-time touchdown list. Wow. If he has another season like last year, he'll rank fourth after seven seasons. It's nuts. Score: 10.
Athletic ability — If you score between 25 and 29 on the Body Mass Index scale, you are considered overweight. Anything 30 and above is considered obese. At 5'10, 221 pounds, LaDainian Tomlinson scores out as a 32 on the BMI. And he runs a 4.4. This says more about the insanity of the BMI than it does about LT, but it sure is fun to think that, by one definition, an obese guy is the best athlete in the world. Score: 10.
Photo Gallery...
L.T. through the years
Showmanship — Coaches practically beg their players to act like they've been there before. But that doesn't stop even prolific touchdown scorers like Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson from becoming complete jackasses when they break the plane. LT actually acts like he's been there before, which he has, 111 times. Everyone may have their own definition of showmanship, but I'll take breaking tackles and breaking records over breakdancing any day. Score: 10.
Idolization — Tomlinson is not merely idolized, he is genuinely beloved. (And not just by fantasy football owners.) Do you think when he was wearing it former Charger QB John Hadl could have imagined a sea of people wearing No. 21 jerseys? Score: 10.
Things you've never seen before — Some backs have breakaway speed. Others have the power to run over middle linebackers. Some have soft hands. Others have perfect touch on option passes. Nobody — not even the great Walter Payton — did all these things as well as LaDainian Tomlinson does them. Which is why when he hangs it up, the Payton-Barry Sanders-Emmitt Smith debate will be about who is the second greatest running back of all time. Score: 10.
Total: 50
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