Phelps Ranked No. 1, Ledecky Ranked No. 15 On ESPN’s Top 100 21st Century Athletes List

Both Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky were included in American sports media outlet ESPN’s list of top 100 professional athletes since 2000, published on Thursday morning. Phelps was ranked No. 1, while Ledecky was No. 15.

According to ESPN, the list was decided based on over 70,000 votes from contributors for the media outlet, including ones from outside the United States. In addition, only athletic accomplishments from past 2000 were considered. The list included athletes from 16 different sports, and also ranked both male and female athletes.

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Here was ESPN’s full methodology:

Experts in individual sports were asked to vote to rank the top athletes in their sport since Jan. 1, 2000 (no accomplishments before this date were to be considered). Those votes pared down pools in each sport to lists of 10 to 25 athletes each, which constituted the overall candidate pool for the top athletes of the 21st century so far. Each voter was presented two randomly selected names and asked to pick which one has had the better career in the 21st century. Across repeated, randomized head-to-head matchups, more than 70,000 votes were cast at this stage, and using an Elo rating system, the list was pared down from 262 to 100. That list was then evaluated by a panel of experts for any inconsistencies or oversights, resulting in the top 100 ranking seen here.

Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all-time with 28 Olympic medals (23 of them being gold), and also won a record eight gold medalist at a single Olympic games at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He also broken 39 different world records, which is the most of any swimmer recognized by World Aquatics. He was notably ranked No. 1 over other prominent 21st century athletes such as Tom Brady, Lebron James, and Lionel Messi.

Here’s ESPN’s written blurb for Phelps:

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Phelps earned a historic eight gold medals, more than any athlete in a single Olympics, while breaking world records in seven of his eight races. Throughout the Games, fans and members of the media tried to crack the code on what made Phelps — who eventually won 23 Olympic gold medals and became the most decorated Olympian of all time — so unbeatable. His mother, Debbie Phelps, was in Beijing, and often fielded their questions. Was it his size-14 feet? His extra-long arms? His breakfast regimen? “No,” Debbie answered repeatedly. “It’s his hard work.” — Alyssa Roenigk

Meanwhile, Ledecky is also one of the most accomplished swimmers of all-time. Her six individual Olympic gold medals is the most for a female swimmer, and the second-most for a swimmer not named Phelps. In 2023, she passed Phelps to becoming the winningest swimmer in World Championships history with 21 gold record medals. She currently holds the 16 fastest times ever in the 800 free, as well as the 19 fastest times in the 1500 free. Here’s ESPN’s blurb for her:

“I was expecting a lot faster.” That was Ledecky’s response to winning the 1,500-meter freestyle by 20 seconds at Olympic trials in June, in the fastest time clocked this year. For more than a decade, Ledecky has owned the race known as the “swimmer’s mile,” which was added to the Olympic lineup in 2020. The 27-year-old is expected to win gold again in Paris, where she is also the favorite in the 400 free, 800 free and 4×200-meter relay. Since first breaking the world record in the 1,500 free in 2013, she has shaved 16 seconds off her time while also winning more Olympic and world championship gold than any woman in history. — Alyssa Roenigk

Even though ESPN considers its’ list a global one, it still remains very American-centric. 56 of the top 100 ranked athletes are from the United States, and 67 of them are North American. In addition, it is dominated by athletes who play in American professional sports leagues — 56 total athletes on the list play or played in the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, or WNBA. The sport with the largest international representation was soccer, where 14 of the 15 athletes were not American. In total, there were 80 male athletes and 20 female athletes ranked.