Lakers’ LeBron James falls behind 3 superstar athletes in ESPN’s Top 100 of the 21st Century

LeBron James is easily one of the greatest athletes of all time. The star player has dominated the league for 21 seasons and he shows no signs of slowing down. Everyone knows he is the best basketball player to step onto the court since the turn of the century, but is he also the best athlete since the turn of the century?

ESPN recently released a list of the 100 greatest athletes of the 21st century, and everyone assumed that LeBron would top the list. Even though he was easily the highest-ranked basketball player, he ultimately finished in fourth place. The three athletes ahead of him (ranked 1-3) were Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, tennis star Serena Williams, and soccer legend Lionel Messi.

Should LeBron James Have Been Ranked Higher?

Being ranked behind these three superstars is nothing to be ashamed of. Phelps is easily the greatest swimmer of all time, having won 23 Olympic gold medals, including a record-breaking eight at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His consistent greatness on perhaps the biggest global stage that sports has to offer helped him secure the top spot on this list.

Behind him is Williams, who is a 23-time major champion, which is the second-most of any tennis player of all time. And in third place was Messi, who has been at the top of the soccer world for as long as James has been at the top of the basketball world. It is clear that all of these athletes are legends, and it is incredibly difficult to choose between them.

Basketball fans will of course be biased, but it’s fair to wonder if James should be higher. He still has time to add to his legacy, and another championship with the Lakers certainly wouldn’t hurt. But given all he’s accomplished and all the records he already holds, should he be in one of the top three spots?

Honestly, it’s hard to say, because you really can’t go wrong with any of these star athletes once you get to the top. Tom Brady, widely regarded as the best player in NFL history, came in at number five on this list, so maybe coming in at number four isn’t such a bad thing.

Regardless, James should be happy to have earned such a high spot on this list, because it shows just how secure his legacy is, not just in the world of basketball, but in the world of sports as a whole. And as he prepares for his astonishing 22nd season in the NBA, it will be worth keeping an eye on his performances to see if he can continue to add to his already well-established legacy in some way.