Greatest Athletes of All Time, ranked by 115 players
Players rank Lionel Messi #1: it wins 74.4% of its matchups (n = 316) and took the title in 21 of 115 brackets. Michael Jordan and Cristiano Ronaldo follow. Disagree? Greatest Athlete of All Time is one tap away.
Updated hourly · last refreshed November 15, 2026
Brackets finished115
Head-to-head picks3,093
Entrants ranked32of 32
Lionel Messi title share18.3%n = 115
Title odds
Share of 115 finished brackets won
- Lionel Messi18.3% (21 of 115)
- Cristiano Ronaldo12.2% (14 of 115)
- Michael Phelps10.4% (12 of 115)
- Usain Bolt7.0% (8 of 115)
- Diego Maradona6.1% (7 of 115)
- Michael Jordan5.2% (6 of 115)
Greatest Athletes of All Time: the community tier list
Built from win rates across 3,093 picks. Tiers use the win rate steadied toward 50% for entrants with few matchups (S from 75%, A 60%, B 50%, C 40%, D 25%). Steadying pulls a small sample toward the middle, so a high raw rate can sit a tier lower and a low one a tier higher than the rate shown, which is the raw one. What does S tier mean?
Stier, win rate 75% or more
- Nobody yet
Atier, win rate 60% or more
- Lionel Messi74.4%
- Michael Jordan69.3%
- Cristiano Ronaldo65.8%
- Michael Phelps65.8%
- LeBron James64.7%
- Usain Bolt64.0%
Btier, win rate 50% or more
- Muhammad Ali59.4%
- Mike Tyson56.9%
- Pele56.4%
- Tom Brady56.3%
- Diego Maradona54.9%
- Kobe Bryant53.5%
- Tiger Woods52.0%
Ctier, win rate 40% or more
- Wayne Gretzky46.4%
- Stephen Curry46.4%
- Roger Federer45.6%
- Lewis Hamilton44.9%
- Shaquille O'Neal44.5%
- Novak Djokovic43.9%
- Babe Ruth43.7%
- Bo Jackson43.1%
- Simone Biles40.8%
Dtier, win rate 25% or more
- Serena Williams36.9%
- Jackie Robinson36.3%
- Jim Brown33.3%
- Rafael Nadal33.3%
- Jesse Owens31.7%
- Connor McDavid26.5%
- Barry Bonds25.7%
- Carl Lewis23.0%
Ftier, win rate 0% or more
- Nadia Comaneci19.7%
- Jack Nicklaus16.5%
Standings
Every entrant with its record. Ordered by win rate, steadied for small samples; a rate shows once an entrant has 30 matchups. n is the number of head-to-head matchups behind each rate.
| # | Contender | W–L | Win rate | Against .500 | Titles | n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel MessiSoccer | 235–81 | 74.4% | 21 | 316 | |
| 2 | Michael JordanBasketball | 203–90 | 69.3% | 6 | 293 | |
| 3 | Cristiano RonaldoSoccer | 183–95 | 65.8% | 14 | 278 | |
| 4 | Michael PhelpsSwimming | 169–88 | 65.8% | 12 | 257 | |
| 5 | LeBron JamesBasketball | 167–91 | 64.7% | 4 | 258 | |
| 6 | Usain BoltTrack & Field | 171–96 | 64.0% | 8 | 267 | |
| 7 | Muhammad AliBoxing | 148–101 | 59.4% | 4 | 249 | |
| 8 | Mike TysonBoxing | 128–97 | 56.9% | 3 | 225 | |
| 9 | PeleSoccer | 132–102 | 56.4% | 5 | 234 | |
| 10 | Tom BradyFootball | 117–91 | 56.3% | 4 | 208 | |
| 11 | Diego MaradonaSoccer | 117–96 | 54.9% | 7 | 213 | |
| 12 | Kobe BryantBasketball | 115–100 | 53.5% | 3 | 215 | |
| 13 | Tiger WoodsGolf | 103–95 | 52.0% | 2 | 198 | |
| 14 | Wayne GretzkyHockey | 84–97 | 46.4% | 2 | 181 | |
| 15 | Stephen CurryBasketball | 83–96 | 46.4% | 2 | 179 | |
| 16 | Roger FedererTennis | 82–98 | 45.6% | 0 | 180 | |
| 17 | Lewis HamiltonFormula 1 | 80–98 | 44.9% | 0 | 178 | |
| 18 | Shaquille O'NealBasketball | 81–101 | 44.5% | 0 | 182 | |
| 19 | Novak DjokovicTennis | 76–97 | 43.9% | 2 | 173 | |
| 20 | Babe RuthBaseball | 69–89 | 43.7% | 2 | 158 | |
| 21 | Bo JacksonFootball / Baseball | 75–99 | 43.1% | 3 | 174 | |
| 22 | Simone BilesGymnastics | 69–100 | 40.8% | 1 | 169 | |
| 23 | Serena WilliamsTennis | 59–101 | 36.9% | 1 | 160 | |
| 24 | Jackie RobinsonBaseball | 58–102 | 36.3% | 2 | 160 | |
| 25 | Jim BrownFootball | 50–100 | 33.3% | 1 | 150 | |
| 26 | Rafael NadalTennis | 52–104 | 33.3% | 1 | 156 | |
| 27 | Jesse OwensTrack & Field | 45–97 | 31.7% | 2 | 142 | |
| 28 | Connor McDavidHockey | 35–97 | 26.5% | 0 | 132 | |
| 29 | Barry BondsBaseball | 35–101 | 25.7% | 0 | 136 | |
| 30 | Carl LewisTrack & Field | 28–94 | 23.0% | 1 | 122 | |
| 31 | Nadia ComaneciGymnastics | 24–98 | 19.7% | 1 | 122 | |
| 32 | Jack NicklausGolf | 20–101 | 16.5% | 1 | 121 |
Closest rivalries
Pairs the crowd can barely split. Estimated from each entrant's overall record until the pair has met 20 times.
- Cristiano RonaldovsMichael Phelps50–50 · estimate from overall records
- PelevsTom Brady50–50 · estimate from overall records
- Mike TysonvsPele50–50 · estimate from overall records
Most lopsided
- Lionel MessivsJack Nicklaus92–8 · estimate from overall records
- Michael JordanvsJack Nicklaus90–10 · estimate from overall records
- Cristiano RonaldovsJack Nicklaus89–11 · estimate from overall records
Upsets and oddities
Patterns in 115 finished brackets.
- UntouchableLionel Messi wins 74.4%The best record in the field (n = 316 matchups).
- ClutchBo Jackson: 3 titlesOnly #21 on win rate, but #13 for championships.
- Always the bridesmaidMichael Jordan: 69.3% win rate#2 on record, but only 6 titles in 115 brackets.
- Still waitingRoger Federer: no titles yetWins 45.6% of its matchups (n = 180) and has never been crowned.
Upsets need real meetings: a pair shows here once it has met 10 times and the weaker record leads.
Questions people ask
What is #1 in the Greatest Athletes of All Time community ranking?
Lionel Messi. It wins 74.4% of its head-to-head matchups (n = 316) and took the title in 21 of 115 finished brackets.
How is the ranking worked out?
Every pick in a finished bracket is a win for one entrant and a loss for the other. Entrants are ordered by win rate, steadied toward 50% by ten imaginary matchups so that a newcomer with a 3–0 record can't top the table. The rate shown is the real one, with n, the number of matchups behind it.
Why win rate and not titles?
Draws are shuffled, so a title can come from an easy path. Win rate counts every matchup an entrant played, which is a fairer read of how people feel about it. Title odds are shown too, as the share of finished brackets each entrant won.
How many people have ranked Greatest Athletes of All Time?
115 finished brackets so far, with 3,093 head-to-head picks between them. Only finished brackets count.
Can I rank all 32 myself?
Yes. Play the bracket at 8, 16, 32 entrants, free and with no sign-up. You get your own ranking and a link to share, and your picks join this page.
How often does this page update?
About every hour, as new brackets are finished.
More brackets
Your turn: is the crowd right?
Pick a winner in every matchup and see where you agree with 115 players, and where you don't.