Thread: Jordan vs Ali: The Battle for The Greatest Athlete of The 20th Century

If you haven't heard of Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali, either you've been in a coma for the past fifty years, or you're a monk.

Both are iconic sportsmen who are world-renowned as the best ever in their sport. Jordan is regarded as the finest basketball player ever, and Ali the single greatest boxer ever.

JORDAN'S ACHIEVEMENTS

• Olympic Gold Medal: 1984, 1992
• NBA Champion: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
• NCAA National Championship: 1982
• NBA MVP: 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998
• NBA Finals MVP: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
• NBA Leading Scorer: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
• All-NBA First Team: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
• All-NBA Second Team: 1985
• NBA All-Star Game: 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003
• NBA All-Star Game MVP: 1988, 1996, 1998
• NBA All-Defensive Team: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
• NBA Defensive Player of the Year: 1988
• NBA Rookie of the Year: 1985
• NBA All-Rookie Team: 1985
• Third on NBA All Time Scoring List: (32,292 points)
• Second Most Steals of All Time: (2,514 steals)
• 50 Greatest Players in NBA History: 1996
• The Sporting News MVP: 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998
• NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner: 1987, 1988
• ACC Freshman of the Year: 1982
• ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year: 1984
• USBWA College Player of the Year: 1984
• Naismith College Player of the Year: 1984
• John R. Wooden Award: 1984
• Adolph Rupp Trophy: 1984
• Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year: 1991
• ESPN North American Athlete of the Century: 1999
• ESPY Athlete of the Century: 2000
• ESPY Male Athlete of the Decade Award: 1990s
• ESPY Pro Basketballer of the Decade Award: 1990s
• Associated Press Athlete of the Century (Second Place): 1999
• Sport Greatest Athlete of the Last 50 years: 1996
• Ranked #1 by SLAM Magazine's Top 75 Players of All-Time
• Ranked #1 by ESPN Sportscentury's Top 100 Athletes of the 20th century

ALI'S ACHIEVEMENTS

• Six Kentucky Golden Glove titles
  
• Two National Golden Glove titles
  
• Amateur Athletic Union National Title
  
• 1960 Olympic Light-Heavyweight Gold Medal
  
• 20-0 undefeated record an amateur level
  
• Ring Magazine Fighter of The year (x5)
  
• International Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee
  
• 63-5 Career Record: 56 wins, 37 KO's, 5 losses - 4 decisions, 1 retirement
  
• Heavyweight Boxing Champion (x9)
  

There are probably more achievements for Ali, but I can't seem to find them listed anywhere.

In any case, both players transcended their sport, making them arguably the best two sports athletes of the last hundred years. So which one gets your vote for the Greatest Athlete of The 20th Century? Jordan or Ali? Or someone else?

I think they are both marvelous athletes, but I have to give it to Muhammad Ali. Simply because boxing is a very tough sport and he was superb. Though I think that Sugar Ray Robinson would top them both, but that's just me. Just check his record-175-19-6 109. Ridiculous.

Tiger. No one has ever dominated a sport like he dominates golf.

Ali, Jordan, Tiger. It's a toss up.

If I had to choose, I'd have to go with Jordan. There are no football players or baseball players that come close, that I can think of.

I'm a huge hockey fan, so I like Gretzky a lot. He was also a great sportsman too, which is very rare these days. Tiger is, I think. Hank Aaron was also.

Messier is up there with Gretzky. There's one other that's on the tip of my toungue, but I can't think of him now.

Good one, Malone. I forgot about Tiger. Although, hasn't he hit a bad patch of form in recent years? I don't follow Golf a lot, but I used to enjoy watching him win everything back in the late nineties, early noughties.

It's Jordan for me, though. He's the reason why I started watching B'ball, and I haven't stopped ever since. The things he could do on a court were unbelievable. Game 5 of the '98 Finals (?) comes to mind. The one where he spent the entire day before and morning of the game in bed, vomiting. He still played and posted 45 points. That's just superhuman.

Also, the '88 slam dunk contest against Dominique Wilkins. Jordan went into his last dunk needing a score of 48 to tie, 49 to win. He then did the free-throw line dunk and got a 50. I still get chills watching that movie.

Tiger switched clubs and his coach, and he had a few bad years, but he's back big time. He won the Open with a bum knee.

There's one other that's on the tip of my toungue, but I can't think of him now.

Probably Mario Lemieux

What? No Pele? No decatholon winners?

I'd say Ali. Jordan is a great athlete as well, but he's a great team player, while Ali is on his own. If Jordan has a bad day, his team can still win, and that win would go on his record. But if Ali had a bad day, he could loose his entire career.

No one cares about soccer, lin. We might as well list the great curlers as discuss soccer.

Pele would definitely be up there. For sheer class, there has never, nor will never, be a better footballer. Plus, he scored over a thousand goals in his career. That's just phenomenal. I'd actually put him second, behind Jordan.

Originally Posted by A-L

...I think that Sugar Ray Robinson would top them both, but that's just me. Just check his record-175-19-6 109. Ridiculous.

Sam, I agree with A-L with Sugar Ray over Ali.

Ali gets a lot of hype in my opinion, because Baby Boomers are still around and that is what they remember, just as they remember the Vietnam War and not WWI.

Nobody in the U.S. talks about WWI because them niggas is dead. We have to be tortured with listening about WWII and Vietnam over and over.

Personally, I think Mike Tyson in his prime would have sent Ali to the canvas for the count. Mike was actually one of the fastest (with his hands) heavy weights of all time. Many people do not realize that.

And I personally regard Sugar Ray Robinson as the best boxer of all time. I regard Roy Jones Junior as the most naturally talented boxer ever.

Originally Posted by Malone

Tiger. No one has ever dominated a sport like he dominates golf.

Is golf even a sport?

I know its a game but so is chess.