The former Patriots quarterback is not No. 1, but he’s in very exclusive company at the top of this list.
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Sorry, New England fans, Tom Brady is not the greatest athlete of the 21st century, according to a new ranking from ESPN.
That would be legendary swimmer Michael Phelps, who won 23 Olympic gold medals, including eight at the 2008 Beijing games alone. No athlete has won more gold medals at a single Olympics in history.
There’s also a member of the Los Angeles Lakers ranked ahead of Brady. NBA all-time leading scorer LeBron James came in fourth.
Brady rounds out the top-five at No. 5. His seven Super Bowl rings are more than any NFL franchise. Because of their dominance during the Brady-Belichick era, the Patriots are tied for the most Super Bowl wins by a single franchise with six. Brady also won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady made 15 Pro Bowls, won five Super Bowl MVPs, and set the NFL records for career passing yards and touchdowns.
Tennis legend Serena Williams and soccer legend Lionel Messi also ranked ahead of Brady, coming in at No. 2 and No. 4 respectively. Williams has the second-most major championships in the sport’s history. Messi is a World Cup champion, 10-time LaLiga champion, and six-time Champions League top scorer.
Notable athletes whom Brady finished ahead of include golfer Tiger Woods (No. 8), sprinter Usain Bolt (No. 9), NBA sharpshooter Steph Curry (No. 14 and swimmer Katie Ledecky (No. 15).
