
As the debate heats up around the identities of the century's top athletes, the San Antonio Spurs find themselves in the mix, with both past and current players making waves on ESPN’s latest rankings. Tim Duncan, Spurs legend, lands at No. 16 among the top 100 athletes since 2000, a commendable position given his formidable NBA career which includes four NBA titles post-2000 and back-to-back MVPs. This ranking reflects Duncan’s enduring influence on the court, with ESPN citing his exceptional rookie achievements and solid pre-2000 performances as enhancing factors for his place on the list.
Current Spurs point guard Chris Paul nabbed the No. 83 spot, demonstrating longevity and skills that outshine his physical stature, a point noted by ESPN as well, and Victor Wembanyama, the fresh face on the Spurs' roster, is touted as a force expected to shape the sporting world for years to come, as per the alphabetized list of promising athletes obtained by KSAT.
The ESPN rankings have sparked discussions and comparisons between sports legends, with Tom Brady, Lionel Messi, LeBron James, Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and a host of Olympians all vying for the top spot, the process inviting sports fans to speculate on who exactly earns the title of the greatest of this young century. These rankings come over two decades after ESPN's "SportsCentury project," which immortalized the likes of Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth, although this time around it's a global and diverse list without equine contenders, with some athletes like Patrick Mahomes still having ample time to climb ranks.