Ranking the 10 Best Athletes in American Team Sports

Who is the best player in the NBA, in the NFL, in the NHL, or in baseball? Well, what happens when you rank the best players in all four combined?

Here are the best players in the four major professional sports leagues in the United States ranked 10-1:

*The criteria:

• This list is ranking players in the NFL/NBA/MLB/NHL solely based on how good and dominant they are at their respective sport right now.


• Players are NOT being judged on “athletic ability” or comparisons of how they would do at other sporting ventures.

10. Anthony Davis, NBA, New Orleans Pelicans: This past season was a validation year for Anthony Davis. Davis’ combination of size, athleticism, skill, basketball IQ, and instinct has inserted him onto the Mount Rushmore of current NBA players. If there were odds for who will be the best player in the NBA in five years, the one who should be favored has a unibrow. 

1. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers, Small Forward: LeBron James is the best player in the NBA, in the United States, and in the world. Whether you want to rate a player out of 10 or 100, LeBron rates higher than any other athlete and, quite frankly, it isn’t even close.

9. Connor McDavid, NHL, Edmonton Oilers: The 21-year-old captain of the Edmonton Oilers reigns dominance over the rest of the NHL. Connor McDavid has led the league in points over the past two seasons, won the Ted Lindsay Award a year ago, and is nominated for this past season. As for his future, nearly half the league believes there is no other player more deserving to build a franchise around.

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8. Aaron Donald, NFL, Los Angeles Rams: If any one player on defense can change a game for four straight quarters, it is Aaron Donald. The defensive lineman is the most valuable non-quarterback in the league and is better at his position than all but two of them.

7. Steph Curry, NBA, Golden State Warriors: The best shooter the game has ever seen has become simply unguardable and it is nothing short of a sight to behold. Steph Curry is ridiculous, he has been ridiculous. Nobody on this list has changed their respective sport more than Curry.

6. José Altuve, MLB, Houston Astros: At just 5′ 6″, José Altuve is a nightmare for major league pitchers. Altuve has had at least 200 hits in each of the last four seasons and is currently leading the MLB in hits once again.

5. Tom Brady, NFL, New England Patriots: Few things in life are guaranteed, but Tom Brady’s excellence is just that. Being consistent is rare, but being consistently great is even rarer. Approaching 41 years of age, few athletes in the four major sports can shine the shoes of the five-time Super Bowl champion.

4. Kevin Durant, NBA, Golden State Warriors: The best player in the past two NBA Finals has been Kevin Durant. Barring anything unforeseen, Durant will soon surpass LeBron James as the best player in the NBA, and storm into the discussion of the 10 greatest NBA players of all-time.

3. Mike Trout, MLB, Los Angeles Angels: At the end of his rookie season, Mike Trout made a case that he was the best player in baseball. In the midst of his seventh season, there are no more cases to be made. When it comes to the MLB, there is Trout and there is everyone else.

2. Aaron Rodgers, NFL, Green Bay Packers: A single player in the NFL can only do so much, and Aaron Rodgers does that much. Rodgers has been surrounded by an average offensive unit his entire career and has still managed to hold the record for the highest career passer rating of all-time. Rodgers is responsible for putting forth some of the most incredible performances the football field has ever showcased. If you were to create the perfect NFL QB, it would be a clone of Aaron Rodgers.