BREAKING: Michael Phelps and Simone Biles among the top rankholders in ESPN’s top 100 athletes of the 21st century

Michael Phelps and Simone Biles ranked first and seventh ESPN’s top 100 athletes of the 21st century (Both from Getty)

Michael Phelps and Simone Biles have been recognized among ESPN’s top 100 athletes of the 21st century. Since 2024 marks the 25th year of the beginning of the 21st century, ESPN.com has released its list of the top 100 athletes of the 2000s on their website, based on their career highlights and achievements who excelled between 2000 and 2024.

A panel, including experts’ opinions and ESPN’s Stats & Information Group, determined the ranks of the top 100 athletes. Before this, an initial list of 400 athletes was narrowed down to 100 athletes after receiving 75,000 votes from the organization’s reporters, analysts, and editors from all across the globe.

Phelps has been ranked No. 1 on the list, while Biles is positioned seventh. Phelps was ranked as the best athlete of the 21st century by ESPN for his unparalleled and record-breaking performance in the history of the Summer Olympics.

With a total of 28 medals, including 23 gold, Phelps stands as the most decorated Olympian in the history of the Games. Additionally, he concluded his career after the 2016 Rio Olympics with an impressive 33 World Championships medals, which comprised 26 golds.

On the other hand, Simone Biles has amassed 37 medals, including 30 Artistic Gymnastics gold medals and 7 Olympic medals. Her performance at the prestigious events makes her the most successful gymnast of all time.

Biles’ biggest achievement at the Olympics was winning the all-around gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Meanwhile, out of the 30 medals at the World Championships, she has earned 23 gold medals.

Following Phelps, Serena Williams, Lionel Messi, LeBron James, Tom Brady, and Roger Federer, occupied the next-best spots in the list, ranking from second to sixth. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods, Usain Bolt, and Kobe Bryant completed the top 10, securing eighth to tenth positions.

A few awards won by Michael Phelps and Simone Biles for accomplishments in sports
Simone Biles at the 2017 Laureus World Sports Awards. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images for Laureus)
Due to his exceptional achievements in swimming, Michael Phelps was honored as the World Aquatics Male Athlete of the Year in 2012 and 2016, the awards that saw its establishment in 2010. He also bagged the Swimming World’s Male Swimmer of the Year title on eight occasions, and the Sports Illustrated’s magazine Sportsperson of the Year award in 2008.

Whereas, Simone Biles has bagged the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year title thrice in 2020, 2019, and 2017. She won the Laureus Comeback of the Year in 2024 for making a sensational comeback at the 2023 World Championship, collecting four gold medals. She bounced back in 2023 after withdrawing from multiple events at the Tokyo Olympics due to ‘Twisties’.

In 2024, Biles also collected the 2024 ESPY Award for Best Comeback Athlete. Another prominent award won by Biles was the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.