A few days ago, Colin Cowherd gave us his list for top ten most dominant athletes in the last 10 years. His influence came from ESPN the magazine when they decided to list their most dominant athletes in the past 20 years to celebrate their 20 year anniversary. His list consists of Floyd Mayweather, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Lionel Messi, Tom Brady, and Barry Bonds. I respect Colin’s list but I don’t agree with it. Ultimately, his list influenced me to create my own with the assistance of my good friend D.Reed. The list is completely unbiased and each ranking is based on accolades during their dominance in this 20-year window. Some of the athletes that didn’t crack the top ten include Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, Sidney Crosby, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Peyton Manning. Let’s take a look.
10) Maya Moore
WNBA champion (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017)
NCAA champion (2009 and 2010)
WNBA Finals MVP (2013)
WNBA MVP (2014)
9) Jimmie Johnson
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2016)
8) Roger Federer
97 Career wins, 20 Grand Slam wins
Australian Open champion (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2017, 2018)
The top 4 on this list are arguably the greatest of all time in their respective sports. Their level of dominance is unmatched. Their competition isn’t “cupcakes” either which makes their success much more fulfilling. Floyd Mayweather’s undefeated record is impressive, however, during the prime of his career he avoiding fighting certain opponents such as Manny Pacquiao. That fight happened 6 years too late. Tom Brady has been dominant in an era with Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. LeBron James finally got over the hump in 2011 and has been to the finals ever since. Roger Federer was dominant until injuries started to get the best of his abilities and field caught up with him. Jimmie Johnson was unstoppable from 2006-2010. Maya Moore has been sensational since her iconic days playing for UConn. She’s arguably the best female basketball player since Sheryl Miller. I’m sure this list may be different from most but I can defend every spot. Let me know what you think!
What a year! I hope everybody enjoyed 2016. If you didn’t for whatever reason, I hope 2017 will be a better one. In the sports world, we definitely had our fair share of good and bad moments. We even had some interesting moments like Odell Beckham Jr. going one on one with a kicking net (and losing), Rougned Odor knocking the shades off of Jose Bautista’s face, Kevin Durant shaking up the NBA by signing with the Golden State Warriors, and JR Smith being topless for about half the week (supposedly) since the beginning of the Cleveland Cavaliers championship parade.
Honorable Mentions
Joe Thomas Sr. (55 year old running back from South Carolina State becoming the oldest man to play Division I football. His son Joe Thomas Jr. is a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers)
Colin Kaepernick Kneeling (You may or may not agree with Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling to the National Anthem, but the reason behind the action should be the focal point)
Conor McGregor Dominance (Conor McGregor became the first 2 division champion in UFC this year. His next venture may be a fight with Floyd Mayweather, but we’ll see)
10) Ken Griffey Jr. Hall Of Fame (Almost) Unanimous
“The Kid” is my all-time favorite baseball player, ever since I saw him swing with the Seattle Mariners (I barely remember that). In January, Griffey and Mike Piazza were the only two players elected to the National Baseball Hall Of Fame. This is the hardest sport to get placed into the hall of fame because it requires 75% of the vote. The most impressive and staggering note to take away is that Griffey received the highest percent of votes in the history of Major League Baseball at 99.3% (437 out of 440 votes). Personally, Ken Griffey Jr. should have been the first unanimous hall of famer, and I would love to hear their reason for not voting Griffey in for those 3 voters who didn’t vote for him. Nevertheless, this is an astonishing achievement to cap off a remarkable career.
9) Stephen Curry: Unanimous MVP
Speaking of unanimous, Stephen Curry became the first player in NBA history to be voted unanimous MVP of a season. In 2015, the Golden State Warriors shocked the world by winning their first NBA Title in 40 years. Trying to top that achievement in 2016, the Warriors won the most games in a season in NBA history with 73, while Steph Curry was putting on a display. Even though Golden State came up a Draymond Green kick and few plays short of repeating this past June, they found a way to steal the headlines over the summer (signing of Kevin Durant).
8) Von Miller Dominates Super Bowl 50
Even though Cam Newton (#1 overall pick) was the only player selected ahead of Von Miller (#2 overall pick) in the 2011 NFL Draft, Von Miller came out on top on the biggest stage. Newton looked like “Superman” throughout the whole season until the Super Bowl, where Miller registered 2.5 sacks and forcing 2 turnovers. His constant pass rush disrupted the Carolina Panthers offense the entire game. If Von Miller wasn’t hitting the quarterback, Demarcus Ware was definitely getting a few hits in from what I remember.
7) Bolt, Phelps, USA Takeover Rio 2016
Rio 2016 will go down as one of the most memorable summer Olympics ever. It signifies the end of an era with Usain Bolt accomplishing the “triple-triple” (winning the 100m, 200m, and 4 x 100m relay races consecutively in 2008, 2012, & 2016) and Michael Phelps winning a total of 28 medals (23 gold medals). The United States also were dominant in swimming events, gymnastics, and track and field events. I’m going to miss seeing Bolt and Phelps dominate their respective competition, but I’m excited to see who’s going to be the next sensation on sports’ biggest stage in Tokyo 2020.
6) Villanova Buzzer Beater
From what I remember, Villanova has always been a tournament let down whenever they are seeded high. This past March and April, Villanova actually lived up to the hype. Their mind-blowing victory over North Carolina in the NCAA Championship game was the icing on the cake. That game, in particular, was arguably the best championship game I’ve ever witnessed. The game had non-stop action with suspense and an appropriate climax. Kris Jenkins brought the game to a close and a National Title home to “Nova”.
5) Eric Berry’s Homecoming
PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO. Eric Berry has been my favorite safety in the NFL since he came into the league back in 2010. Berry was diagnosed with cancer in December of 2014 and was pronounced cancer free in July of 2015. When he bounced back after 7 months, it gave me a stronger reason of why he’s my favorite safety. Atlanta is Eric Berry’s hometown and where he received treatment during his fight against cancer. In his first visit back since therapy, Berry had a “pick 6” and a failed 2 point conversation returned for a touchdown (another pick 6) to solidify the Kansas City Chiefs victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
4) Mamba Out: Kobe Bryant’s Final Game
On the last day of the 2015-16 regular season, you had the choice to either watch the Golden State Warriors go for 73 wins or Kobe Bryant’s last game. I caught the 4th quarter of “Mamba Out”. I wasn’t the biggest Kobe fan, but I truly respected him. Watching the final 3 to 4 minutes live gave me chills and rewatching this video duplicated how I felt about it. Seeing him leave the game lets you know that an era in the NBA has ended (and my childhood basketball icons are gone). When you add Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen (officially announced his retirement) to that list of retirees in 2016, you have a higher level of appreciation for the game of basketball (and an epic hall of fame class down the line). Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki, and Manu Ginobili are next in line.
3) Cavaliers Comeback 3-1
In June of 2015, the Cleveland Cavaliers came up short in the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors. Even though LeBron James nearly averaged a triple-double, missing Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving due to injuries played a crucial part of them coming up short. A year later (with healthy teammates), the Cavs pulled off an improbable comeback in the NBA Finals. What really makes this achievement special is the fact that this is the first major championship for the city of Cleveland since the Cleveland Browns won in 1964 during the Jim Brown era. This was also the first ever NBA Title for the Cavaliers. Being a Chicago Bulls fan, I wasn’t thrilled about Cleveland winning, however, I know the importance that particular title meant to the city of Cleveland. Congrats, again, to the Cleveland Cavaliers!
2) Passing Of Legends
With the amazing things that I’ve previously mentioned during this countdown thus far, we lost some great people along the way of this special year of 2016. Some of the icons that we’ve lost this year includes boxing legend Muhammad Ali (His contributions inside and outside the ring can’t be compared to another), golfing legend Arnold Palmer (golf’s most beloved figure and he surged the sport into popularity), legendary sports broadcaster Craig Sager (#SagerStrong), former NFL head coach Dennis Green (coached the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals), legendary women’s basketball head coach Pat Summitt, and ESPN’s reporter John Saunders. I know it can be sad to think about, but we should remember their achievements and how meaningful their contributions were.
1) Cubs Win!
This is by far the most memorable moment for not only this year but the best moment for certain people’s lives. There have been generations that have waited for the day for the Chicago Cubs to win a World Series championship since 1908. I remember a little over a decade ago in 2003 when the Cubs were 5 outs away from the World Series. Then…the Steve Bartman incident happened. I seriously believe Chicago is the best sports city and Chicago Cubs fans are the most loyal fans amongst all major sports. Chicago coming back from 3-1 against Cleveland (pretty ironic), which included an unreal rain delay in extra innings of game 7, made their championship more fitting for the franchise. I know a few Cubs fans that are still celebrating (and it’s well deserved). 2016 is your year, Chicago Cubs.
We all make decisions in life. Some minor. Some major. Some might only effect yourself and some could impact others. Sometimes it can take days, weeks, months, or even years to decide OR it could take a split second. Regardless of the decisions that you make, just make sure you’re happy about it and can live with it.
With all that being said, I’m sure the whole United States and parts of the world has heard about Kevin Durant’s career decision. The reactions have been mixed to say the least. He’s been called “weak”, a “coward”, and names far more vulgar than you can imagine. I’ve seen videos of Kevin Durant jerseys and shirts being set on fire and even obliterated with automatic weapons. I can’t say that this is the worst I’ve seen from a decision like this because LeBron’s choice had a similar impact in the city of Cleveland in 2010.
I was one of the people who got on LeBron for leaving to form the big 3 in Miami. I felt like he ran from the challenge to make his life easier. I thought he lied to the city by promising them a title but bolted. The fact that he went on live TV to announce his decision wasn’t right. It was just unacceptable.
However, now I understand. If LeBron didn’t leave he wouldn’t have learned how to win. Playing with a proven winner like Dwyane Wade molded him. I don’t believe he would have the mental tools to bring a championship to Cleveland. Also, he was already getting criticized for not winning so he put himself in position to win multiple titles and that’s what he did. The same thing applies for Kevin Durant. He spent 8 years with the Thunder organization (first year as the Supersonics) and only been to the NBA Finals once. When the Heat formed the big 3, Durant mentioned on Twitter that he didn’t understand why you need to team up with other stars. At the time, Kevin thought he would win a championship soon. When you keep losing year after year (meaning not winning a championship), it will take a toll on you.
Kevin Durant went to the Golden State Warriors because playing with great teammates makes his job easier and he will have the chance to win multiple rings. People are stunned that he joined the team that eliminated him. In my opinion, I don’t think he thought of it in that way. I believe that this team gave him the best chance to win. The guy was already criticizing for losing (like LeBron was). If he chose any other team, he would’ve felt backlash as well (except maybe the Celtics). If he stayed in Oklahoma City and never won a championship, he would’ve been like Karl Malone or Charles Barkley: to win MVP, a Olympic gold medal, but no NBA championship. We always like to compare the great players to Michael Jordan. We know that Michael wouldn’t want to join the competition (he would want to beat them), but we have to realize and accept that KD or LeBron are not MJ.
He made the choice for himself and now he’s has to live with it. More pressure is on him to win and win now. To join the team that had the best regular season record in league history, winning is the only thing that’s acceptable. He can’t please everybody and I think he understands that, and everyone is not going to understand his decision either. At the end of the day, he made a life decision just like the rest of us.
First off, I want to congratulate the Cleveland Cavaliers on winning their first NBA Title. It has been 52 years since the city of Cleveland has last won a major sports championship.
Also, I want to congratulate Chile on winning Copa America. I’m shocked that Argentina couldn’t get it done. I’m even mkr surprised that Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international competition. Personally, I hope he reconsiders and continue to play. Argentina will need him in the 2018 World Cup.
With that being said, here are some things to look forward to:
Euro Cup 2016: Now
We are currently down to the last 8 teams in this exciting event. Germany has always been a strong team but France and Italy has been exceptionally well. I can’t wait to see how this plays out.
NBA Free Agency: July 1st
Free agents can’t actually sign until July 10th but they can come to verbal agreements as soon as the first of the month. Headlining this free agency class is former league MVP Kevin Durant.
MLB Home Run Derby/All-Star Game: July 8-12th
We are in the prime months of Major League Baseball. The Home Run Derby will showcase the league’s biggest bats while the All-star Game will display the season’s best players.
NFL Training Camp: Second Half of July
Amazing how quickly the NFL season is approaching. Before you know it, it will be week one and I’ll be finalizing my fantasy football lineups. Hopefully, no major injuries in the next couple of months.
Olympics: August 5th
I’ve waited 4 years for the return of the World’s biggest sporting competition. I’m most looking forward to USA Men’s Basketball, Swimming, Track and Field, and Water Polo.
JGoodWithSports 