Greatest Of All Time: Who deserves to be in the conversation?

NZ Herald

23 Jul, 2017 10:42 PM3 mins to read

Chris Froome celebrates his fourth Tour de France victory in Paris ... only three to go. Photo/Photosport

By Grant Chapman
After a weekend when cyclist Chris Froome and golfer Jordan Spieth took baby steps towards GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) status, who are your five sporting legends?

Try these for size ...

TENNIS - ROGER FEDERER
After his eighth Wimbledon singles title and 19th Grand Slam crown just last weekend, this one is a no brainer. Remember only a couple of years ago, when everyone was begging for the Swiss master to retire to preserve his legacy? Federer, 35, rightly ignored those calls, re-invented himself into a family man off the court and has simply added to his reputation on it with two more major titles this year. Let this be a lesson to us all - retiring is the biggest decision of any sporting career and athletes deserve the right to make that on their own terms.

Roger Federer celebrates his eighth Wimbledon singles victory and 19th Grand Slam crown. Photo/Photosport

GOLF - JACK NICKLAUS
Anyone still think Tiger Woods will inevitably pass Nicklaus among golfing greats? Alas, Woods' body and off-course indiscretions have taken a heavy toll on his legacy to the point where, even if he does eventually come back, the new generation simply doesn't fear him like his peers did. Meanwhile, Nicklaus still leads the field with 18 Major crowns. Spieth needs only the PGA Championship to become the youngest career grand slam winner - Nicklaus is a triple career grand slam winner, so Spieth still has a long way to go in that regard. Don't write him off, just don't make the same assumptions we did of Woods.

Jack Nicklaus watches his tee shot during the 2016 Champions Tour Insperity Invitational. Photo/Photosport

BASKETBALL - BILL RUSSELL
Michael Jordan is generally accepted as the greatest baller ever and some regard LeBron James as his closest challenger. Neither stacks up against Boston Celtic legend Bill Russell, whose 11 titles - nine as a player, two as player/coach - are more than Jordan (six) and James (three) combined. This is another classic example of trying to compare athletes across different eras and while Russell's personal accolades may not stack up with Jordan's, basketball is ultimately a team contest. Significantly, Russell also shunned individual awards and refused to attend his induction to the NBA Hall of Fame for that reason.

LeBron James knows who the GOAT is ... pays respects to 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell. Photo/Getty Images

TENNIS - SERENA WILLIAMS
In another example of comparing two outstanding performers across different eras, Williams, 35, actually still trails Margaret Court (24) for the most Grand Slam singles titles (23), although hers were achieved during the "Open Era". Can she come back from her pregnancy to knock off a couple more titles? Add in her 14 Grand Slam doubles crowns, all with sister Venus, and two mixed doubles, and she is the most prolific winner of all-time. She and Venus are also credited for bringing power and athleticism into the women's game.

Serena Williams (USA) in action during the 2016 US Open. Photo/Getty Images

BOXING - MUHAMMAD ALI
OK, this is a cop-out, because I really want to include Lance Armstrong in this list ... but I also want to get out of the building alive. To me, the Tour de France is the world's greatest sporting event and Armstrong won it more than anyone else. Did he cheat? Sure. Am I 100% confident Froome isn't cheating? Nope. But if you thought I was joking in my Dope Away column last week, I wasn't.
Ali definitely deserves to be in the GOAT conversation though, as much for his flamboyant personality as his achievements in the ring, for which he was named the greatest athlete of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated.