LeBron James, Michael Jordan snubbed as ESPN Analyst names different GOAT male athlete

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LeBron James and Michael Jordan are among the greatest male athletes ever, and these two are often named in a GOAT discussions. NBA analysts and fans love to banter about whether James and Jordan are the greatest of all time when it comes to sports. Tom Brady usually pops up in those conversations, too.

But neither James, Jordan nor Brady have been named ESPN's GOAT male athlete. Who did they pick?

ESPN named Argentine professional soccer player Lionel Messi the GOAT male athlete. He's won eight Ballon d'Or awards and spearheaded Argentina to a championship in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Why Lionel Messi is ESPN's GOAT male athlete over LeBron James and Michael Jordan

So, why did they pick Messi? According to Ryan O'Hanlon of ESPN, it's because he's "making soccer easy to understand."

"He's the greatest we've ever seen because he's the greatest at everything we see: scoring goals, creating chances, dribbling, passing, even walking," he adds.

O'Hanlon argues that Messi is the greatest male athlete of all time because he has been the best player in the world's most popular sport for nearly 20 years. It makes sense, even if he's not a household name in the U.S.

O'Hanlon adds that the best athlete should be judged by two things: how much better they are than everyone else in their sport and how many people play that sport. Since soccer is the most widely played and competitive sport in the world, and Messi has dominated it for so long, he believes no other athlete has a stronger case.

"He's the best male athlete of all time -- and no, it's not even close," he adds.

So, is Messi better than James or Jordan? It's debatable and of course subjective. But, O'Hanlon makes a strong case for Messi inching out both of them.