AP reveals its two athletes of the decade: A tennis legend and a basketball superstar

St. Louis Today ^ | December 29, 2019 | Ringo H.W. Chiu

[Rummyfan]

[snip] Serena Williams dominated the decade, on the court and in conversation.

She won a lot of tournaments yes. But she is a spoiled child on the court. And not in the fun way that John McEnroe was, but in a nasty mean way, abusing ball boys / girls, and chair umpires, and generally disgracing her sport. She's a black woman so she gets a pass. Anyone else would have been run off the tour.

[Rummyfan]

That's a man, baby!

INDEED!

[shanover]

Without looking at the merits,I care less because the NBA and pro Tennis are not what they used to be and it can be argued they would not dominate in those older eras. Maybe I am wrong,care less. I am that guy now who thinks everything past was the best.

[Bullish]

Serena Williams? More like Brat of the century.

[Bullish]

Brady’s not black... That’s why, and anyone who doesn’t have the brain disease called ‘liberalism’ knows that.

[Clemenza]

Lebron > Michael Jordan

[Ratman0823]

No football player will ever be as important to his team as a star basketball player is to his

Really? How about the year that Payton Manning was hurt for the Colts, and they went from Super Bowl champs to 1st draft pick in one season. Same could be said for the Broncos after Elway retired, until Manning was there for a year or two, and look where they are now.

When considering the "best basketball player of all time", I can think of a few players from the 1980s like Bird and Johnson, and some from earlier days, like West, Cousy and Robertson, who were among the best when basketball was a team game, not 5 guys either slam dunking or shooting from 30' out.

[Sapwolf]

Why do you post such crap like that on FR?

I’d ban you in a heartbeat.

Christ, at least shrink the photo way down so we can see it only if we really squint with reading glasses.

Such hideousness belongs at Salon or HuffPo. NOT HERE.

[Atticus]

Unless this contest is only open to American athletes, I would have selected Roger Federer as male athlete of the decade. He is a true champion and sportsman who regained the No. 1 spot at the age of 36 and did so cleanly and with only half the musculature of Serena Williams.

[Enterprise]

LOL!!!!

[BTerclinger]

LEBRON JAMES?

[dfwgator]

[BTerclinger]

Good one!

[lodi90]

No football player will ever be as important to his team as a star basketball player is to his - fewer players per team, coaching isn’t nearly as important, and individual talent is far more important. LeBron James is in the conversation with Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain as the best basketball player of all time. I dislike James quite a bit as an individual. I can’t argue with his selection, though.

---

Not really. There is only one thrower on a football team. Five shooters/scoreres on a basketball team. QB is a far more important position than any basketball position.

LeBrick has far too few championships to be considered a GOAT. He’s in the 2nd tier of basketball players historically and is racking up records only due to the longevity of his career.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Really? How about the year that Payton Manning was hurt for the Colts, and they went from Super Bowl champs to 1st draft pick in one season. Same could be said for the Broncos after Elway retired, until Manning was there for a year or two, and look where they are now.

Or the 49ers dynasty after Steve Young's career was ended due to concussion. There's no question that Hall-of-Fame QBs can carry offenses long past their primes, but Manning's last playing season with the Colts before his Indy career ended with a neck injury wasn't a Super Bowl season - they exited in the wild-card round with a loss to the Jets. They were already a team on the decline. And for most of Manning's career, the argument was whether he was even the best QB in the AFC (as opposed to Tom Brady). If he wasn't even the unanimous best in his own sport, I don't see how he can be in the running for best athlete.

By contrast, no one questions LeBron James' dominance of the NBA for the past decade - having him on a team meant that team could be inked in for the NBA Finals for the better part of a decade - his Miami and Cleveland teams made the Finals for eight straight years. Both teams collapsed the moment he left them.

[SkyPilot]

Serena William and LeBron James?

Why two black men?

[SkyPilot]

But she is a spoiled child on the court. And not in the fun way that John McEnroe was, but in a nasty mean way, abusing ball boys / girls, and chair umpires, and generally disgracing her sport. She's a black woman so she gets a pass. Anyone else would have been run off the tour.

An Australian newspaper was hauled into a review by the Australian Press Council for this cartoon, accusing them of racism. The newspaper won the ruling.