GOAT Rank · 1370

Greatest Athletes from United States

This ranking is led by Michael Phelps, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Carl Lewis. GOAT Rank currently ranks 1370 eligible athletes from United States using verified career records across dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.

Quick answer

According to GOAT Rank's current model, Michael Phelps ranks #1 on this list with a GOAT Score of 95.2.

How the GOAT Score is calculated →

#AthleteGOAT Score

1480

Mike Burton

79.5

Sport: Swimming
Career: 1966–1972
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 70.0

Athlete: Mike Burton

1481

DeMarcus Cousins

79.5

Sport: Basketball
Career: 2010–2022
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: DeMarcus Cousins

1483

Rocky Graziano

79.5

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1942–1952
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Rocky Graziano

1484

Forrest Gregg

79.5

Sport: American Football
Career: 1956–1971
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 94.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Forrest Gregg

1487

Mikele Barber

79.5

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2001–2012
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Mikele Barber

1490

Willis Reed

79.4

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1964–1974
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 66.0

Athlete: Willis Reed

1492

Zab Judah

79.4

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1996–2019
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Zab Judah

1495

Kenny Bednarek

79.4

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2019–active
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Kenny Bednarek

1498

Sophia Smith

79.4

Sport: Football
Career: 2020–active
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 66.0

Athlete: Sophia Smith

1499

Roger Brown

79.4

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1967–1975
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 72.0

Athlete: Roger Brown

1500

Frank Parker

79.4

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1932–1949
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Frank Parker

1501

Lew Jenkins

79.4

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1935–1950
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Lew Jenkins

1502

Ted Hendricks

79.4

Sport: American Football
Career: 1969–1983
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 94.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Ted Hendricks

1507

Missy Franklin

79.3

Sport: Swimming
Career: 2010–2018
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 70.0

Athlete: Missy Franklin

1509

Cap Anson

79.3

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1871–1897
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 96.0

Athlete: Cap Anson

1512

Brendan Hansen

79.3

Sport: Swimming
Career: 2000–2012
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Brendan Hansen

1514

Bob Lilly

79.3

Sport: American Football
Career: 1961–1974
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 90.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Bob Lilly

1515

Robin Backhaus

79.3

Sport: Swimming
Career: 1971–1976
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 66.0

Athlete: Robin Backhaus

1517

Fred Alexander

79.3

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1900–1921
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Fred Alexander

1519

Al Attles

79.3

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1960–1971
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 84.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Al Attles

1524

Cy Young

79.2

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1890–1911
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 92.0
Statistics: 98.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 94.0

Athlete: Cy Young

1526

Jayson Tatum

79.2

Sport: Basketball
Career: 2017–active
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 66.0

Athlete: Jayson Tatum

1527

Kevin Love

79.2

Sport: Basketball
Career: 2008–active
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 72.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Kevin Love

1528

Alan Page

79.2

Sport: American Football
Career: 1967–1981
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Alan Page

1529

Elizabeth Beisel

79.2

Sport: Swimming
Career: 2007–2016
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Elizabeth Beisel

1531

Jessica McCaskill

79.2

Sport: Boxing
Career: 2015–active
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 72.0

Athlete: Jessica McCaskill

1532

Justin Tucker

79.2

Sport: American Football
Career: 2012–2024
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 96.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Justin Tucker

1540

Barbara Bedford

79.2

Sport: Swimming
Career: 1990–2000
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Barbara Bedford

1541

Franco Harris

79.2

Sport: American Football
Career: 1972–1984
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 94.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Franco Harris

1542

Paul Krause

79.2

Sport: American Football
Career: 1964–1979
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 96.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 92.0

Athlete: Paul Krause

1544

Robert Wrenn

79.2

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1891–1900
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Robert Wrenn

1549

Michael Chadwick

79.2

Sport: Swimming
Career: 2013–2021
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Michael Chadwick

1551

Dominique Wilkins

79.1

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1982–1999
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 72.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Dominique Wilkins

1557

Simone Manuel

79.1

Sport: Swimming
Career: 2015–active
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 72.0

Athlete: Simone Manuel

1561

Cris Carter

79.1

Sport: American Football
Career: 1987–2002
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 96.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Cris Carter

1562

Herb Adderley

79.1

Sport: American Football
Career: 1961–1972
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 96.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Herb Adderley

1564

Don McNeill

79.1

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1936–1950
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Don McNeill

1570

Brian Leetch

79.1

Sport: Ice Hockey
Career: 1987–2006
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 92.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Brian Leetch

1573

Nate Thurmond

79.0

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1963–1977
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 76.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Nate Thurmond

1574

Chris Bosh

79.0

Sport: Basketball
Career: 2003–2016
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 74.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 76.0

Athlete: Chris Bosh

1576

Devin Booker

79.0

Sport: Basketball
Career: 2015–active
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 76.0
Longevity: 72.0

Athlete: Devin Booker

1578

Ricky Berens

79.0

Sport: Swimming
Career: 2007–2014
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Ricky Berens

1579

Adrien Broner

79.0

Sport: Boxing
Career: 2008–active
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Adrien Broner

1585

Torri Huske

79.0

Sport: Swimming
Career: 2019–active
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 68.0

Athlete: Torri Huske

1587

Champ Bailey

79.0

Sport: American Football
Career: 1999–2013
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Champ Bailey

1589

Randall McDaniel

79.0

Sport: American Football
Career: 1988–2001
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Randall McDaniel

1594

Ted Williams

78.9

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1939–1960
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 95.0
Dominance: 92.0
Statistics: 96.0
Honours: 89.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Ted Williams

1595

Walter Johnson

78.9

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1907–1927
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 92.0
Statistics: 95.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Walter Johnson

1596

Elena Delle Donne

78.9

Sport: Basketball
Career: 2013–2023
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Elena Delle Donne

1598

James Worthy

78.9

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1982–1994
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: James Worthy

#	Athlete	Sport	Country	Career	GOAT Score
1480	Mike Burton	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1966–1972	79.5
1481	DeMarcus Cousins	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	2010–2022	79.5
1483	Rocky Graziano	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1942–1952	79.5
1484	Forrest Gregg	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1956–1971	79.5
1487	Mikele Barber	Athletics	🇺🇸 United States	2001–2012	79.5
1490	Willis Reed	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1964–1974	79.4
1492	Zab Judah	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1996–2019	79.4
1495	Kenny Bednarek	Athletics	🇺🇸 United States	2019–active	79.4
1498	Sophia Smith	Football	🇺🇸 United States	2020–active	79.4
1499	Roger Brown	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1967–1975	79.4
1500	Frank Parker	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1932–1949	79.4
1501	Lew Jenkins	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1935–1950	79.4
1502	Ted Hendricks	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1969–1983	79.4
1507	Missy Franklin	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2010–2018	79.3
1509	Cap Anson	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1871–1897	79.3
1512	Brendan Hansen	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2000–2012	79.3
1514	Bob Lilly	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1961–1974	79.3
1515	Robin Backhaus	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1971–1976	79.3
1517	Fred Alexander	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1900–1921	79.3
1519	Al Attles	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1960–1971	79.3
1524	Cy Young	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1890–1911	79.2
1526	Jayson Tatum	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	2017–active	79.2
1527	Kevin Love	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	2008–active	79.2
1528	Alan Page	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1967–1981	79.2
1529	Elizabeth Beisel	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2007–2016	79.2
1531	Jessica McCaskill	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	2015–active	79.2
1532	Justin Tucker	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	2012–2024	79.2
1540	Barbara Bedford	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1990–2000	79.2
1541	Franco Harris	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1972–1984	79.2
1542	Paul Krause	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1964–1979	79.2
1544	Robert Wrenn	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1891–1900	79.2
1549	Michael Chadwick	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2013–2021	79.2
1551	Dominique Wilkins	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1982–1999	79.1
1557	Simone Manuel	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2015–active	79.1
1561	Cris Carter	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1987–2002	79.1
1562	Herb Adderley	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1961–1972	79.1
1564	Don McNeill	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1936–1950	79.1
1570	Brian Leetch	Ice Hockey	🇺🇸 United States	1987–2006	79.1
1573	Nate Thurmond	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1963–1977	79.0
1574	Chris Bosh	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	2003–2016	79.0
1576	Devin Booker	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	2015–active	79.0
1578	Ricky Berens	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2007–2014	79.0
1579	Adrien Broner	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	2008–active	79.0
1585	Torri Huske	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2019–active	79.0
1587	Champ Bailey	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1999–2013	79.0
1589	Randall McDaniel	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1988–2001	79.0
1594	Ted Williams	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1939–1960	78.9
1595	Walter Johnson	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1907–1927	78.9
1596	Elena Delle Donne	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	2013–2023	78.9
1598	James Worthy	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1982–1994	78.9

Compare the leaders

Michael Phelps vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Read the full methodology

Sport lists use the raw In-Sport GOAT Score. Cross-sport lists use the official competition-depth adjustment. No scores are recalculated for this page.

Read the full methodology

Frequently asked questions

How is this ranking calculated?

Five verified components are weighted consistently: dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.

Who is included?

According to GOAT Rank's current data model, only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible. Rank and score are read live.

Related rankings

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