Best Current Athlete

Today while I was having a slow work out day, I started thinking about the best sport athletes playing right now. Right away, four names came to mind: Michael Phelps, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods. To decide, I will have to analyze each one at a time.

Michael Phelps - Some people might start off by saying that swimming is not a sport. I want to eliminate that right away. Swimming is not only a sport, but probably one of the most demanding sports. After all, it is the best form of exercise. It seems like everyday time this kid hits the water, he is breaking another record. The guy won eight or nine gold medals in the last Olympics. I mean how amazing is that? He is in such good shape; he gets to eat like 12,000 calories a day. Sounds to me like his workouts aren’t a walk in the park. However, is he the best athlete? NO

LeBron James - James will probably be the hardest guy to look at. Just looking at him, he is a pure specimen of a great athlete. He is lighting fast, can jump higher than anyone and can score at will. He single handedly took the Cavaliers from the bottom of the East to one of the clear favorites these past two years. However, and this will come up every time you have the Kobe LeBron debate, James has not won a Championship. In order to be the best, you must win Championships. Until then, LeBron can not be the best current athlete.

Kobe Bryant - What can you say about him? The guy has won four championships. I'm not sure, but I think he has two MVP's. The guy is turning the LA Lakers into a dynasty. He not only does it on offense, but he is also one of the best defensive players in the league. While doing that, he averages around 25 ppg, keeping in mind that every night the opposing team has their best defender on him. Every night, he has to deal with guys like Bruce Bowen, Ron Artest (not anymore I guess) and Shane Battier. For some reason, he just doesn't seem like the dominant athlete I want to call the best. However, he is my number two.

Tiger Woods - This guy is just amazing. Every weekend, it seems like he is winning another title. did you know that Tiger has won 27% of the tournaments he has entered? The next closest was Nicholas at 9%. 9%. Think of that difference. By the end of his career, he will destroy both the major title win and tournament win records. Just last year, he won the U. S. Open with a torn ACL. Are you kidding? That's like Kobe playing ball with a broken wrist. Tiger didn't make any excuses, didn't even tell the press, went out and won. Even today, Tiger is leading the way at the PGA Tour Championships. This guy just knows how to win and compete. He's got that killer instinct, ala Michael Jordan. Something LeBron needs to learn. Tiger dominates his sport like no other, and that is why he is the best current athlete.