The Associated Press has named LeBron James and Serena Williams as Athletes of the Decade. They defeated Olympic gymnast Simone Biles of the United States and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady of the USA, who were both finalist for the award. Lindsey Vonn, Katie Ledeck, and Tom Brady were also on the list, finishing third and fourth respectively. Men's athletes include Michael Phelps and Lionel Messi.
LeBron James
LeBron James may be the greatest basketball player ever. However, he's also an entrepreneur. He is a minority shareholder in Liverpool football and has founded a production firm. Uninterrupted is his digital media company. His many projects have made him more visible. His goal is to help the Los Angeles Lakers get back to the glory days they once had.
James was named the AP Athlete of the Decade. This beat other athletes such as Usain bolt, Lionel Messi, Michael Phelps, and Tom Brady. He was controversially viewed as the NBA's star player in 2010 and this honor was huge for him. Although he was initially seen as a villain for leaving the Cavaliers to join Miami Heat, he quickly gained acclaim. He won the MVP award and won three NBA championships in 10 years.
Serena Williams
Serena Williams has been a dominant tennis player over the past decade. This earned her the title Female Athlete in the Decade. The vote was based on Serena Williams' achievements on and off court. She won 12 Grand Slam singles crowns, became pregnant for the first, fought against racism within the athletic community, was an inspiration for young women, and was awarded the Grand Slam Singles titles.
She has won numerous singles slams and claimed 12 Grand Slam titles since 2007. This feat has never been achieved by another woman. She also holds the record of Steffi Graf's longest consecutive week at the top, being the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam Singles Trophy. Serena has also won 37 singles titles in 19 majors.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi has been called the greatest soccer player. Not only is he the greatest goal scorer ever, but he's also one the most gifted dribblers and passers. Messi's dominance is evident in many ways. He completes more dribbles per game, plays through more balls, and finds more passes into penalties than any other player. His dominance has earned him the nickname Ruthian. This word does not appear in every dictionary but it is used on sports pages to denote Messi.
Messi has won many awards and honors in his long career, not only as a top-flight football player. He has twice been listed as one of the 100 most influential people worldwide by Time magazine. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential persons in the world in 2011. He was also named Laureus World Sportsman of the Decade for 2020. His career earnings are over $1 billion. Starting at 13 years old at a Barcelona youth academy, Messi went on to win six La Liga titles as well as two Champions League titles and five Copa del Rey awards.
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympic swimmer of the past decade. He has 22 Olympic medals and eight golds from the 2008 Beijing Games. This makes him one of history's most decorated athletes. He's also won more World Championships and national titles than any other swimmer.
His Olympic achievements have paved the way for his name to become synonymous with swimming. Michael Phelps, despite his prolonged absence from competition has not let up. He founded a foundation that teaches kids how to swim, and promotes the sport. His foundation funds swim training programs and teaches children the basics. He has even given more of his time to it. Friends still text him asking when he'll return to competitive swimming.