LeBron and Serena Williams were named Athletes in the Decade by the Associated Press. They beat out Olympic gymnast Simone Biles as well as New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Lindsey Vonn's and Katie Ledeck's finishes are also included in the list. Men's athletes include Lionel Messi and Michael Phelps.
LeBron James
Not only is LeBron James arguably the greatest basketball player in the history of the sport, but he's also an entrepreneur with off-court successes. He owns a minority stake in the Liverpool football team and has launched a production company. 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 by Usain Bolt, Lionel Messi and Michael Phelps on Monday. As a controversial figure, James was the first star of the NBA to receive this award in 2010. He was initially viewed as a villain by the league after he spurned the Cavaliers to sign with the Miami Heat. But he quickly earned praise. He won the MVP award. In 10 years, he also won three NBA championships.
Serena Williams
Serena Williams has dominated the tennis court over the past decade, earning her the title of Female Athlete of the Decade. She was selected by AP's beat writers and sports editors based upon her accomplishments on the court and off. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and was a mother for her first time.
Since 2007, she has won multiple singles slams, claiming 12 Grand Slam titles, a feat no other woman has ever accomplished. She is also the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam singles trophy, and tied Steffi Graf's record for most consecutive weeks at the top. Serena has also won 37 singles titles in 19 majors.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is the most famous soccer player. He is the greatest goal scorer of all time, as well as one of the top free-kick takers, passers, dribblers and passers in soccer's history. 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 is so strong that he has been given 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 was twice named one of Time's 100 most important people in the world. 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. And his career earnings have topped $1 billion. Having started out at a Barcelona youth academy at age 13, Messi has gone on to win six La Liga titles, two Champions League titles, and five Copa del Rey titles.
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympic athlete of the decade. His 22 Olympic medals, including eight golds at the 2008 Beijing Games, make him one of the most decorated athletes of all time. He also has more national titles and World Championships wins 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 created a foundation for teaching kids to swim and to promote swimming. He also devotes more time and effort to his foundation. It funds swim training programs, and teaches the basics. He still receives text messages from old friends who ask him when he'll come back to competing.