4 Colorado athletes among ESPN’s list of best in 21st century

DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado is home to some of the best of the best of the 21st century, at least according to a new list of the top 100 professional athletes since 2000 by ESPN.

The outlet asked ESPN contributors and received 70,000 overall votes. The contributors were only allowed to consider performance after the year 2000.

Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, who has been a part-owner of the Denver Broncos since 2022, also made the list at No. 19.

Additionally, several others, including the No. 1 athlete Michael Phelps, have spent time training at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs .

No. 26 – Peyton Manning

For those unaware of Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, he was a quarterback for the Denver Broncos for four seasons from 2012 until his retirement after the Broncos won Super Bowl 50 in 2016.

Manning, who was dubbed “The Sheriff,” was also named Super Bowl MVP in 2007 after winning Super Bowl XLI with the Indianapolis Colts.

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021 and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

No. 28 – Nikola Jokic

Nikola Jokic has been part of the Denver Nuggets since 2015 after being drafted 41st overall in the 2014 NBA Draft. Originally from Serbia, Jokic earned the NBA Finals MVP after leading the team to its first-ever NBA Championship win in 2023.

Jokic has also been named NBA MVP three times, most recently after the 2024 regular season.

No. 44 Mikaela Shiffrin

Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin was born in Vail and is considered one of the greatest alpine skiers of all time, having racked up more World Cup wins than any other alpine skier in history at 96.

Shiffrin is the only skier that appears on the top 100 list.

No. 88 – Roy Halladay

National Baseball Hall of Famer Roy Halladay never played professionally for a Colorado team, only playing for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies during his 15-year career.

However, he was born and raised in the Denver metro area and was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2015, two years before his death in 2017.

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