National Football League

Woods, Ali, Brady, Jordan make up Bayless' Mount Rushmore of sports

Published Apr. 8, 2022 10:58 a.m. ET

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When it comes to the greatest athletes of all time, opinions always differ on the matter.

On Thursday, Skip Bayless broke down who would be the four individuals to make up his Mount Rushmore of all-time athletes — across all sports — and why they are deserving of such praise.

Let's see who made the cut on the latest episode of "The Skip Bayless Show."

1. Michael Jordan

Atop Bayless' list is NBA legend Jordan, a 14-time All-Star and five-time NBA MVP who won six championships with the Chicago Bulls and was named NBA Finals MVP all six times. During his 15-season career with the Bulls, Jordan averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 1,072 regular-season games, and he had 30 games of at least 50 points. 

He led the league in scoring for a record 10 seasons and is one of only seven players to win an NCAA championship, an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal.

Bayless' thoughts: "Obviously the NBA GOAT. …  I've said it before, and I'm gonna say it again. He was simply the greatest competitor and greatest big-game performer ever in any sport. Never been anything quite like him. … Michael Jordan was a supremely talented overachiever. He was better than anyone else, and he worked harder than anyone else. … Just an unparalleled rage to win. There's nobody who ever played any sport that I would rather have the ball in his hands with the game on the line for my life."

Michael Jordan's greatness puts him at the top of Skip Bayless' Mt. Rushmore list

Bayless explains why the NBA legend is No. 1 on his all-time Mt. Rushmore list.

2. Tom Brady

Coming in at the No. 2 spot on Bayless' list is none other than Brady, who is widely regarded as the greatest NFL quarterback of all time. He spent the first 20 seasons of his career in New England, where he led the Patriots to 17 division titles, 13 AFC Championship games and six Super Bowl victories. 

He won Super Bowl LV in his first year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, bringing his total to a record seven Super Bowl titles. Brady is the only QB to win a Super Bowl in three separate decades, as well as the only QB to be named Super Bowl MVP for two different franchises.

Bayless' thoughts: "Tom Brady [is the] ultimate wolf in sheep's clothing. … In his first six Super Bowls, Tom Brady won them with game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime. … Tom Brady has proven to be the greatest leader in the history of sports. … What Brady did in Tampa [Bay], turning it into ‘Tom-pa Bay,' the ‘Suckaneers,’ 7-9 the year before and completely changed the culture during a pandemic on a torn MCL at age 43 at that point. … Brady is coming off — arguably — his greatest regular season ever. And obviously, he tried to retire, and he just couldn't put out the fire because the fire just rages in him."

Tom Brady is second on Skip Bayless' Mt. Rushmore: ‘The greatest leader in the history of sports’

Bayless provides his rationale for putting Brady as No. 2 on his all-time Mt. Rushmore ranking.

3. Muhammad Ali

Third on Bayless' list is American former heavyweight champion boxer and Olympic gold medalist Ali. Ali won 56 times, with 37 knockouts, in his 21-year professional career and was the first fighter to capture the heavyweight title three times.

Bayless' thoughts: "He wasn't always the most dedicated. He wasn't only the most disciplined He rose, and he fell. … Muhammad Ali was the most courageous fighter I ever watched, I ever studied. Young Ali, he beat you with his speed and his style. Older Ali, he beat you with his guts and his guile, his pain threshold and his will and his strategic genius. Never seen anything like him in the ring. He was all about failing and overcoming … No superstar has ever fought back any more than Ali did. … Ali belongs."

Why Muhammad Ali is on Skip Bayless' all-time Mt. Rushmore list

Bayless talks about his favorite athlete growing up, Ali, and why he's ranked third on his all-time Mt. Rushmore list.

4. Tiger Woods

The five-time Masters winner, who had been out of competitive action since his devastating car accident 14 months ago prior to teeing off on Thursday at Augusta, is one of the most dominant and influential figures in PGA history. Woods won 14 major championships from 1997 to 2008, four of which came at the Masters. He is the youngest player to win at the Masters, at 21 years, 3 months and 14 days in 1997. He set the current record for the largest margin of victory (12 strokes) that same year. Woods' last major championship was at the Masters in 2019, where he won his fifth championship in the event and first major title since 2008.

Bayless' thoughts: "No athlete in the history of sports … has risen above and conquered more injuries than Tiger Woods has. … I have no earthly idea how not that much more than a year later [after his near-fatal car crash, Woods is] in Augusta for the Masters. You, Tiger, have willed yourself through more injuries to more victories than any athlete ever. … This man, for about three years, dominated the sport of golf the way it [has never been] dominated and [will never be] dominated again, I don't think. This man has simply the greatest clutch putter ever … the most spectacular clutch shot-maker I've ever seen. … Like Brady, I just don't bet against him."

Tiger Woods' physical resilience lands him on Skip Bayless' all-time Mt. Rushmore

With his return to golf following a devastating injury, Bayless talks about why Woods is No. 4 on his all-time Mt. Rushmore list.

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