Lauren Jackson ranked among the greatest of 21st century

Lauren Jackson has been ranked alongside Tiger Woods and Usain Bolt in the world’s top 20 most dominant athletes of the 21st century.

Lauren Jackson during her time with the Opals

Retired Australian basketball star Lauren Jackson has been ranked alongside Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, LeBron James and Usain Bolt in the world’s top 20 most dominant athletes of the 21st century.

Jackson was the only Australian to make the somewhat controversial list released by ESPN and ranked just one spot ­behind Serena Williams as the fourth most dominant sportswoman of the past 20 years.

A world championship winner with the Opals in 2006, three-times Olympic silver medallist and seven-times WNBA All Star, Jackson was rated the 13th most dominant athlete overall.

Swedish golfer Annika Sorenstam, Brazilian soccer ace Marta and Williams were considered the only three more dominant female athletes than the Albury prodigy.

“When Lauren Jackson notched her 1000th career point, she became the youngest WNBA star to reach that benchmark. Ditto for 2000. And 3000, 4000 and 5000. She was, in short, a ­relentless scorer, a terror on the inside with a rare ability to shoot beyond the arc,” ESPN said in a statement.

The resurgent Woods topped the list.

“How can a golfer who’s won only eight tournaments in the past nine years be the most dominant athlete of the past 20? Because boy howdy, the 11 years before that,” said ESPN. “Consider the decade prior to Tiger Woods’ dominant run, when golf’s players of the year ­averaged 3.1 wins.

“From 1999 through 2009, Woods averaged 5.8 wins per ­season and won the award nine times. He routinely magnitudes greater than the game’s next best: He won 13 of 35 majors from late 1999 to mid-2008, while no other golfer won more than three. Three times he won five or more consecutive tournaments — the last man who won five in a row was Ben Hogan in 1953.

“Of the 45 times he held the outright lead heading into the final round, Woods won 43 of those — a 95.6 per cent closing clip. Even the minutia is amazing: From 2002 through 2005, Woods faced 1716 putts of 3 feet or less; he made all but four. Nobody’s perfect.”

The US-centric list had American football star Peyton Manning in third spot behind Woods and James — the only other basketballer in the top 20 besides Jackson — and NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson fourth.

The list controversially includes baseball slugger Barry Bonds whose career was dogged by allegations of drug use. Bonds was initially indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice during a federal investigation into the BALCO scandal but that decision was overturned on appeal.

The list was also criticised for omitting swimming powerhouse Michael Phelps, with fans on ­social media mounting an argument for the 23-times Olympic gold medallist to be ranked first.

The Australian men’s cricket team of 2002-03 that won a world-record 16 consecutive Tests and the one-day World Cup ranked as ESPN’s second-most dominant team of the past 20 years behind the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

AAP