Who is the greatest ever Australian athlete? Don Bradman. Margaret Court. Greg Norman. Rod Laver. Dawn Fraser. These are the names that immediately come to mind.
Deciding on one name is irrelevant – it’s like deciding between supermodels, there is no bad choice, only varying degrees of greatness. Each belongs in the pantheon of Australian sports, along with many others.
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Ian Thorpe and the men’s 4×100 freestyle smashing guitars in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Alan Bond leading us to American Cup glory in 1985, Cadel Evans claiming the Maillot Jaune in 2011, Betty Cuthbert breaking world records and barriers all the same in the 1950s.
The reach of each extended beyond the parochial adoration of our southern land to capture the hearts, imagination and interest of the world. They reached a truly global audience.
The current generation of athletes continue to build on this legacy – we are arguably in a golden era for Australian sports. Yet for all our success, there is no one who can compete with the big boys of global sports in terms of admiration.
A recent ESPN list ranked the most famous athletes alive, yet there were no Australians to be found. No one who could hold a candle to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Tiger Woods, LeBron James or Stephen Curry.
Curry and James are arguably the two biggest global superstars. James laid the platform, Curry then seized headlines with back-to-back MVP seasons, only for James to recapture his throne this week.
The Warriors superstar is the glitch in the NBA’s matrix, his superfluous three-point shooting and all-round wizardry has made the sporting universe take notice. Australian sporting fans are no exception.
Curry and James have helped launch the NBA into the mainstream Australian sporting psyche, despite the league’s issues with gaining traction Down Under. What was once a niche is now the norm.
What if an Australian could reach this level of NBA stardom?
Enter Ben Simmons.
Simmons profiles as the greatest basketball product to ever come from Australia, he is that talented. His upcoming selection by the Philadelphia 76ers with the No.1 overall pick in the NBA Draft means the Melbourne-born 19-year-old has the opportunity to live up to his immense potential.
The NBA Twitterverse doesn’t often agree on much, but there is no disputing Simmons’ talent.
ESPN’s David Thorpe wrote, “The LSU prospect could be the prototypical power forward for today’s NBA game, thanks to his elite vision and feel with the ball as a 6-foot-10, 240-plus pound man.
“His ceiling [is] a perennial All-Star, a max-salary player and, if he learns to be a better primary scorer, a recurrent MVP candidate.”
DraftExpress ranked Simmons the clear number one prospect in his draft class.
Nate Duncan and Danny Leroux gushed over his ball-handling ability.
Even US President Barack Obama is a fan. The list of admirers is endless.
Only once before has an Australian been the first pick in the NBA draft – Andrew Bogut in 2005 – and along with that distinction comes an eight-figure payday and an expectation he will rise to the very top of the sport.
Herein lays the road map for Australia’s next great sporting superstar. Only this time, there are no regional boundaries or limits to his stardom. Simmons has the platform to capture the world’s attention as a generational NBA superstar.
In a millennial age there is no better gauge for popularity than social media. 30 million Facebook followers, 22 million Twitter followers – that is the global reach of the NBA. The league claims to have 1 billion followers across all social platforms. That’s almost 14 per cent of the global population.
None of his contemporaries can compete with the sheer scale of the NBA.
Jason Day is the world’s number one golfer, having won major tournaments and claimed three titles during the first half of 2016. But he isn’t the global face of golf. Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods all rank top 20 on ESPN’s global list, while Day is nowhere to be found.
Beyond that, Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson are American products who simply have more star appeal than Day. This doesn’t make it right of course, just the stark reality of life.
Daniel Ricciardo has the platform but is yet to crack the Formula One code, and, once again, motorsport remains a niche pastime surpassed by the likes of basketball and soccer.
Nick Kyrgios and Bernad Tomic – both top 20 tennis players – are more infamous than famous at this point in their careers.
Then there’s Jarryd Hayne, who has garnered unhealthy attention for simply breaking the mould, not for achieving any athletic success in America.
As for pillars of the native endeavours, AFL and NRL – Lance Franklin and Johnathan Thurston – they are simply restricted by the stage they perform on. Truly world-class athletes who are strangers beyond Australia.
So with Simmons now having an NBA home, the hype train can begin in earnest. Simmons will quickly become idolised in Australia – we love anyone who fights the global heavyweights on the international stage.
Should he develop into the basketball player many experts him to be, we could witness a new form of superstar from Down Under. Simmons could raise local basketball into otherworldly heights and simultaneously catapult his name into the penthouse of Australian sporting legends, while returning his homeland to being a global sporting powerhouse.
A basketball revolution is coming in Australia, and Ben Simmons is poised to be the poster child.
Machooka
Roar Guru
Make no mistake... Ben can play D !
pete bloor
Guest
But they know Greg Norman?
dogforlife
Guest
Yeah, was thinking the exact same thing just not sure of outside Australia and the USA how far he goes.
chucked
Guest
Chad Reed anyone?
joe
Guest
I think Simmons is highly overrated.He is very soft.He couldn't even get LSU into the final of the SEC Tournament (the SEC was extremely weak) & into the big tournament of 64 in March.LSU got absolutely embarrassed in his final game.I think it was something like 44-12 at halftime.Simmons was a complete no-show. Yet he is going to go into the NBA against grown men & dominate? I don't think so.
joe
Guest
So even IF every person in the countries you mentioned all know who Bradman is its still not close to being a "worldwide" sports icon. And honestly,you really think some 20yr old dirt poor indian guy in the slums of Delhi or wherever even knows who the hell Don Bradman is? I bet half the people in these 3rd world countries you have listed have absolutely zero clue who some guy from Australia in the 1920's/30's who was good at cricket even is.
Swampy
Guest
Depends on how you view his season - underwhelming if you look at how LSU fared but as an individual his stats were unbelievable. There are only two questions in regard to Ben Simmons - will he be a reasonable shooter in the pros? And does he have the killer instinct we expect of transcendent players? Philly are still goddamn awful so don't expect Simmons to turn them into an east coast powerhouse in his first year - he will need major help. I dare you to name the current Sixers roster without consulting the Internet - I'd be surprised if anyone could name the starting five let alone the bench. In fact, at this point in time I'm not sure Philly even has enough players signed to fill the bench. Don't try tempering your expectations of Simmons before he's even played. He is very very good - it is very likely he will be a star and let's hope that he is because it will be brilliant for the boomers.
Sam Walker
Roar Guru
I think we need to wait until we see how Simmons goes in the NBA before we give him these potential labels. He has the tolls and the game to get their but right now we have more questions about him than true answers. His LSU season was far from outstanding but that is not something to exactly knock him for as a number of players have succeeded after a sub par collegiate season. Philly will be an interesting prospect with their recent years being far from successful however with new people in charge and the process looking like it is finished with they may start to turn the corner and hopefully Simmons is a big part of that if he goes there.
Swampy
Guest
That is the dumbest list ever by the way - rudy gay is on it ffs! It's not athletes alive either - it's active athletes. ESPN would have Greg Norman on it otherwise. Ridiculous that Adam Scott, Jason Day, Nick Kyrgios nor Daniel Riccardo do not make the list but Sonia mirna does. Must have been compiled by the David lord of the ESPN lol. Regardless, Kyrgios, Day and Simmons will be on it next year. I imagine the kiwis must be shattered Ritchie McCaw didn't make it ?
McNaulty
Guest
the biggest issue is from the LSU games I saw he shoots badly. Worse than Lebron. He seemed a bit disinterested at college level but that is understandable considering he would have skipped the college level if he could.
SP
Guest
Most of the world hasn't heard of Bradman? Really? What about the 1 billion plus Indians, several hundred million Pakistanis, South Africans, poms etc. Pretty sure they know about him.
joe
Guest
Bradman can't be considered the greatest sporting figure,sportsman or whatever you want to call it when most of the world has never heard of him.He is Australia's greatest sportsmen but not even on the radar when it comes to all time worldwide athletes,which I think is what this article is getting at.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Bradman is considered one of the greatest sportsmen of all time. Ben Simmons is yet to sign with a professional team, has work ethic issues and bludges on defence. Will Ben Simmons become the most succesful Australian athlete of all time? LOL Marketability and twitter mentions isn't a sign of success