11 Jun 1997: Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls walks on the court during game five of the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Bulls defeated the Jazz 90-88. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport

Last week, Sports Illustrated announced LeBron James as their Sportsperson of the Year, the second time in five years he has received that honor.

Though we’ve got several years left in the 2010s, LeBron is clearly the front-runner to be the decade’s defining athlete and therefore the unofficial Sportsperson of the Decade. That got us thinking: If there were actually a Sportsperson of the Decade award, who would have won it in each decade? Who would have been the runners-up?

We’ll start with the 1960s because that’s when the NBA came into its own, the first Super Bowl was held and the sports landscape began to more or less resemble the modern one.

Note: Yeah, yeah — a decade technically starts with a year ending in 1 (i.e. 1961-1970). But that’s not how anyone thinks about it, so that’s not how we’re going to think about it. For these purposes, a decade begins with a year ending in 0.

1960s

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 13:  Member of the Boston Celtics 1966 Championship team Bill Russell is honored at halftime of the game between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat at TD Garden on April 13, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.  (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 13: Member of the Boston Celtics 1966 Championship team Bill Russell is honored at halftime of the game between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat at TD Garden on April 13, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)

Sportsperson of the Decade: Bill Russell

Runners-up: Muhammad Ali, Sandy Koufax, Jim Brown, Willie Mays, Vince Lombardi, Wilt Chamberlain

There were a lot of directions we could have gone here, but ultimately Bill Russell stands out. Obviously, Russell had amazing accomplishments on the court — nine titles, 10 All-Star appearances, five MVPs in the 60s — but he also exemplified the decade’s spirit of social activism. He vocally spoke out against racism in Boston and elsewhere, and in 1967 attended the famous Ali Summit as part of a coalition of black athletes.

Russell’s rival, Wilt Chamberlain, put up bigger stats and was likely the better player, but Russell’s rings and his activism made him the 60s’ defining star. Other candidates for Sportsperson of the 60s include Jim Brown, who was the best football player of the era and, like Russell, vocal about racial injustice; Sandy Koufax, who dominated over a five-year stretch like no one had before; Willie Mays, who expanded on the superstardom he had established in the 50s; and Vince Lombardi, who remains a larger-than-life figure in coaching.

Then there’s Muhammad Ali…

1970s

1972:  MUHAMMAD ALI IN ACTION AGAINST AL ''BLUE'' LEWIS IN DUBLIN, IRELAND. Mandatory Credit: Allsport UK/ALLSPORT
1972: MUHAMMAD ALI IN ACTION AGAINST AL ”BLUE” LEWIS IN DUBLIN, IRELAND. Mandatory Credit: Allsport UK/ALLSPORT

Sportsperson of the Decade: Muhammad Ali

Runners-up: Jack Nicklaus, Billie Jean King, O.J. Simpson, Hank Aaron, Pete Rose, Pele, John Wooden

Ali’s legacy is split pretty evenly between the 60s and 70s, but it was his post-exile comeback that was most compelling and, ultimately, memorably. In the 70s, Ali cemented his title as The Greatest by winning classic bouts against Joe Frazier and George Foreman and reclaiming the heavyweight title belt. Add in his political and social impact, and he’s got a case for not only Sportsperson of the Decade, but also Sportsperson of the Century.

The other sporting figures who best defined the 70s were an eclectic bunch. Jack Nicklaus was the best golfer of all time. Billie Jean King was a great tennis player and a true trailblazer. John Wooden led perhaps the greatest dynasty in sports history. Hank Aaron broke the all-time home run record amid oppressive racism.

Pete Rose and O.J. Simpson show that you can be iconic athletes one decade and, well, something else in later ones. It’s easy to forget now that Simpson was once an incredible football player and one of the first athletes to embrace celebrity culture. And Rose exemplified the scrappy try-hard archetype that has become cliché in the decades since.

1980s

INGLEWOOD, CA - 1989:  Wayne Gretzky #99 of the Los Angeles Kings skates during a game in 1989 at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California.  Wayne Gretzky played for the Kings from 1988 - 1996. (Photo by Mike Powell/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CA – 1989: Wayne Gretzky #99 of the Los Angeles Kings skates during a game in 1989 at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. Wayne Gretzky played for the Kings from 1988 – 1996. (Photo by Mike Powell/Getty Images)

Sportsperson of the Decade: Wayne Gretzky

Runners-up: Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Joe Montana, Martina Navratilova, Carl Lewis, 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team

This was a deeeep decade.

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird energized the NBA with a thrilling rivalry. Joe Montana built a dynasty in San Francisco and became the best quarterback in NFL history to that point. Martina Navratilova staked her claim as the greatest tennis player of all-time, of any gender. And Carl Lewis dominated the Olympics like no one had before.

Then there was the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team, which famously upset the Soviet Union in the Olympic semifinals at the height of the Cold War and won the gold medal a game later. They were the story of the decade, without a doubt.

But our Sportsperson of the Decade is another towering hockey figure, arguably the most dominant team-sport athlete in sports history. Wayne Gretzky won the Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL’s most valuable player NINE times during the 1980s. He played in the All-Star Game every year. He won four championships.

Basically, if you earn the nickname “The Great One,” you get to be Sportsperson of the Decade.

1990s

Credit: Ken Levine/Getty Images
Credit: Ken Levine/Getty Images

Sportsperson of the Decade: Michael Jordan

Runners-up: Ken Griffey Jr., Derek Jeter, Brett Favre, John Elway, 1999 U.S. Women’s Soccer Team, Pat Summitt

This was the easiest one on the board. Jordan was the biggest athlete, maybe the biggest celebrity, in the world, with six titles, numerous accolades and some iconic endorsements. No one has ever dominated a decade, start to finish, on and off the court, the way Jordan did the 90s.

Other than Jordan? Neither Ken Griffey Jr. nor Derek Jeter were the best baseball players in the 90s (that’d be Barry Lamar Bonds), but they were the ones who most captured America’s fancy. And Brett Favre, Troy Aikman, Steve Young and John Elway led an impressive crop of quarterbacks.

Meanwhile, the 90s wrought a breakthrough in women’s sports. Thanks in part to the legacy of Title IX, women’s college basketball went mainstream, the WNBA launched and Steffi Graf dominated a deep field of tennis stars. And then in 1999, the U.S. Women’s National Team won the Women’s World Cup behind compelling stars like Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Kristine Lilly and Brandi Chastain and engaged millions of Americans with women’s sports for the first time.

That’s not enough to displace MJ, but it certainly left an important legacy.

2000s

HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 1:  Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots with the ball against the Carolina Panthers during Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium on February 1, 2004 in Houston, Texas. The Patriots won 32-29 to claim their second Super Bowl in three years. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 1: Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots with the ball against the Carolina Panthers during Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium on February 1, 2004 in Houston, Texas. The Patriots won 32-29 to claim their second Super Bowl in three years. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

Sportsperson of the Decade: Tom Brady

Runners-up: Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong, Roger Federer, Serena Williams

In a decade full of stars dominating their respective sports, Brady gets the nod. From 2000 to 2009, he burst onto the NFL scene, won three Super Bowls and an MVP, led the Patriots to an undefeated regular season and became an international celebrity.

Though Peyton Manning was statistically superior in this decade, it was Brady who was playing deep into the playoffs every year and staking out a spot in the national consciousness with his unassuming origin story and tabloid lifestyle.

Lance Armstrong could have had a claim to Sportsperson of the Decade if he were scandal-free, but alas. Roger Federer and Serena Williams became all-time greats during this decade, but Serena’s peak didn’t come until the 2010s and Federer was a bit too vanilla to reach decade-defining levels.

In April 2008, Woods had this one locked up. He had just won the U.S. Open on one leg and looked like a sure bet to break Jack Nicklaus’ record for Major victories and officially earn the title as greatest golfer ever. But Tiger had a rough final couple of years of this decade and blew his shot at this super-important title.

So on second thought, maybe we shouldn’t hand the 2010s Sportsperson of the Decade award to LeBron just yet.

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.