Kings of the Court
By Peyton Schultze
On and off-the-court, Stephen Curry and LeBron James rank among the most popular athletes in the world (via Business Insider).
This past week, ESPN presented an interesting survey to their followers on social media: what group of athletes would you want to stay indoors with while stuck in quarantine? Split up into six individual houses, the groups included some of the best and most popular athletes in the world right now, from LeBron James to Sidney Crosby to Simone Biles. So which of the six houses would you take? The question stirred up some key ideas and questions, and we decide to investigate to get our final answer.
Scale: 1 is the lowest, 5 is the highest
House 1: LeBron James, Alex Ovechkin, Mike Trout, Serena Williams, and Tiger Woods
House 1 has some of the biggest names in professional sports, including several athletes in the conversation for the greatest of all-time (via Transparent PNG).
Five athletes who all have a case for being the best to ever suit up in their sport certainly makes House 1 a fascinating group to potentially be a part of. You know the collection of talent absurd when you can recognize several of them based off first name basis in the case of Serena, LeBron, and Tiger. And that is not to say that Ovechkin and Trout are any different in this case, as they appear to be in a hungry pursuit with destiny to become the best of all-time in their own sport. Outside of James, this does not appear to be the funniest group of the bunch and has potential to be very serious and competitive amongst one another while stuck together. However, being a part of this house would also give you the chance of hearing about some of the most legendary stories in sports history, which is not an easy opportunity to pass on whatsoever.
Legendary: 5
Funny: 1
Competitiveness: 5
House 2: Roger Federer, James Harden, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Shaquille O’Neal, and Breanna Stewart
House 2 features some of the most dominant players in all of sports (via PNGkey).
Outside of Federer, while this group may have some of the best athletes of all-time, there is no denying the potential for comedy found within this house. Zlatan and Shaq are two of the best sound bites in sports history, and having to be stuck indoors with two personalities as captivating as them would be a hilarious thing to witness. In addition to this, Harden brings one of the most unique skillsets in NBA history to the table, while Stewart is only beginning to take her next steps toward greatness. Even though this is a very funny group, there is no denying just how talented this group is as well. Players such as Federer, O’Neal, and Ibrahimović all have already made legendary careers of their own, and it would be fascinating to watch the developing dynamic amongst the group as the days went by.
Legendary: 3
Funny: 5
Competitiveness: 1
House 3: Kevin Durant, Patrick Mahomes, Lionel Messi, Megan Rapinoe, and Dwyane Wade
House 3 is full of superstar talents, including perhaps the best in the world at their sports such as Patrick Mahomes and Lionel Messi (via ESPN).
Perhaps the flashiest of the houses, House 3 has some of the finest current and retired athletes that the world has ever seen. Messi and Mahomes are the headliners of the group due to their status in the individual sport as two of the most unique talents that anyone has ever seen, and it is awesome to see their greatness join a house led by last year’s World Cup superstar in Rapinoe. With Wade and Durant also joining the picture, two of the top 25 basketball players of all-time, this house rounds out very nicely and has a legitimate chance of taking home the title for the best of the houses. Without any clear flaws present (other than possibly Durant’s willingness to swap houses with someone else), House 3 is a home run house to be stuck with in quarantine.
Legendary: 4
Funny: 3
Competitiveness: 3
House 4: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Simone Biles, Sidney Crosby, Novak Djokovic, and Aaron Judge
House 4 has a legitimate chance at being the favorite among the houses considering their immediate star power (via PNG River).
House 4 is hard to put a finger on based on how incomplete some of their legacies are, but there is no doubt that this house would be awesome to be assigned to. Biles is probably the most dominant athlete of the bunch, so there’s no doubt that learning about how she wills herself to win would be a delight. In addition, Giannis has become a top-two basketball player in the world in recent years, while Djokovic and Crosby are well on their way toward joining the conversation for the best to ever do it in their respective sports. Judge is the only missing element of the group due to his young age and still promising upside, but he would not bring down the group by any means. This is a group full of great personalities that would be nice to have a friendly conversation with, which makes it a threat to take home the title of the best home.
Legendary: 4
Funny: 3
Competitiveness: 3
House 5: Sue Bird, Tom Brady, Steph Curry, Floyd Mayweather, and Cristiano Ronaldo
House 5 not only has some of the best athletes in the game today, but some of the greatest of all-time (via Seattle Times).
This house is certainly one of the best in the group upon first sight, especially considering the GOAT status of two all-time greats in Tom Brady and Floyd Mayweather. Adding in the best current soccer player in the world only helps this house’s cause, especially when he’ll join a group that features two outstanding and well-known basketball players in Stephen Curry and Sue Bird. But while the majority of the group seems like ideal athletes to be stuck indoors with, Mayweather sticks out as the oddball among the group due to his personal stories that have found their way into headlines in the past. That type of poor attitude and unfortunate decision making has potential to bring the whole group down, and it is worth considering this group even being considered due to the boxer alone. However, the other four members are so elite in terms of their skillset, personality, and likability that it at least stirs a conversation that this house is simply too good to ignore.
Legendary: 4
Funny: 3
Competitiveness: 5
House 6: Joel Embiid, Conor McGregor, Rafael Nadal, Neymar, and Diana Taurasi
Outlandish and outgoing, House 6 would be one of the more fun groups to be around (via PNGkit).
This house could certainly be the goofiest of the bunch, especially with the consistent antics of well-known superstars such as Conor McGregor, Joel Embiid, and Neymar. Taurasi and Nadal also add a unique element in the house due to their elite status as legends of the sport already, and it’s not much of a question that this would be a house worth hanging out with for a couple of days or over a weekend. However, McGregor and Embiid’s ridiculous actions have gotten under the skin of people in the past, and it is fair to assume that the same logic could apply in a situation where the end is not really in sight. This house could be full of some very awesome or very annoying days, which makes for a unique dynamic while stuck together for an infinite amount of days.
Legendary: 2
Funny: 5
Competitiveness: 2
Verdict: House 1
There’s certainly some close contention in the middle of the pack, but in the end, House 1 rules over the rest by a considerable margin.
The equivalent of Gryffindor in this poll, House 1 combines some of the biggest names in all of sports with a rare mix of talent that would be a delight to witness. James, Woods, and Williams all have a fair argument for being considered the GOAT in their sport right now, while Ovechkin and Trout could soon be on their way with a couple of more spectacular seasons. With that type of greatness stuck in one house together in the middle of this global pandemic, it is interesting to see the limitless number of conversational topics that could be brought up on a daily basis. Just imagine discussing what went through LeBron’s head at the end of the 2016 NBA Finals, or what Tiger was feeling on 18 in the 2019 Masters. While House 5’s talented trophy collection and House 3’s array of modern legends at least brings some debate to the table, there’s almost no chance that we would take any of the other houses over the dynamic found in House 1.
Overall Rankings
House 1
House 5
House 3
House 4
House 6
House 2