Marion Tinsley.
Why not, if we’re including golf. 
-Jot
Jim Thorpe
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“the best of all time is Don Bradman”
As a non Australian it hurts me to say it but, “THAT WAS EASY”
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Babe Ruth and Wayne Gretzky outpaced their peer groups by perhaps the biggest margin (limiting myself I realize to North American team sports). In 1982 Gretzky scored 92 goals, second place scorer had 64 goals. In 1920 Babe Ruth hit 54 home runs and the second place player had 19. That’s dominance. In Babe Ruth’s case it took nearly a full generation for others to catch up to him (Aaron, Gibson, Maris). Ted Williams may have caught him sooner but for missing several seasons in the military. In Gretzky’s case it only took a few years, as others neared his output in goals and points (Lemieux, Brett Hull). The Caps Alexander Ovechkin is on pace to have 225 goals in only four NHL seasons, which would make him a long shot to become the greatest goal scorer in NHL history around age 36.
Paul
I have to disagree on Gretzky, as great as he was the lack of an instigator rule allowed him to skate circles around people with out getting hit because they know the retaliation that would come. For his size, if people could have hit him, he wouldnt have lasted half the years that he played.
Ali
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I know I know, but if we are talking Don Bradman, I always like to look at the top 10,000 run batsman in test history:
Sachin Tendulkar •
Brian Lara • 
Allan Border • Steve Waugh • Sunil Gavaskar • Ricky Ponting • Rahul Dravid
You gotta concede that a career average of 99 runs per bat from Sir Don is simply other worldly, when other all time greats (aggregate runs) like Dravid, Gavaskar and Tendulkar were/are only pulling in 50-54 over their careers. This would be like like Alien pulling a 1200 slugging percentage when the best of all time like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Lou Gehrig only doing in the 600’s.
Babe Ruth and Wayne Gretzky outpaced their peer groups by perhaps the biggest margin (limiting myself I realize to North American team sports). In 1982 Gretzky scored 92 goals, second place scorer had 64 goals. In 1920 Babe Ruth hit 54 home runs and the second place player had 19. That’s dominance. In Babe Ruth’s case it took nearly a full generation for others to catch up to him (Aaron, Gibson, Maris). Ted Williams may have caught him sooner but for missing several seasons in the military. In Gretzky’s case it only took a few years, as others neared his output in goals and points (Lemieux, Brett Hull). The Caps Alexander Ovechkin is on pace to have 225 goals in only four NHL seasons, which would make him a long shot to become the greatest goal scorer in NHL history around age 36.
Paul
I have to disagree on Gretzky, as great as he was the lack of an instigator rule allowed him to skate circles around people with out getting hit because they know the retaliation that would come. For his size, if people could have hit him, he wouldnt have lasted half the years that he played.
Up until he went to the Rangers, they never would have caught him to hit him.
Jim Brown. Beast.
- all-american in lacrosse at Syracuse.
- actually gave a rats ass about the larger world.
Richard Petty
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Ali
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Phelps
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Ricky Carmichael.
Back to back perfect motocross seasons, not to mention all his other countless race wins and championships. I mean… that’s insanely hard. And for a solo sport, that’s one hell of a streak in professional rankings. In team sports, even on your bad days your team can carry you. Solo, you have to be on your game, physically, mentally mechanically…
I can’t even imagine something comparable - a runner winning every major marathon in one year? A triathlete winning every major Ironman in one year? A nascar driver winning every race in a season?
Usein Bolt wins best of all time if they award gold medals for the 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 300 and relay versions of each :-).
Phelps was good, but the number of medals awarded in swimming is somewhat bogus compared to other sports. Certainly not best of all time.
Two words,…with one powerful roundhouse to the head.
Chuck Norris
Tao Berman-----hucked a 100 ft waterfall
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Jordan. It is not even close.
Bill Russell. More rings than fingers.
Jim Thorpe had a pretty good lock on all kinds of competitions.
Paavo Nurmi…one of the greatest distance runners.
Geb…nuff said.
Ted Williams or Joe Dimaggio
Hermann Maier
Eric Heiden
Eddie Merckx
Alexander Karelin
And if you are asking about “greatest competitor ever”…you have to consider Prefontaine. There is a guy who absolutely maximized his talent and beat guys who should have left him standing in the parking lot.
In short…you skipped a lot of people. The four you list are SOME of the greats…and are certainly considered by some to be the greatest practicioners of their respective sports…
But its short sighted…and relatively neo in origin. Go take a look at Jim Thorpe’s accomplishments…and consider them in the light of his contemporaries. No one else was on the same sporting planet…in a whole bunch of disparate sports. Think about what that says about his athleticism.
apples and oranges
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apples and oranges
Who did they play for? 