The criminally underrated

[Jaydumo20]

This thread is for @gtcam who is a huge fan of these questionnaires.....

Across all sports, which athlete(s) would you say is or has been truly underrated?

Whether it's because they were overshadowed on a great team, or they played in a poor market- whatever the reason, who do you think deserves way more credit?

*If you can, give your reasoning why you chose who you chose.

My two:
1. "Fat" Lever. He is 11th all-time in triple doubles. Was a great defender, an Olympian and part of an amazing back court at ASU. He went overlooked in Denver and played at a time when some of the greatest guards in nba history roamed the hardwood.
2. Adrian Wilson- this Arizona safety was one of the most decorated, freak athlete safeties of the past 30 years: too bad he played in AZ. (Also a good front office guy since retiring)

 

[borninansonia]

Lance Armstrong. Just because he was a cheater with drugs should not eliminate him from best bicyclist ever considerations.
Probably all the riders cheated with drugs. Lance probably outcheated everyone.
He was the best cheater, yes, but he was also the best rider and team captain / leader ever.
The US Postal Service team time trials, led by Lance, were the best I've ever seen. A thing of beauty that no team has replicated since.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

Kemba Walker. Charlotte Hornets: The DePaul of the NBA where promising young careers go to die…

 

[FreeKlaiber]

Lawrence Moten

So crafty. Look at the consistency of his career stats. High IQ. I hate Cuse too

 

[Jaydumo20]

Lawrence Moten

So crafty. Look at the consistency of his career stats. High IQ. I hate Cuse too

I was a huge fan of his as a kid. Even though I knew I wasn't supposed to like him. Good call

 

[EZPass]

Lendale White @USC. Overshadowed by Reggie Bush & Matt Leinart.

 

[richw]

Tom Watson it's GHO week definitely over shadowed by Nicholas, Palmer but one of the greats.

 

[Kolumbo]

Lance Armstrong. Just because he was a cheater with drugs should not eliminate him from best bicyclist ever considerations.
Probably all the riders cheated with drugs. Lance probably outcheated everyone.
He was the best cheater, yes, but he was also the best rider and team captain / leader ever.
The US Postal Service team time trials, led by Lance, were the best I've ever seen. A thing of beauty that no team has replicated since.

I wouldn't consider Lance underrated. He won Le Tour 7 times in a row so nobody was underrating him.

Poetry in Moten finished with 2,334 points at cuse. He and John Wallace kept cuse competitive and did win the big east tourney in 1992. I'd say he was underrated.

 

[mbt0512]

Moses Malone

His consistent excellence and longevity—the numbers speak for themselves:

Moses Malone Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more | Basketball-Reference.com

Checkout the latest stats of Moses Malone. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, shoots, school and more on Basketball-Reference.com

www.basketball-reference.com

 

[Jaydumo20]

Moses Malone

His consistent excellence and longevity—the numbers speak for themselves:

Moses Malone Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more | Basketball-Reference.com

Checkout the latest stats of Moses Malone. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, shoots, school and more on Basketball-Reference.com

www.basketball-reference.com

Wow. So underrated. This could be the one by which all others are judged.

 

[storrsroars]

I'm gonna go obscure here: Anthony Young. Should've been at least a .500 pitcher for the Mets, probably better. Instead, he was 5-35 during his 3 years in NY, including a 22-game losing streak (yet still had a positive bWAR!). 3.82 ERA and 3.73 FIP for his career with Mets. His teammates did him wrong. While many of those losses were in relief, for the 16 starts he made during that 22 game losing streak, he received an average of 1.75 run support.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Lance Armstrong. Just because he was a cheater with drugs should not eliminate him from best bicyclist ever considerations.
Probably all the riders cheated with drugs. Lance probably outcheated everyone.
He was the best cheater, yes, but he was also the best rider and team captain / leader ever.
The US Postal Service team time trials, led by Lance, were the best I've ever seen. A thing of beauty that no team has replicated since.

They vilified Lance until it became known that cheating at the Tour was institutionalized

 

[Waquoit]

Shabazz Napier for me. He's an all-time great winner without getting nearly the credit for it. I can't find it now, but I remember reading an article showing how Napier was a top five player in all advanced metrics. And that's when he was a junior for a team on probation. We all know what he did as a senior.

 

[willie99]

UConn men 2023

 

[Travelman6]

Lance Armstrong. Just because he was a cheater with drugs

...and an assist motor (aka mechanical doping)...

 

[TheHorde]

Torry Holt, Reggie Wayne, and Sterling Sharpe.

 

[CTBasketball]

Lance Armstrong. Just because he was a cheater with drugs should not eliminate him from best bicyclist ever considerations.
Probably all the riders cheated with drugs. Lance probably outcheated everyone.
He was the best cheater, yes, but he was also the best rider and team captain / leader ever.
The US Postal Service team time trials, led by Lance, were the best I've ever seen. A thing of beauty that no team has replicated since.

Andy Schleck.

 

[alphasigko]

The Mailman Karl Malone.... A Steady Eddie (2 x MVP) who unfortunately was never on a World Championship team.

 

[Mr. French]

Thurman Thomas - he was Marshall Faulk and Tomlinson before they were.

 

[uconnfan68]

Moses Malone

His consistent excellence and longevity—the numbers speak for themselves:

Moses Malone Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more | Basketball-Reference.com

Checkout the latest stats of Moses Malone. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, shoots, school and more on Basketball-Reference.com

www.basketball-reference.com

Only 215? Maybe when he was 14.

 

[Waquoit]

The Mailman Karl Malone.... A Steady Eddie (2 x MVP) who unfortunately was never on a World Championship team.

He's properly rated. He never came up big in the big spot.

 

[GampelGladiator]

He's properly rated. He never came up big in the big spot.

He deserved to play in the California Penal League...

 

[Fairfield_1st]

Wow. So underrated. This could be the one by which all others are judged.

I'm not seeing this. He was a first ballot hall of famer and a beast during his playing days. I struggle to imagine who underrated him.

 

[MrJama100]

Moses Malone

His consistent excellence and longevity—the numbers speak for themselves:

Moses Malone Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more | Basketball-Reference.com

Checkout the latest stats of Moses Malone. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, shoots, school and more on Basketball-Reference.com

www.basketball-reference.com

3X MVP, Hall of Fame, 75th Anniversary Team, ABA all-time team.
How do you underrate that?

 

[Jaydumo20]

I'm not seeing this. He was a first ballot hall of famer and a beast during his playing days. I struggle to imagine who underrated him.

I'm interpreting it as the most underappreciated by the general public and forgotten in the overall narrative of nba legends. Who talks about Moses Malone? Or Alex English?