Two Denver icons among ESPN’s top 100 pro athletes of the 2000s

Peyton Manning and Nikola Jokic, two athletes whose legend will forever echo the Mile High City with a lasting impact of greatness. On Wednesday, both were revealed in the 20s in ESPN’s top 100 athletes of the past 25 years.

Manning came in ranked at No. 26 with the highlighted accomplishments of his Hall of Famer nomination, the two Super Bowl wins including the one in Orange and Blue, five NFL MVPs, 14 Pro Bowl appearances and seven times being named a First Team All-Pro. ESPN writes that his legacy was improved upon and cemented by his final chapter in Denver including his likely greatest season of 2013. The Denver Broncos broke the league’s scoring record with 606 points and Manning set records with 5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdowns.

And then comes Jokic at No. 28, with just Randy Moss separating the two Colorado neighbors. Of course, Jokic, has already won an NBA title for the Denver Nuggets, three MVPs and an NBA Finals MVP. He’ll have a chance to top Manning on this list and go down as the greatest team Colorado team sports athlete of the 2000s, given he’s still in his prime and can climb. Jokic is already the NBA’s all-time leader in Player Efficiency Rating, topping Michael Jordan and LeBron James in the top three. Jokic has three of the five best seasons in NBA history by Box Plus-Minus, joined by one season each from his Airness and the king.

Rounding out the 20s was F1 legend Michael Schumacher at No. 29, who is tied with Broncos co-owner Lewis Hamilton for the most championships in that sport.

The only other athlete with Colorado ties that has been on the list is MLB stud pitcher Roy Halladay at 88. Given there is unlikely to be another team-sports star in the top 25, Manning and Jokic are the best we’ve got according to ESPN. Hopefully, they’ll give legendary skier Mikaela Shiffrin some love when the top 25 come out on Friday.