Vote Now: Who Is Philly’s Best Athlete of All Time?

We asked five influential Philadelphians to weigh in on Philly's best athlete. The winner gets a Best of Philly award. And you have the final say.


Iverson, Erving, or Chamberlain? Or someone entirely different? Case your vote to decide! Photo: AP

For Best of Philly this year — it’s our 45th issue! — we decided to, once again, open up a handful of categories for the public to vote on. (The winners will be announced in the August issue.) When we’ve done this in the past, editors picked the nominees. But this year, we’ve tapped some of the city’s most influential Philadelphians to weigh in. And now that they’ve chosen, it’s your turn to have the final say. (PS: When you vote you’ll be entered to win two tickets to the annual Best of Philly bash in August, so vote every day!)

Who is Philly’s best athlete of all time? Here are the nominees from our panel of experts:   

  • The expert: Michael Barkann, Host at NBC Sports Philadelphia
    His pick: Mike Schmidt (Phillies) 
  • The expert: Michael Nutter, 98th Mayor of Philadelphia
    His pick: Julius Erving (76ers) 
  • The expert: Dan McQuade, Deadspin sportswriter
    His pick: Wilt Chamberlain (76ers) 
  • The expert: Matt Gelb, Phillies Beat Writer for The Athletic
    His pick: Steve Carlton (Phillies) 
  • The expert: Molly Sullivan, 76ers Sideline Reporter for NBC Sports Philadelphia
    Her pick: Allen Iverson (76ers) 

Cast your vote here until April 29th!