Name the professional athletes you respect the most and why.

There are numerous athletes. Many I admire for what they did off the field. Kobe Bryant and Muhammad Ali come to mind.

As for their playing, I choose the Great One.

I saw Wayne Gretzky for the first time live when his Edmonton Oilers tied the reigning Stanley Cup champion NY Islanders 5-5. He scored 4 out of the 5 goals. He was 19 at the time.

Watching him play throughout his career was like poetry. He played with finesse; not rough or dirty and no fighting. He made skating, puck handling and shooting look easy. In no time, he would lead in scoring and assisting; breaking one record after another.

Upon his retirement on 18 April 1999, Gretzky held or shared 61 NHL records. Those records included 40 regular season, 15 playoff and 6 All-Star records. As of the start of the 2022–23 season, 23 seasons after his retirement, Gretzky still holds or shares 58 NHL records

And he would do all this without scandal or hostile press.

He will forever be a true ambassador of the game .