Male Athlete of the Year, 2023

Just in case you were wondering if Sports Illustrated had any credibility left after the whole AI saga, they let us know loud and clear that there isn't when they named Deion Sanders as their "Sportsperson of the Year."  Making Colorado relevant for a month in September does not, in any way, warrant selection for anything "of the Year," especially when you consider how the rest of their season went.  That selection not only takes away any shred of credibility for what was once the premier sports news organization, it's really disrespectful, as well.

Fortunately, there are plenty of people who are deserving of such an award.  You could easily give it to Shohei Ohtani and call it a day, but you could also say that about Novak Djokovic.  Or Noah Lyles.  Or Lionel Messi.  Or Nikola Jokic.  Spoiler alert: those are the five finalists for the Joe Brackets Male Athlete of the Year.  Before announcing the winner, though, let's go through the reasons why they're finalists.

Novak Djokovic: To say Djokovic had a difficult 2022 would be an understatement.  He got kicked out of Australia on the eve of the tournament, wasn't allowed to play in the US Open, and didn't get any points for Wimbledon even though he won.  As a result, he lost the No. 1 ranking.  In 2023, however, Djokovic came back with a vengeance and left no doubt who the best player of all-time is.

If not for a five-set loss in an epic Wimbledon final, Djokovic would've won the calendar-year Grand Slam.  He tied Rafael Nadal's men's record with his 22nd Grand Slam title in Australia, broke Nadal's record by winning the French Open, then tied Margaret Court for the all-time record with his 24th Grand Slam title at the US Open.  He also regained the No. 1 ranking (and broke Steffi Graf's record for most weeks at No. 1) and won the year-end Tour Championship.  Novak Djokovic has had a lot of great seasons throughout his career, but, especially after a tumultuous 2022, 2023 was one of his best.

Nikola Jokic: The second Serbian who's a finalist in Nikola Jokic.  He came into the 2022-23 season as the two-time reigning MVP.  Jokic didn't three-peat, but he was glad to trade that for what he did win.  The Nuggets won their first-ever NBA title, with Jokic leading the way.  He was named MVP of both the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals, where he had an absolute tour-de-force in Denver's championship run.

He posted a triple-double in Game 1, then had another (his 11th of the postseason) in Game 3.  Jokic averaged 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists in the Finals and led the NBA in all three categories for the entire postseason.  Because of the Nuggets' playoff run, he opted out of playing for Serbia at the FIBA World Cup, but he picked up right where he left off when the 2023-24 season began.  Jokic had a triple-double on opening night and already has 10 this season.

Noah Lyles: As the defending 200-meter World Champion, Lyles had a bye into the event at the World Championships.  As a result, he decided to only run the 100 at U.S. Nationals, setting him up to do a potential double next year in Paris.  Lyles finished third to make the team, allowing him to run both events in Budapest.  And, boy, did he put on a show at Worlds!

Lyles shocked the field by winning gold in the 100.  In a world-leading time!  Then he defended his title in the 200.  And, to cap it off, Lyles grabbed a third gold medal as the anchor leg in the 4x100 relay.  Three World Championship gold medals for the greatest sprinter since Usain Bolt.  After Worlds, he finished an undefeated season in the 200, further solidifying his status as the Paris Olympic favorite.

Lionel Messi: One year after leading Argentina to the World Cup, Messi left his mark on an entirely new league and an entirely different country.  He turned down millions to join the Saudi league and instead left PSG for Inter Miami CF, making him, by far, the biggest-name star ever to make the jump to MLS.  It might've been the most important transaction in MLS history, too.  And the impact was immediate.  In every aspect.

From jersey sales to ticket sales to streaming subscriptions, Messi has provided a financial boon to the entire league.  On the field, his presence proved just as significant.  Messi made his Miami debut at the Leagues Cup, and the team went on to win the tournament for its first-ever trophy.  He scored in his first official MLS game on August 26 and finished with 11 goals in 14 regular season games.  In addition to winning an eighth Ballon d'Or, Messi was selected as the Time Athlete of the Year for 2023.

Shohei Ohtani: Ohtani did his thing once again in 2023.  He continued his two-way dominance and won his second unanimous AL MVP award in three years (only Aaron Judge's historic 2022 kept him from three straight MVPs).  Ohtani had perhaps his best offensive season despite being shut down in mid-September with an injury that will require Tommy John surgery and keep him off the mound next season.

Oh, and did I mention what he did in the World Baseball Classic?  He played for his native Japan for the first time since coming over to the Majors and was the tournament MVP.  In the final, it was a dream scenario, Ohtani on the mound vs. Angels teammate Mike Trout in the ninth inning of a one-run game.  Ohtani struck out Trout for the save, giving Japan the championship.  Trout and Ohtani are no longer teammates.  He became a free agent after the season and cashed in on the biggest contract in history, a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers.

This really is a very close race and a very tough decision.  Three of the five are on the short list as the absolute GOAT of his sport.  Two of those three continued their dominance from 2022.  The third reasserted himself after a 2022 season that was trying to say the least.  And that, for me, is what put him over the top.  The 2023 Joe Brackets Male Athlete of the Year is none other than NOVAK DJOKOVIC.

After Djokovic's 2023 season, there's no doubt that he's the greatest men's tennis player in history.  The Big Three Era is over.  Federer is retired and Nadal will be joining him in retirement next year.  Djokovic, however, is still going strong.  Even with a new generation of young, talented competitors going against him, Djokovic remains at the top of his game and the top of the rankings.  He proved that once again in 2023, when he tied the all-time record for Grand Slam titles.