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The Jerusalem Post posted a two-part series on the best in Israeli sports during the Aughts.
Jewess with Attitude has suggested Nancy Lieberman for the decade’s best Jewish athlete. With all due respect, Lieberman — who was chosen as the first woman to coach an NBA team (albeit the Dallas Mavericks’ D-League affiliate) — is not quite what we’re looking for here, since she is no longer, technically, an athlete herself.
More traditional is Dan Breitman’s list of “The Top 10 Jews currently playing pro sports.”
On an international level, you could make a strong argument for Yossi Benayoun being player of the decade, with the world-wide popularity of soccer. Here in the States, I would say it’s a close 3-way race among Shawn Green, Kevin Youkilis, and Ryan Braun. I’d still give the nod to Green for the decade, but Youkilis and Braun may very well have had the better careers when all is said and done. By the way, in terms of hockey, I’ve heard Marty Turco was Jewish before but never really had this confirmed. If he is in facta member of the Tribe, he’s probably one of the best Jewish hockey players ever, along with the ageless Mathieu Schneider.