| Athlete | Sport | Country |
| 1.Michael Phelps | Swimming | United States |
| 2.Yao Ming | Basketball | China |
| 3.Kobe Bryant | Basketball | United States |
| 4.LeBron James | Basketball | United States |
| 5.Dara Torres | Swimming | United States |
| 6.Shawn Johnson | Gymnastics | United States |
| 7.Laure Manaudou | Swimming | France |
| 8.Kerri Walsh Beach | Volleyball | United States |
| 9.Katie Hoff | Swimming | United States |
| 10.Misty May-Treanor Beach | Volleyball | United States |
| 11.Yi Jianlian | Basketball | China |
| 12.Park Tae-Hwan | Swimming | South Korea |
| 13.Grant Hackett | Swimming | Australia |
| 14.Natalie Coughlin | Swimming | United States |
| 15.Nastia Liukin | Gymnastics | United States |
| Source: Nielsen | ||