Who is the best LSU athlete of all time? Ranking top 5 greats ft. Joe Burrow

Louisiana State University, known as LSU, has seen many of its players have a successful professional career after leaving the university. Many NFL, NBA, MLB, PGA, LPGA, WNBA and track and field superstars have stepped into the spotlight during their careers at the university, which recently became the NCAA champion in women's college basketball.

On campus today are the projected No. 1 pick in the MLB draft, Dylan Crews, who plays for the top-ranked college baseball team, and Olivia Dunne, one of the leading NIL earners in the country and a social media star, of the gymnastics team, which will compete in the national championships this weekend.

In all, the school has produced 50 team national championships, including four in football and six in baseball, along with 34 athletes who have combined for 45 Olympic gold medals. LSU also has hundreds of individual national titles.

LSU has had No. 1 draft picks in the NFL, NBA, WNBA and MLB and boasts numerous football and basketball Hall of Famers, including Shaquille O'Neal, Pete Maravich and Bob Pettit.

Mondo Duplantis, the world record holder in the long jump (indoors and outdoors) as well as the reigning Olympic champion, starred in track and field and baseball at LSU.

Check out the top five athletes who played for LSU:

Top five athletes who played for LSU:

#1, Angel Reese

“She’s probably the greatest athlete to ever come out of LSU sports. You heard it here first. Male and female." It was a bold statement, but it came from another athlete on this list.

Shaquille O'Neal declared Reese the greatest to ever play for LSU. The first-team All-American was voted the Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament in her first season at the school, which involved a record 34 double-doubles, after two seasons at Maryland.

#2, Pete Maravich

The youngest player to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Maravich had his professional career cut short due to injuries, but he still holds the highest average scoring record and most points in NCAA basketball history. It's impossible to talk about the school's basketball program without mentioning his name.

LSU's Pete Maravich Assembly Center is named in his honor.

#3, Shaquille O'Neal

Before turning the NBA backward with his quality over two decades, O'Neal was a menace to the opponents in college, dominating the NCAA before becoming the first pick in the 1992 NBA draft. He was a consensus All-American twice and national player of the year once after exploding in his sophomore and junior seasons.

Basketball icon Shaquille O'Neal

#4, Joe Burrow

First enrolled at Ohio State, Burrow only played for the Tigers for two seasons, but he was excellent. He was the quarterback for the 2019 national championship team and also won every single trophy available, including the school's second Heisman Trophy, due to his fantastic performance. He was the first pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

#5, Sylvia Fowles

Fowles was a starter from her first day at the university to the last. She was the 2017 WNBA MVP, a two-time Finals MVP and an eight-time All-Star, but her college career was always excellent.

Fowles helped LSU to four straight Final Four appearances, was the SEC Player of the Year in 2007-08 and had her No. 34 retired by the Lady Tigers. She also has four gold medals and powered two WNBA championship teams.

Fowles played with Seimone Augustus at LSU, the Minnesota Lynx and on Team USA. Augustus was a two-time national player of the year at LSU, leading the Tigers to three Final Fours before winning four WNBA titles and three Olympic gold medals.