Magic Johnson: The GOAT, the king, the legend...

You only get an Ivano Balić once in a lifetime!!! Seriously, be grateful you even get to see him play live—what the hell is wrong with you people bringing up Wislenders and Olson !!? You guys are actually losing it...

Adam Howard25 said:The Danish fans went absolutely wild over Ivano Balić. A Danish woman was practically throwing herself at him yesterday, and those fans were chanting his name through the whole game. The guy is an absolute icon to them.

Unbelievable.

It wasn't the entire match—just toward the end—but it was loud. Even in the local bars, people were telling us how much of a legend Ivano Balić is. Those Danes 👍

Adam Howard25 said:The Danish fans were absolutely losing their minds over Ivano Balić; I even saw a Danish woman practically throwing herself at him yesterday, and honestly, those fans were chanting his name the entire game—the man is a straight-up icon to them.

It’s hard to wrap my head around that.

I don't know, sounds plausible to me; they live and breathe handball over there, you can just tell how much weight the sport carries in Denmark... it's kind of like if Maradona had rolled into the States twenty years ago...

Man, when this guy talks, he just hits the nail on the head every single time. Everything he says feels so spot on... I guess Balki really is just the best at what he does 🙏🙏🙏

Ivano Balić is currently sitting at the top of the Eurosport poll with 57% of the vote. He's beating out heavy hitters like Ole Einar Bjoerndalen (Biathlon), Roger Federer (Tennis), and Floyd Mayweather (Boxing)

Alexander Johnson8 said:So, apparently Ivano Balić is sitting pretty with 57% of the vote in this Eurosport poll about who the greatest athlete is among the competition, which includes Ole Einar Bjoerndalen (Biathlon), Roger Federer (Tennis), and Floyd Mayweather (Boxing)

Well, of course. It’s always like this when most Americans just click on links from our own local news sites to vote. It's just like that one time an American track star somehow pulled 95% of the vote in a similar poll... it's all self-serving stuff.

Now, look, Ivano Balić is—for lack of a better word—maybe the best handball player on the planet (though even that's up for debate), but trying to stack him up against someone like Federer? That's just laughable. Comparing the world of handball to the scale of tennis 🤣
is like comparing a backyard game to the Super Bowl. It reminds me of that one broadcast I watched where some guest commentator on a major network actually suggested that Balić was a bigger sporting icon than Drazen Petrovic... honestly, it was painful to listen to. The handball world is just too small. Handball is a niche little sport played seriously by maybe ten countries at most. You can tell everything you need to know about the status of the sport by looking at the paychecks; I mean, Balić is making what a bench player for a mid-tier NBA team would make. That tells you everything you need to know about the sport's global standing.

Don't get me wrong, Balić is incredible. The way he handles the ball is unique, and his court vision is something else entirely. But to suggest he's somehow ahead of Bjoerndalen or Fed-Ex? 😲😠
Just doesn't hold water.

Does anyone happen to know where I can snag tickets for the game between Chicago and Portland on February 10th?

Nathan Kern9 said:Sure, just like how most people on our local news sites vote for their own favorites. It’s just like when that one athlete won with 95% of the votes because everyone was biased...

Ivano Balić is arguably the best handball player in the world (though that's debatable), but comparing him to Roger Federer is just ridiculous. The handball world isn't the tennis 🤣
world. It's like when some guest commentator on a major network claimed he was a bigger athlete than Dražen... just awful. Handball is a niche sport played seriously by maybe ten countries. You could say Ivano Balić earns about what a bench player at an NBA training camp would make. That says everything you need to know about the sport's scale.

He's incredible, his ball handling and vision are unmatched, but saying he's somehow ahead of Ole Einar Bjoerndalen or Roger Federer is just a stretch 😲😠

Are you being serious right now? Debatable if he's the best? Do you even need glasses? Regardless of the sport, the man is a legend, even if he were playing cricket! Are you really the only person who thinks he isn't the greatest? Seriously, just watch a game to see the talent he has, and then try telling me he isn't the best...

Tickets will only go on sale a few days before the game, so...

Nancy Vaughn70 said:Dude, are you actually insane? Saying it’s "debatable" if he’s the best? Do you even have eyes? Regardless of what sport we're talking about, the guy is the GOAT, even if he played cricket! You’ve gotta be the only person on this entire planet claiming he isn't the greatest. Seriously, go watch a single game, see what the man can do, and then try telling me he's not the best.

Man, you really need to apologize for using such garbage logic.
Every single sport has its legends. Every branch of athletics—every position on the field—has its own icon. Claiming Ivano Balić is the greatest athlete in the world isn't just ridiculous, it’s an insult to all the sporting giants out there, and honestly, we have way too many of those legends in America alone.

Ivano Balić is definitely the best playmaker, maybe even the best handball player ever, but he can't be the greatest athlete in Miami, let alone the whole US or the entire world. 😲 And it’s not because he’s bad or lacking talent; it’s for a simple reason: you can't compare apples to oranges. Like I said at the start, every sport—even something boring like cricket or billiards—has its own legend. 🙂 And every one of them is king of their own domain. There is no "king of kings" among them because they simply aren't comparable. 😉

Nathan Kern9 said:Ivano Balić is certainly incredible—his ball control and court vision are on another level—but is he truly in the same stratosphere as someone like Ole Einar Bjoerndalen or Roger Federer?😲😠

You mention how Balić comes from a "niche" sport played seriously by maybe ten countries,

but just how many nations actually take Biathlon as seriously as they do?🙄

And don't even get me started on Federer, or on a sport like Tennis, which tends to be a bit more of a privilege for wealthier social classes, wouldn't you agree?

It feels a bit misplaced to compare athletes from completely different disciplines, and honestly, isn't it also a stretch to compare athletes within the same sport if there is a gap of more than ten years between their eras?

Chris Lopez59 said:yeah, Karabatic took it...
he picked up quite a few assists toward the end and certainly put up some goals, though he definitely earned those points through his own hustle. If you look at why he actually deserved that MVP, it was really about his impact on defense, which was top-tier. But when you consider everything involving Ivano Balić, there’s just no comparison... Ivano Balić decided more games than anyone else, whereas I don't see Karabatic deciding matches; he's just one part of the engine—a vital one, sure—in that French system.

It just goes to show that my take on who the most complete player is today remains pretty much unchanged.😁

I would venture to say that we are looking at a once-in-a-generation genius, the kind of talent that simply won't be seen again for a very, very long time; one truly has to wonder if we will ever witness such a phenomenon in handball, or perhaps even in sports at large...

Beyond the sheer talent, there is something about his character—he is so genuinely charming, kind, and remarkably down-to-earth... honestly, he is the kind of person any parent would be proud to call their son... 😁

I will leave it at this: I feel incredibly fortunate to have lived through the era of Ivano Balić, and I look forward to telling my children and grandchildren that today's players, as good as they may be, pale in comparison to the greatness of what Ivano Balić achieved during my lifetime... 😁

Samuel Baker3 said:Just wanted to go on record one more time and double down on my take about who actually stands as the most complete player on the court today. 😁

I’d say it was just pure lobbying that pushed Karabatic over the line. Honestly, the award should have gone to Hvidt, but if we're being completely real about it—regardless of how much anyone likes him—I think Ivano Balić deserved it way more than Karabatic did, simply because he was the one actually deciding the outcome of so many games.

Karabatić’s real superpower is just how insanely high his level was at such a young age. Because he hit that peak so early, he’s mastered the art of using that raw, explosive power to his advantage. From what I can see, he starts pulling ahead in the second half of the game when everyone else is basically running on fumes and hitting a wall physically. Honestly, the guy is just an absolute beast.

Samuel Baker3 said:you're going on about how Ivano Balić comes from some "niche" sport played seriously by maybe ten countries

but just how many nations actually take Biathlon seriously?🙄

and don't even get me started on Roger Federer, or on sports that are basically just a luxury for the upper class

it's honestly pretty silly to compare athletes from completely different disciplines, and frankly, it’s just as misguided to compare athletes within the same sport if there's more than a decade separating their eras

Look, it's the truth—all of these involve limited competition pools. I guess you could give Tennis an edge because it's truly global, with so many different countries pouring resources into developing pros, but let's be real: tennis isn't exactly a mass-participation sport either, though I'd definitely rank it higher than handball, unlike Biathlon

That's why our biggest claim to fame in the sporting world is that third-place finish. In a sport packed with the highest number of active professionals and where the absolute most money changes hands globally, we should be damn proud that a nation of only 4.5 million people managed to pull off what we did🙏

We have every right to be proud of Janica, and we certainly have the foundation for it, but if we're being honest, skiing is a sport for the few and the privileged, especially when you look at women's skiing

Samuel Baker3 - I honestly think people take Biathlon more seriously than they ever did handball. Sure, you need snow for it to even happen... but regardless, Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and Ivano Balić are just different breeds. They won't be reborn anytime soon. Bjoerndalen was at his absolute peak during those Salt Lake City Olympics, pulling in four golds, and those games were really the crowning achievement of his entire career.

But let’s be real, comparing them is like comparing apples to oranges. It's an impossible mix. Though, if we're talking about the sheer scale and popularity of the sports involved, handball actually holds its own quite well.
Anyway, I saw that Eurosport made their call on the top athletes. It turns out Ivano Balić isn't sitting at the top of the list anymore. Their jury bumped him down to third place.

Nancy Vaughn70 - Wait, hold on. Did I misread this? Do you actually believe Ivano Balić is the greatest athlete on the planet right now? 😂

Chris Lopez59 said:I’d say the lobbyists pushed Karabatic through. Hvidt should have taken it, and honestly, regardless of how you feel about him, I think Ivano Balić deserved it more than Karabatic because he was the deciding factor in so many wins.

Karabatic's scary talent is that he became such a top-tier player while he was still incredibly young. Because of that, he just exploits the fact that he can blast shots with pure power. From what I can see, he scores way more in the second half of games when everyone else has physically hit a wall. The guy is an absolute beast.

Hvidt is the tournament MVP🙏, that much is obvious... this whole thing with Karabatic is just total nonsense☕..

OT: Ivano Balić is a genius🙏🙏🙏

The Eurosport thing is just the quarterfinals. They've got 32 athletes split into groups of four, then people vote, one moves on from each group, and then I don't know, whatever else happens... blah blah

Honestly, you can't deny it—Ivano Balić is easily one of the most legendary and charismatic athletes to ever step onto the field

Magic Johnson is the GOAT 🙏

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