Douglas C. Pizac / AP file John Stockton

Our readers have spoken, and your pick for the most underappreciated athlete is former Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton. The pride of Gonzaga retired as the NBA's all-time leader in steals and assists, and was named one of the top 50 players in NBA history.

Also receiving multiple entries from fans were former NBA forward Scottie Pippen, who teamed with Michael Jordan to win six championships with the Bulls, former Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton, and do-it-all Phillies outfielder Bobby Abreu.

Thank you for your contributions. We have published a selection of them below.

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How about John Stockton? He made Karl Malone the No. 2 all-time scorer. He wasn't flashy, was rarely (if ever) ejected from a game, and played the point guard position better than any other, to say the least.
— Danny Lorenzini, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Jari Kurri was one of the all-time greats in the NHL and the Finnish world championship team but was overshadowed by teammate Wayne Gretzky.
— Tero Vuorio, Plant City, Fla.

Stefan Edberg. Hey, at least people mention Sampras every time they mention "Greatest". Poor Edberg isn't remembered even when they talk about Boris, Agassi or his other contemporaries. Along with Lendl, he forms the best underappreciated duo of people who dominated sports.
— Sanjay Ziddi

Definitely Tim Duncan. The other players you mention have had time during the history of the game to claim their places in the sun although they may not have gotten it at the time they were being overshadowed by other stars on their teams. Duncan does all that you mentioned in your teaser graf, and MORE — he comes through in the clutch. Bill "Big Mouth" Walton needs to eat his words of criticism of Duncan. He said Duncan had never won a championship without the Admiral; well, the Admiral never won without Terrific Tim. But now Tim has won without Mr. Robinson on the court with him.
— Bob Burchette, Winston-Salem, N.C.

Scottie Pippen. It is quite obvious why he was overshadowed for all of the years he played for the Chicago Bulls, yet I still think he was/is one the classiest players and a very underappreciated athlete.
— Maxwell Eblaghie, Durham, N.C.

What about Ark Monk for football over James Lofton? He was second place on most receiving lists when he retired, behind Steve Largent.
— Steve Eyer, Nampa, Idaho

Steve Prefontaine. Believed to be one of the greatest long distance runners of all time.
— Riley Terrell, Texas

How about Garret Anderson from the Angels? The guy is a solid hitter and has had the most hits during the past five years. i agree with Frank Robinson, Eddie Murray, and Rafael Palmeiro ... but Bernie Williams?
-- Raul, Whittier, Calif.

Archie Manning. Archie was the heart and soul of the New Orleans Saints. That's right, most of his career was with the Saints. Need I say more?
— Dan, San Antonio

The most underappreciated baseball player is so underappreciated that you didn't list him. Look at what Stan Musial did and tell me he wasn't underappreciated.
— Ed Snitz, Houston

How about Roger Maris? He held the home run record for how many years? And still isn't good enough to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
— Dana Brock, Fargo, N.D.

He is mentioned but not listed. Walter Payton was hardest working, toughest, most productive, most complete running back in the history of football. Overshadowing his football prowess, however, was his courage, humanity and grace in all aspects of his life. There will never be a better person to play football — ever. As a Bears fan I count myself among the blessed to have witnessed his career.
— Bob Fulton, Hobart, Ind.

How about Bobby Abreu? How can one player bat over or near .300 every year with 25-35 HRs and be overlooked as one of the great outfielders of this era? Also, his stolen bases and doubles are always there at the top.
— Ron, Abilene, Texas

How about Paul Warfield? On a Miami team that rushed most of the time, he was there to bail out the offense when the defense stacked the rush. If my memory is correct, I think he had one season with 22 catches and 11 touchdowns. That's efficiency.
— Al Fidler, N. Billerica, Mass.

Walter Payton by far the best ever and made it happen on bad teams. Emmitt Smith is good but he came out of the gate with a pretty good team year in and year out.
— David Adams, Tucson, Ariz.

Paul Molitor has to be one of the most underappreciated.
— Fred, Clinton Township, Mich.

Being a die-hard Raiders fan, it's almost unthinkable that I would mention this player's name as underrated, but I have to because he is ... Barry Sanders. Because the man does not celebrate in the end zone, because he doesn't talk about himself in the third person and because he chose to leave the game when his fire for the sport extinguished should not tarnish his career. The man got his 1,000 yards year in and year out.
— Juan Salcedo

Chauncey Billups is an all-around great player. He knows when to step up and take the big shot and when to give it up for someone else. This is why here in Detroit we call him Mr. Bigshot. I may be biased as I am from Detroit, but he has really grown as a player since coming here. I think he will be considered one of the greats in the next few years.
— Kristin, Highland, Mich.

The list is fine, but there is a glaring omission. James Worthy. Between discussing who won the titles for L.A. — Kareem or Magic, James Worthy certainly does not get the recognition that he deserves as the "Showtime" championships would not have happened without him.
— Aaron, Los Angeles