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Dwight Howard, James Harden are among the world's 60 most famous athletes, according to ESPN

Who needs All-NBA team selections when you've got people who love you ... and hate you.

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Dwight Howard and James Harden, the world is yours ... well, sort of. That would seem to be the case in the ESPN World Fame 100 rankings, where they measure the global fame of athletes in all sports all over the world. Howard ranked 36th, and Harden finished a respectable 54th.

The rankings came from a formula created by Ben Alamar, ESPN's director of sports analytics, that "combines salary and endorsements with social media following and Google search popularity to create." They also may or may not have put a dash of Jeff Van Gundy's soul in for good measure.

It's a little shocking to think that Howard is so far ahead of Harden in the rankings, which will surely give them something else to beef about, but it's important to remember "Superman" has been in the Association half a decade longer than "The Beard," and the numbers don't lie in the tale of the tape. Howard makes $5 million a year more than Harden, has 3 million more Twitter followers, and nearly 5 million more Facebook followers. What we're trying to say is there a lot of people out there who enjoy cheesy comments from overrated players. James, you better put that call into Mark Zuckerberg, son!

But let's be honest. What probably put Howard over the top is his stellar acting career. Or have you have forgotten about when Mr. Howard showed his chops as "Cold Turkey" in the animated film "Free Birds?" "What's your wingspan?" Hilarious!