The 16 Best Sports Stars to Ever Play in New York

New York is a special place. It's a land of opportunity, an East Coast paradise.

When you say New York, most people think about New York City. How could you not? It's one of the greatest cities on earth—someone go out and cue the Frank Sinatra music. But New York is much more than that. It's a state built on the backs of some of the best athletes in the history of sports.

Football, baseball, hockey, it doesn't really matter. With so many sports teams packed into one area, our job was to pick out some of the very best.

Here is a look at 16 of the most iconic and important athletes to ever play in New York for an extended amount of time.

Let me know (nicely) in the comments who you think is missing, and who should be bumped. 

Patrick Ewing

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There are plenty of New Yorkers who will tell you that Patrick Ewing doesn't belong on this list. As the New York Knicks franchise player for 15 seasons, Ewing never won an NBA title.

Sure he may have had John Starks by his side, but Ewing never really played with the likes of Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan or even Dennis Rodman.

His one shot at an NBA title ended in Game 7 against Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets. That series, the Knicks were up 3-2 before blowing it.

Winning is important in New York and the fact Ewing could never quite get it done hangs over his legacy like a dark cloud.

But from a skill set perspective, he belongs. The 7'0" center averaged 22.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game in Knicks colors. Those numbers are legit. Despite his shortcomings in the championship area of the game, Ewing was always a very productive and talented player.

Winning an NBA title is as much luck at times as it is skill. The Knicks contended pretty much every season Ewing was there, and in the grand scheme of things that has to count for something.

One thing we do know: Knicks fans will never forget Ewing.

Tom Seaver

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Fair warning: There are going to be a lot of New York Yankees on this list.

But before we jump into all of that, there's one New York Mets player who has to be featured here. That guy is none other than Tom Seaver.

Seaver is the greatest pitcher in the history of the organization. During the 12 years he spent with the team, he won 198 games and three Cy Young Awards. His 2.57 ERA was proof of how he was able to control a game with his command and repertoire of pitches. 

The Mets have had a lot of pitchers come through the doors over the years, but none was quite like Seaver. He was part of the Mets' inaugural championship team in 1969, winning 25 games that year.

His legacy in New York was a special one. And because he did all of that without wearing pinstripes makes it one legacy no sports fan should ever forget.

Derek Jeter

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Derek Jeter spent 20 seasons playing shortstop for the New York Yankees. On the field and at the plate, he produced year after year.

When it was all said and done and his farewell tour reached its final stop in Boston, Jeter ended his illustrious career in the big leagues with 3,465 hits, a .310 career batting average and five Gold Gloves. He was a consummate professional and, more importantly, a winner.

Jeter won five World Series titles with the Bronx Bombers and played in seven Fall Classics. He was "Mr. November."

Now that he's done playing professional baseball, the ex-Yankee captain can spend the rest of his days in New York infamy. He's one of the most popular and respected athletes in the state and for good reason.

In an era intertwined with steroids and controversy, Jeter was a beacon of light. Cliche or not, he played the game the right way and did it for just about two decades.

There may have been better Yankees statistically speaking, but few will be remembered like Jeter. So, what's his next stop? Well, that would be Cooperstown.

Michael Strahan

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Defensive success in the NFL has always depended on great edge-rushers. Finding guys who could create pandemonium in the backfield and flush quarterbacks out of a clean pocket often changed the outcome of games.

The New York Giants are one team that has had a host of great pass-rushers lead their defense. During the 1990s, Michael Strahan proved to be one of the very best.

Strahan's time in New York was special. He was part of that Super Bowl-winning team that stunned the universe when they defeated the unbeaten New England Patriots. He was a guy who still to this day has the most sacks in a single season—22.5—and he's No. 5 on the NFL's all-time leaderboard.

Giants fans will remember Strahan for his intensity. Even when he clashed with head coach Tom Coughlin off the field, Strahan always found a way to channel that energy and produce on the gridiron.

He'll be remembered as a pass-rusher who essentially replaced Lawrence Taylor—LT's final year in New York was also Strahan's rookie season.

Today, Strahan sits No. 1 on the Giants leaderboard for career sacks. Taylor is right behind him.

The NFL didn't start keeping track of sacks until 1982. That took away one year of production from Taylor's total. 

Mickey Mantle

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It's inevitable. As baseball continues to progress and younger stars get their time to shine, legends of the game are remembered less by this current generation of fans.

That's upsetting when you think about all of the outstanding ballplayers who were once a part of America's pastime.

Mickey Mantle was one of those guys.

Mantle is a Yankees legend. "The Mick," as some deemed him, was the epitome of baseball in the Bronx. He was 5'11" and 195 pounds of power. During his 18 seasons in pinstripes, Mantle blasted 536 home runs, knocked in 1,509 RBI and finished his career with a .298 batting average.

He won the Triple Crown in 1956, three MVP awards and capped it all off with four straight seasons as the No. 1-ranked played in WAR—wins above replacement. Of all his accolades, that could be the most impressive one of all.

He'll be remembered for almost mythological home runs. He'll be remembered for playing in 12 World Series and winning seven of those. But at the end the day, he'll be remembered as being one of the purest hitters the game of baseball and the state of New York has ever laid eyes on.

Walt Frazier

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Walt Frazier defined style in New York City during his playing days. As one of the best point guards in the history of New York basketball, Frazier steered the ship during the Knicks championship quest in 1973.

Clyde was as smooth on the court as he was off of it. Talking from a numbers perspective, he wasn't overly impressive. That being said, his career averages are still very respectable at 18.9 points, 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game.

Frazier's legacy in New York City goes further than the stat sheet. He was part of the last Knicks team to win an NBA title. With all of the recent struggles the franchise has endured, that means something.

These days, Clyde spends his time wearing unconventional suits and serving as arguably the best color commentator in pro hoops as one of the in-house guys for the Knicks television broadcast team.

It's a shame that the rest of country isn't able to spend their weeknights "dishin' and swishin'" with Walt Frazier. Even in the cruel, pale light of defeat, his verbiage resonates with Knicks fans.

Joe DiMaggio

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There are so many great Yankees players. Joe DiMaggio was one of the best.

DiMaggio was a nine-time World Series champion. He hit 361 home runs during his career and won three American League MVP awards. When it was all over, his .325 batting average put him in a tie with Earle Combs as third-best in team history.

His final season for the Yankees in 1951 was also the debut year for Mickey Mantle. How about that for a changing of the guard?

"Joltin' Joe" had so much for going him during his prime. He won a lot, he built a Hall of Fame legacy and he even had songs made about him.

DiMaggio is a vibrant, immortal piece of sports history. Lucky for everyone who lives in New York, he did all of those great things as a Yankee.

Mark Messier

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Mark Messier leading the New York Rangers to victory in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup over the Vancouver Canucks will be remembered for a very long time.

So many things about that championship run were special: Messier's play, the team coming together at the right moment. Add in their Eastern Conference Final win over the New Jersey Devils and what you have is a show worthy of the applause and neon signs of Broadway.

Messier spent 10 years in the Big Apple over the course of two separate tenures. His first run—1991-97—was his most effective.

In that span, he netted 183 goals and set up his teammates with 335 assists. For his efforts, he won the Hart Memorial Trophy after the 1991-92 season ended.

The Rangers will always be a big part of New York City. And because of that, Messier will go down in the history books.

Mariano Rivera

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Here's something you may have not realized: Mariano Rivera made his debut for the New York Yankees in 1995 at the age of 25 as a starting pitcher.

He would transition into the closer role permanently in 1997.

Unlike a lot of players fresh out of college or in their late teens, Rivera was just five years away from being 30 when he first stepped onto the mound. That "late" start didn't matter, as Rivera's dynamic cutter and control from the mound allowed him to play for 19 years in the Bronx.

Building a Hall of Fame resume on the back of five championships, Rivera walked away with 1,173 strikeouts, 652 saves and a career ERA of a measly 2.21.

There may never be a closer quite like him again. Combing over the stats, Rivera blew only 80 saves during his entire career. That ratio is staggering. That means 89.1 percent of the time he got credited with a save.

The year before Jeter retired, it was Rivera's turn. That means for back-to-back seasons, Yankees fans lost their favorite players. New York sports fans lost two of the very best.

Lou Gehrig

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Like Mantle, Lou Gehrig was one of the game's purest hitters. The first baseman of the Yankees between 1921 and 1936 did remarkable things with a baseball bat nestled between his hands.

Before his career and life were cut short due to ALS—which is commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease—Gehrig hit 493 home runs and 1,995 RBI and walked away with a .340 career batting average.

He hit for average, he swung for the fences and did it with style and grace. A Triple Crown win in 1934 was the pinnacle of his on-field success.

Fans of the game should do themselves a favor and immerse themselves in his stats. The man once knocked in 174 RBI in a season not once, but twice. 

Yeah, 174 RBI is great. But Gehrig topped that in 1931, when he batted in 185 of those suckers. Greatness oozed from his bat.

No one will ever forget Lou Gehrig the baseball player or the man. He's an all-time cultural icon whose character and will to fight stand the test of time.

Jim Kelly

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Jim Kelly's career was all about perseverance. He led his Buffalo Bills with a strong arm and a will to win.

Under Kelly's watch, the Bills played in four consecutive Super Bowls. Despite not winning one of those games, think about that for a second.

The Bills represented the AFC in four straight title games.

That elusive championship ring is tough to get over, but it wasn't all on Kelly. His Hall of Fame numbers prove that. Since the Bills drafted him in 1986, all he did was produce. He threw for 237 career touchdowns, 35,467 yards and never played less than 12 games in a season.

Buffalo fans will tell you there hasn't been a Bills quarterback close to Kelly since he stopped playing in '96. Since then there's been a makeshift group of average-to-below-average signal-callers in that city.

Babe Ruth

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Before Mantle, DiMaggio, Gehrig and others, there was Babe Ruth. 

You could say "The Bambino" was the greatest baseball player to ever walk this planet and you wouldn't be wrong. An ex-Boston Red Sox pitcher who was converted into arguably the best power hitter the game has ever seen, Ruth launched New York and the Yankees into the atmosphere of greatness.

His 15 years in pinstripes produced 659 home runs, 1,978 RBI, 2,518 hits and an astounding slugging percentage of .711. 

Baseball had never really seen someone with that much power before. Ruth defied logic as he belted out home run after home run. He was charismatic off the field and brilliant on it. That combination made him an absolute legend.

Ruth won seven World Series with the Bronx Bombers and in the process of that he became the pinnacle of sports in New York.

Joe Namath

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"Broadway" Joe Namath was built for New York. The kid born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, came to the New York Jets in 1965 and lit the franchise on fire.

His career completion percentage in Jets attire may have been only 50.2 percent, but he was the first quarterback in the NFL to throw for over 4,000 yards in a season. He was also the man who told everyone that his Jets would beat the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III despite the Colts being a heavy favorite.

Namath was right. The Jets beat the Colts 16-7, and, as they say, the rest is history.

The Jets leader's time in New York was punctuated with 27,057 yards passing, 173 touchdowns and 215 touchdowns. He was a genuine gunslinger with a Super Bowl ring. Based on what we've seen nowadays, Jets fans would trade anything to get him back.

Lawrence Taylor

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Do you want to strike fear in the hearts of others? Back in the '80s and early '90s—a courageous time when the Bangles were killing the charts and Eazy-E was dining with President George H.W. Bush—all you had to say was two letters out loud: "L.T."

To this day, Lawrence Taylor is the most disruptive and aggressive defensive player in NFL history. He changed the outside linebacker position and did it all wearing that clean, New York Giants blue.

Taylor's 132.5 sacks may be the second-most in Giants history behind Strahan, but that doesn't mean he wasn't the most commanding player in team history. Taylor as a pass-rusher was one of a kind.

He also played through insufferable amounts of pain. David Whitley, special to ESPN at the time, wrote about a few of those occurrences: "He suffered a hairline fracture of his right tibia against San Francisco in 1987 and played the next week. He broke a bone in his foot in 1989 and missed only one game. Maybe his greatest 'No Pain, No Gain' performance came in 1988 at New Orleans."

Many who watched him play would tell you that L.T. was the greatest defensive football player to ever live. I mean, the guy who two Super Bowls with the Giants.

The one thing we all can agree on is that he was one of the best to ever play for a New York sports team.

Mike Bossy

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Mark Messier wasn't the only NHL player to thrive in New York. In a place set outside of New York City, Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders went out and made a name for himself.

Spending his entire career rocking that Islanders logo on his sweater, Bossy was part of the Islanders dynasty from 1979 to 1983. Those were the years when the Islanders brought home the Stanley Cup four times in a row.

They were physical, talent-laden and built for long-term success. Bossy was one of the team's biggest catalysts. He won the MVP of the playoffs in '82 and was an iron man on the ice. Rarely did he miss time.

In 752 career games, Bossy jammed home 573 goals. Not to be outdone, he also had 553 assists to his name.

Who cares if he didn't play in the Big Apple? Mike Bossy was one of the very best this state had to offer.

Jackie Robinson

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There wasn't a player as important as Jackie Robinson. He's the man who went out and shattered the color barrier in baseball.

That challenging feat changed the course of history. Robinson's greatness, bravery and persistence are three qualities that all athletes and, more importantly, human beings should admire.

Without Robinson, sports as we know it today wouldn't exist.

Robinson's skills on the field were top-notch as well. Part of the Brooklyn Dodgers, he spent 10 years contributing to one of New York's greatest franchises.

He may not have had the power or natural bat skills like Ruth or Mantle, but that doesn't mean Robinson wasn't vital to that team. His career average of .311 complements the 197 bases he stole, 137 home runs he hit and 947 runs he scored.

He won a World Series title in 1955 and the National League's MVP award in '49.

To this day, Robinson's No. 42 is retired leaguewide as a sign of respect for the heroic Brooklyn Dodger.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats and information are via Sports-Reference.com.