15 Athletes Who Are Having the Best Summer Ever

Unless you’re a school teacher, the moment you trade textbooks and report cards for an office and annual performance reviews signals the death of the summer we took for granted—the summer we couldn’t wait to start and hated to end. However, summer always feels a little special, even when the days of referring to it as a “vacation” are far behind you.

Maybe it’s the warm weather and the opportunity to sweat instead of shiver that makes summer different from the other seasons. Maybe it’s just the hangover after years of spending the same 10-week period in a state of youthful sloth. The reason why summer is special is less important than the fact it is. And even if most working adults don’t have the opportunity to enjoy a 90-day weekend, we still find a way to do a lot of things that made summer awesome—hit the pool, spend the day outdoors, etc.—regardless of the fact we have to be at work the next day.

For some people, Summer ’15 is shaping up to be pretty great by any standard—including athletes who are either enjoying the kind of summer vacation we gave up a long time ago, or something close enough to it in spirit. And these athletes are sharing the moment on Instagram and other social media apps.

So, if you’re having a hard time remembering what all the fuss about summer is, or just want to live vicariously through the splendor of these men and women of sports, check out these 15 athletes who are having the best summer ever!

Matthew Stafford

Lions quarterback Matt Stafford was unable to elevate himself in the playoffs earlier this year, but he certainly didn’t spend the offseason wallowing in that brutal loss to the Cowboys. In April, he and his college sweetheart, Kelly, were married in a ridiculously fun extravaganza event that puts most weddings to shame.

The new Mrs. Stafford documented the couple’s nuptials and subsequent epic honeymoon for the ages on Instagram. Judging from her photos, everything since, including a friend-filled Fourth of July and sun-drenched days on the golf course, has been just as glorious.

Dwyane Wade

The Heat may have disappointed in their first season without LeBron James, but aging superstar Dwyane Wade hasn’t let that dampen his offseason fun. He and wife Gabrielle Union recently returned from (what looked on Instagram to be) an epic Bahamian vacation.

With D-Wade’s contract drama in Miami behind him, he and Union obviously didn’t have a care in the world while making the rounds arm in arm during New York Men’s Fashion Week.

DeAndre Jordan

Going into the offseason, it looked like free agent DeAndre Jordan was almost certain to sign with any team but the Clippers, after tensions began boiling over with teammate Chris Paul. Among the most coveted free agents this summer, Jordan verbally committed on a move to Dallas after receiving the full-court press from Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

He must have felt like the prettiest girl at the party when Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and some of Jordan's teammates tracked him down in Houston to talk him out of it. They talked Jordan into coming back and didn’t leave his side until the contract was made official at 11 p.m. (midnight EST) on July 8.

Charlie Whitehurst

During the season, Titans quarterback Charlie “Clipboard Jesus” Whitehurst is used to standing in the shadows. This summer, however, Whitehurst has been first string all the way; his recent trip to Cannes got more media attention than anything he’s done on the field in a while.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Heading into the summer, it looked like Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s time with the club was coming to an end. But after months of speculation, in May he announced his desire to stay put. Putting the drama behind him, Ronaldo has just been enjoying himself of late.

In the last few weeks alone, he’s made headlines for going on a jaunt with a Las Vegas woman after returning her cell phone, showing off his Michael Jackson impression on a Japanese game show and hitting the poker tables at a casino in Melbourne, Australia.

Stephen Curry

Warriors point guard Stephen Curry was named the 2014-15 NBA MVP in May, and the following month went on to lead Golden State to their first championship since 1975. Once again proving the rich just get richer, just days ago Curry and his wife Ayesha welcomed the newest addition to their family.

It seems Riley Curry now has competition as the cutest and most precocious little girl in sports—her baby sister Ryan Carson Curry will surely give her a run for her money in just a few years.

Jordan Spieth

PGA pro Jordan Spieth isn’t just having the best summer ever, he’s having the best year ever. So far he’s won four tournaments, including the first two majors of the season (Masters, U.S. Open), and finished tied for second in another.

Going into the British Open, Spieth is the odds-on favorite with Rory McIlroy out with injury, per Odds Shark. If he does win a third consecutive major, the 21-year-old will likely overtake McIlroy as the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world.

Carli Lloyd

After America’s historic win over Japan in the recent World Cup final, women’s soccer is definitely having a moment in the U.S. Of course, nobody has been enjoying it more than 33-year-old midfielder Carli Lloyd, who won the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s top player after breaking the record for the fastest hat trick in World Cup history.

Although every player on the team was given her own cover by Sports Illustrated, including coach Jill Ellis, Lloyd was the subject of a feature article and weeks later remains in demand by the media.

Chris Bosh

After missing the second half of the season because of blood clots in his lung, Heat forward Chris Bosh says he’s feeling great. He’s looking forward to getting back on the court and says the time away from the game has given him “renewed passion.” Amar’e Stoudemire’s decision to come to Miami also thrilled the big man.

Bosh may have been missing basketball this summer, but he probably didn’t have much time to be down about it on the #BoshFamilyWorldTour, which he documented on Instagram. Peru, France and England were among the spots on what’s becoming an annual event for the Bosh family.

Novak Djokovic

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic isn’t on the same kind of roll that Serena Williams is currently enjoying, but having won this year’s Australian Open, recently at Wimbledon, and making it to the finals of the French Open, he certainly isn’t too far off. This may be his best year ever.

Djokovic and Williams danced together following their most recent Grand Slam, with the Joker having cemented his place as one of the game’s greats by beating Roger Federer, perhaps the all-time greatest. Now peaking professionally, Djokovic and his wife also welcomed their first child earlier this year.

Rob Gronkowski

Patriots stud tight end Rob “Sorry for Partying” Gronkowski is not sorry for partying—no matter what his wardrobe says. Earlier in his career, the powers that be in New England tried to put the kibosh on his offseason antics, but by now we know the Summer of Gronk is endless.

Unconstrained by dates dictating seasonal boundaries, in April, ESPN’s Sam Alipour noted that, “we’re barely a week into spring, but if Gronk says it’s summer, then it’s summer.” His “hiatus for the ages” already warranted a Top 5 list by June 1. Now that A Gronking To Remember has been made into a movie, one wonders where we go from here.

Hope Solo

The year didn’t start off great for U.S. women’s soccer goalie Hope Solo, who was suspended for 30 days in late January. The suspension was the result of a “culmination of things,” including two (one, two) very high-profile run-ins with police.

Following the 30 days, Solo returned to the team and played a critical role in Team USA’s World Cup win. She won the Golden Glove as the tournament’s top goalkeeper and, despite past indiscretions, landed invites to the ESPY Awards and Nickelodeon’s Kids' Choice Sports awards show.

Oh, and judging by that photo Solo posted from the team’s ticker-tape victory parade in New York City, the boys in blue aren’t holding any grudges either.

Russell Wilson

In February, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw a last-minute interception that cost Seattle a second consecutive Super Bowl, which definitely sucked going into an offseason of contentious contract negotiations. He may not have his new deal yet, but he’s definitely not sweating it out at home alone.

Just over a year after filing for divorce from ex-wife Ashton, Wilson and singer Ciara went public with their relationship. The couple seem to be head-over-heels, butt-crazy in love, which could account for Wilson’s excessive overhsare about their love life, as well as their decision to coordinate matching outfits to the ESPYs.

Serena Williams

Even though it seems that there is nothing that tennis legend Serena Williams will ever be able to do to silence that nagging chorus of haters, it doesn’t diminish her continuing accomplishments. Williams’ recent win at Wimbledon was the 22^nd Grand Slam of her career, the third this year alone, and fourth consecutive dating back to the 2014 U.S. Open.

LeBron James

Image via YouTube

The summer didn’t start off as well as it could for Cleveland’s LeBron James, whose Cavaliers fell to the Warriors in the NBA Finals. That being said, things have definitely picked up for the King. He was recently spotted on the caboose of a water-bound banana in the Bahamas with Clippers star Chris Paul, former Heat teammate Dwyane Wade, and D-Wade’s wife, actress Gabrielle Union.

James has also been doing a lot of promotional work for his co-staring role in the summer’s most buzzed-about comedy, Trainwreck. A complete natural on screen, James was so great pitching his crazy ideas for a sequel in a Funny or Die sketch that the premise doesn’t sound that far-fetched.