Sports Stars Who Recently Became Our Faves
Frank Kaminsky might not be No. 1 on the list of new favorite athletes in 2015, but he's up there. The Charlotte Hornets rookie is hilarious from his dance moves to his suit choices, and sports news is better with him in it.
Several other sports stars made an impression in 2015, advancing from mere liked status to loved. These athletes became dominant in their sport, showed exceptional personality or simply charmed the pants off us. Whatever the case, we dug these 15 athletes. The only question now is, who did we dig the most? Who became our new favorite sports star in 2015?
Note: This does not include people we already loved to the max—looking at you, J.J. Watt and Rob Gronkowski. Instead, it includes folks who inspired a new, elevated sense of admiration this year.
By the way, if you think you're getting out of this without a Stephen Curry reference, you're crazy.
Jake Arrieta
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Major League Baseball players showed a lot of personality in 2015. From Dallas Keuchel's trolling to Miguel Cabrera's pranks, it was a fun season.
In particular, Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta stands out as a favorite. For starters, the ace had a breakout year. He posted a 0.75 ERA after the All-Star break, the lowest such mark in MLB history, tossed a no-hitter and took home the National League Cy Young Award.
Beyond that, dude's hilarious. His two-year-old son poured champagne down his throat to celebrate a Wild Card win, and his Twitter page is littered with gems like this: "My right nipple comes out of my tank top almost every pitch, so I place it back inside."
Lydia Ko
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Jordan Spieth wasn't the only golfer to make history in 2015. Eighteen-year-old Lydia Ko gave fans all over the world a new, young star to root for.
Ko made history in 2015, winning five tournaments, including her first major. She became the youngest golfer ever to win a major and also the youngest golfer to reach the world No. 1 ranking.
LPGA player Jane Park said, "She's so down to earth, not a mean bone in her body. Can't hurt a fly. She's just so humble and gracious and very thankful for her talent and all the great opportunities her talent has given her," per Bill Fields of espnW.com.
Vince Wilfork
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Houston Texans defensive tackle Vince Wilfork has always been a funny guy. Still, his inclusion in HBO's Hard Knocks put his hilarity on full display in 2015. The 12-year NFL veteran sported overalls (just overalls) on the show, and Will Brinson of CBS Sports wrote he was "an absolute stand-out gem" on the show.
Plus, he wore this T-shirt to a press conference. Vince Wilfork is the best.
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Matthew Dellavedova
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Odds are, not a lot of folks outside Cleveland knew who Matthew Dellavedova was before the 2015 NBA Finals.
The Golden State Warriors took Game 1, and already down one Kevin Love, the Cleveland Cavaliers lost Kyrie Irving to an injury as well.
Enter an unlikely hero. After playing less than 10 minutes in Game 1, Dellavedova logged 42 minutes in Game 2, played stifling defense and made a couple of clutch free throws to seal a Cavs victory.
The Internet predictably erupted with excessive love and praise, and the Australian guard followed up with a stellar Game 3 performance as well (20 points, four assists). Cleveland went on to lose the series, and Delly fever cooled. But for a brief snapshot in time, he was a bona fide media darling.
Jonny Gomes
5 of 20MLB free agent and 13-year veteran Jonny Gomes won a World Series with the Kansas City Royals in 2015.
Despite the fact that he didn't make postseason roster, Gomes delivered an epic speech at the victory parade in November that included perhaps the greatest mic-drop moment of the year.
Per Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star, Gomes said, in part, "It's unbelievable what those boys did. … Hey guess what, Cy Young winner, not on our team, beat him. Rookie of the year, not on our team, we beat him. MVP of the whole league, (turns around) sorry guys not on our team. But we beat that guy too!"
Gomes' speech put the exclamation point on an incredible season for the Royals, a World Series victory 30 years in the making.
Katie Ledecky
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As the world gears up for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, almost every sports fan is taking stock of his or her country's best chances for gold.
In terms of American swimmers not named Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky will be a shining star of the U.S. team. Ledecky took home gold in the 800-meter freestyle at the London 2012 Summer Olympics, but 2015 was a coming-out party of sorts.
She won five gold medals at the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia, setting world records in three events. USA Swimming national team director Frank Busch said, "I've seen Michael win eight medals in Beijing; that was hard-fought. I'm sure he'd be the first one to say Katie's a freak. She's a freak of nature in what she's done," per Karen Crouse of the New York Times.
Just 18 years old, Ledecky won the Swammy Award for Person of the Year in December.
Jamie Benn
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Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn won the Art Ross Trophy in 2015 as the league leader in points, and he's on pace to do it again, per David Castillo of SB Nation. With 50 points in 38 games, Benn trails only MVP candidate Patrick Kane in scoring.
The consensus on Benn is 2015 was the year he went from good to great, and that type of elevation is always fun to watch.
According to Josh Cooper of Puck Daddy, a National Hockey League executive said, "He's better than other good players—other highly touted players. … He's been a good player and now he's an elite player."
Kristaps Porzingis
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Who would've seen this one coming on draft day? New York Knicks fans booed in Barclays Center when their team drafted Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis at No. 4 overall.
They and basketball fans in general have been pleasantly surprised. Twelve games into the season, home fans chanted Porzingis' name amid a 29-point performance. According to the Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN State & Info), he is the youngest player in Knicks history to record 25 points and 10 rebounds in one game.
Besides that, he's just a fun guy. The rookie attempted to woo Barbadian singer Rihanna on NBA draft night, rapped unabashedly in his car and starred in a surprisingly awesome ESPN commercial.
Dele Alli
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Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli is just 19 years old but is already one of the Premier League's brightest young stars.
Daily Mail columnist Jamie Redknapp said, "I can't tell you how impressed I am with Dele Alli, as a midfield player, a young player, how exciting he is. He plays with no fear. We were lucky enough to play with Steven Gerrard and he's the closest thing I've seen to Stevie," per Oliver Todd for Mail Online.
High praise. Plus, Alli is hilarious on social media. His Twitter page is a must-follow and contains such masterpieces as, "Microsoft bought Skype for 8.5 billion dollars. LOL idiots! They could have downloaded it for free!"
This Myspace picture is also Pure gold.
Jose Bautista
10 of 20If you're a fan of boss moves, you are also probably a fan of Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista. Yes, it's a bit odd to think the flip of a bat could make someone so instantly beloved, but it happened.
Bautista's flip followed a monster home run in the American League Division Series that ultimately clinched the win for his team. It was so ruthless and awesome, one fan had the moment tattooed on his body less than a day later.
Ronda Rousey
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Ronda Rousey may have ended the year on a low note, but there's no denying she gained a lot of fans in 2015.
Prior to the Nov. 14 knockout by Holly Holm, Rousey was the undefeated UFC Bantamweight Champion. She took down three opponents in a total of 64 seconds.
Her famous "DNB" speech (Warning: NSFW language) took fire over the summer, and she became a symbol for female power. Even singer Beyonce took notice.
She made movie cameos, posed for magazine shoots, went on talk shows and just generally dominated sports pop culture for the majority of the year. She was even named to Fortune's "40 under 40" list.
Cam Newton
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Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is a polarizing figure for some (mainly those who don't like his touchdown dances), but for others, he has become a refreshing presence in the NFL.
Teammate Roman Harper said, "I enjoy him coming to work every day and being the person he is. He brings energy and life to this locker room. He is who he is. He has the juice when we need the juice. It's good to have guys who are young and vibrant—guys who know it's OK to be themselves," per Jeff Darlington of NFL Media.
Indeed, Newton might not be everyone's favorite, but he certainly brings life to the game. And man, is he fun to watch.
Simone Biles
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American gymnast Simone Biles hasn't even participated in the Olympics, but she's already the most decorated female gymnast of all time. She collected her third consecutive world all-around title in 2015, adding to the already major hype she'll take into Rio.
Recently named the U.S. Female Olympic Athlete of the Year in 2015, 18-year-old Biles has and will continue to get big buzz. One big storyline will be if defending Olympic all-around champion Gabby Douglas can crash the Biles party in Rio.
Bartolo Colon
14 of 20Who knew Bartolo Colon was so hilarious? The 42-year-old New York Mets pitcher emerged in 2015 as one of baseball's most delightful characters. Not only did he experience a career resurgence, but he made some hilarious plays along the way, making him an instant fan favorite on the Internet.
Colon's 5'11", 285-pound girth didn't stop him from making a beautiful flip play (who is he, Derek Jeter?) to nail Justin Bour at first base. Seriously, look at this play. The nonchalance of it is staggering.
Nothing beats his RBI single in April, though. The man swung so hard, he lost his helmet. Bartolo Colon is the best.
DeAngelo Williams
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Not only has Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams been a fantasy menace in 2015, but he, like several other athletes, also stood up for a cause close to his heart.
Williams, who lost his mother to breast cancer, requested an allowance to wear pink apparel all season (as opposed to just in October). The league denied his request, citing the uniform policy. He was later fined for wearing eye black with the words "find a cure" etched on it.
In response, Williams opted to die his hair pink, and his adorable daughters took a stand with pink T-shirts.
Frank Kaminsky
16 of 20Charlotte Hornets rookie center Frank Kaminsky got our attention in 2015 when he was still in college. Kaminsky helped the Wisconsin Badgers to an appearance in the national championship game and took home the Naismith College Player of the Year Award.
Kaminsky was selected ninth overall in the 2015 NBA draft and wore a draft suit with tank patches sewn inside the jacket to honor his Old School-inspired nickname, "Frank the Tank." His goofy sense of humor and hilarious dance moves made him a favorite in 2015.
Carli Lloyd
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U.S. women's national soccer team midfielder Carli Lloyd scored a hat trick in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Final—in 16 minutes—lifting the U.S. to a decisive victory over Japan.
Lloyd has been a fixture on the national team for some time and is one of the all-time great midfielders, but that hat trick truly put her on the map—and on the road to international superstardom.
It's not every day one becomes an American hero.
American Pharoah
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2015 gave sports fans an incredible gift that only comes around once in a blue moon.
American Pharoah did what no other horse has done in 37 years—he won the Triple Crown. The last winner was Affirmed, a horse that made history in 1978 when an entire generation of millennial sports fans had yet to exist.
Despite being a horse, American Pharoah won the online readers' poll for Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year in a landslide—and rightly so.
His jockey, Victor Espinoza, is pretty likable too.
Stephen Curry
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At this point, folks might be tired of hearing about how great Stephen Curry is. (If that's you, bah humbug.) Still, it's not as if the praise is unwarranted, and there can't be a list of athletes we loved in 2015 without him.
Curry has been in the league for seven seasons, but 2014-15 was his best year yet. It was the season in which he truly emerged as a megastar. He took home his first NBA MVP Award and won a national championship alongside the Golden State Warriors.
Curry routinely makes remarkable shots, and his style of play is mesmerizing. Graham Lustig, artistic director of the Oakland Ballet Company, said, "It's beautiful to watch," per Scott Cacciola of the New York Times.
Plus his daughter is the cutest.
Jordan Spieth
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Jordan Spieth is like Steph Curry. People can't really stop talking about how great he is. But come on, dude's great.
Young Spieth crashed onto the golf scene in 2015 with wins at the Masters Tournament and U.S. Open. He took home a record $12 million in earnings (not including a $10 million FedEx Cup playoffs bonus) and was named the PGA Tour Player of the Year.
On top of all that, his polite sensibilities, care for his family and savvy social media use make him as likable as he is good.
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