10 Current Sports Stars and Their Defining Moments
Professional athletes yearn to win championships and personal honors. Great athletes, however, are remembered by the legacies they forge and by the defining moments of their careers.
You know Michael Jordan won six National Basketball Association titles. Jordan's defining moments do not involve the all-time great hoisting the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. They include Jordan's famous game-winning shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers and also the jumper Jordan buried in the final seconds of Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals.
The possibility exists that none of the 10 athletes showcased in this piece will match all that Jordan accomplished during his legendary career. With that said, we may have already witnessed the moments that will define the legacies for all 10.
The spring of 2016 has been particularly memorable for Cleveland sports fans. Stipe Miocic, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving all contributed to bringing championships to a city that had little of note to celebrate for over 50 years. Cleveland is now a city of champions thanks largely to those three individuals.
Like Miocic, Miesha Tate recently cemented her legacy by winning a Ultimate Fighting Championship title. Odell Beckham Jr. could retire from the National Football League today and still be remembered for making one of the greatest catches we've witnessed. Will Grigg's defining moment has little to do with his performances on the pitch.
A funny thing about supposed defining moments: They can be topped so long as the star of that moment doesn't walk away from his sport. Beckham has not yet played in a Super Bowl since entering the National Football League. Neither Irving nor James are retiring anytime soon. Miocic is scheduled to defend his title in downtown Cleveland later this year.
For all we know, these 10 athletes are just getting started.
Stipe Miocic
1 of 10
Current UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic ended the long-discussed "curse" that haunted Cleveland professional sports since 1964.
Miocic fights out of Independence, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb. Those who follow Miocic's official Twitter page know that the champ holds the Cleveland Cavaliers, Browns and Indians near and dear to his heart. Miocic is true Cleveland through and through.
It was, thus, Miocic and not the Cavaliers who erased Cleveland's often-mocked title drought.
Miocic battled Fabricio Werdum for the UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 198 on May 14. Halfway through the first round, Werdum launched a flurry of punches toward the head of a backpedaling Miocic. Little did Werdum know he fell right into Miocic's trap, as Miocic caught Werdum with a short hook that floored the then-champion and crowned Miocic as the top heavyweight in mixed martial arts.
Don't believe this victory counts as the end of Cleveland's championship drought because the UFC is not a team sport? Take a look at all that happened following Miocic's historic win. The Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League won the Calder Cup by sweeping the Hershey Bears. LeBron James and the Cavaliers completed a historic comeback against a Golden State Warriors side that posted the best regular-season record in NBA history.
Cleveland fans who will pack Quicken Loans Arena this September to watch Miocic defend his title in Cleveland against Alistair Overeem will obviously want to see their hometown fighter emerge victorious. Even if he doesn't, Miocic's legacy among those who live in northeast Ohio is set in stone.
The question has to be asked: Where in Cleveland is a good spot for a Miocic statue?
Odell Beckham Jr.
2 of 10
It is humorous, roughly two years after the fact, to look back at the early days of the NFL career of New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
The Giants selected Beckham with the 12th overall pick of the 2014 NFL draft. The hope, at the time, was that Beckham would immediately serve as a new top offensive weapon for quarterback Eli Manning. That did not happen right away, however, as Beckham was sidelined for most of training camp, the preseason and each of the first four games of the regular season because of lingering hamstring issues.
Giants fans who called into sports-talk radio stations such as WFAN out of New York were understandably confused and even angry. Why did the Giants draft somebody so injury-prone that he missed multiple months of action before playing a single down? How is it possible the club whiffed on a first-round selection so badly?
You know the rest of the story.
Upon making his debut in Week 5 of the 2014 campaign, Beckham proved himself to be a superstar who set records and who had the best first two seasons of a career for any NFL WR in history. Jordan Raanan of NJ.com explained last January that Beckham not only broke the record once held by Randy Moss for the most receiving yards in the first two years of a pro career, but did so despite missing five regular-season games (four because of injury and one because of a suspension).
Those stats are cool, but they aren't why kids pretend to be Beckham on football fields and lawns around the country. Young football fans love Beckham because of the highlight-reel one-handed catch he completed against the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 23, 2014.
Odds are you can close your eyes and replay Beckham's catch in your mind. While falling backward and on the receiving end of a pass interference penalty, Beckham extended his right arm, used all of three fingers to secure the football in his right hand and maintained control of the ball as he fell in bounds into the end zone.
It's maybe the greatest catch in NFL history.
Will Grigg
3 of 10Casual soccer/world football fans probably weren't familiar with Northern Ireland striker Will Grigg before the start of Euro 2016. We won't soon forget Grigg thanks to a catchy tune that stays in one's head long after it is heard.
Wigan Athletic, a club that competed in the Premier League as recently as the spring of 2013 but then fell all the way down to League One (the third division of the English pyramid), earned promotion to the Championship (the second division) this past spring following a fantastic season. Grigg emerged as the star man for Wigan, scoring a league-high 25 goals during the campaign (h/t BBC.com).
As Callum Davis of the Telegraph described last month, an appreciative Wigan fan dedicated a song to Grigg. This song became an anthem for supporters of the club, but the majority of fans around the world never heard the tune because League One matches don't receive much media play outside of England.
Grigg's status around the globe changed this month thanks to Northern Ireland fans attending the Euro. Those supporters adopted the chant and sung it for all the world to hear during the nation's three matches during the group stages of the tournament.
A remixed version of the song, per Mirror.co.uk, is in the top 10 of the iTunes UK Top 100 as of June 21.
What's amazing about this is that Grigg did not see any match action during the group stages of the competition. Never fear, though, as Northern Ireland earned a place in the Round of 16. Even if Grigg never plays for Northern Ireland this summer, his defining moment of the Euro and possibly of his international career cannot be taken from him.
Grigg's on fire. Your defense is terrified.
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Sidney Crosby
4 of 10
The Pittsburgh Penguins winning the Stanley Cup in the spring of 2009 couldn't be the defining moment in the career of Sidney Crosby. Evgeni Malkin, not Crosby, won the Conn Smythe Trophy awarded to the National Hockey League MVP of the playoffs. Crosby, meanwhile, spent most of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings on the bench after he sustained a leg injury during the second period.
Crosby and the Penguins earned a second opportunity to play for a Stanley Cup this past spring when the club embarked on an incredible run all the way to the Final. As David Pollak of the New York Times explained after the Penguins won the Stanley Cup, Crosby did not finish the playoffs with as many goals or points as teammate Phil Kessel. Crosby did not lead the Penguins in assists during the postseason.
Those who watched every Pittsburgh playoff game know, however, what Crosby contributed during the team's run to a title.
Crosby was routinely the Penguins' best end-to-end player. When the Penguins needed a pinpoint pass through the legs of a defender to an open Pittsburgh player, Crosby delivered. Crosby, per Pollak, blocked four shots in the Final's deciding game alone, and Crosby sacrificed his body on the defensive end of the ice throughout every round of the postseason.
Dave Lozo of Vice.com believes all should now recognize Crosby as an all-time great:
"It's time to start appreciating Sidney Crosby—not just as the best player in the NHL today, but as one of best players to ever live.
Crosby, despite all of his personal and team accomplishments at the age of 28, has been a victim of expectations and nostalgia during his already Hall of Fame career. He has two Stanley Cups, two Olympic golds, two MVPs, two scoring titles and a Conn Smythe Trophy. That should be enough to build a high enough wall to make him impervious to silly criticisms from sweaty former players that believe he doesn't work hard enough despite all the evidence to the contrary.
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Malcolm Butler
5 of 10
The Super Bowl is routinely one of the biggest yearly events in all of North American pro sports. Thus, it could be said that a Super Bowl walk-off is that much more epic than a standard game-winner that ends any regular-season contest.
Multiple Super Bowl contests in the past were decided by a single play. The New England Patriots won a pair of titles via last-second field goals. Linebacker Mike Jones tackled Kevin Dyson at the 1-yard line as time expired to secure the win for the St. Louis Rams over the Tennessee Titans at Super Bowl XXXIV. The New York Giants forced an incomplete Hail Mary pass at the end of Super Bowl XLVI to beat the Patriots for a second time on Super Bowl Sunday.
Arguably the biggest defensive play in NFL history occurred in the final minute of Super Bowl XLIX.
The Seattle Seahawks electing to pass the football from the New England 1-yard line with a title on the line will forever be one of the most criticized decisions during an NFL game. It's a safe bet that Seattle would hand the ball to running back Marshawn Lynch if presented with an opportunity to replay that fateful moment, especially after learning that New England cornerback Malcolm Butler knew the Seahawks' pass play for that scenario.
From Dan Hanzus of NFL.com:
""I knew what was going to happen," said Butler, an undrafted free agent out of Western Alabama who said New England was the only team that gave him a chance to reach the NFL. "I don't know how I knew. I just knew. I just beat him to the point and caught the ball."
Perhaps Butler knew because he had seen the play before. During a scout-team practice, backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo beat Butler on the same play for a touchdown to Josh Boyce.
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Knowing the play is not, of course, enough to execute flawless defense and also secure the game-winning interception. Butler deserves credit for jumping the route, catching the Russell Wilson pass as the eyes of the world were on him and then holding onto the ball as he was run into by Seattle wide receiver Ricardo Lockette.
New England quarterback Tom Brady capped off Butler's defining moment, per the official CNBC Sports Biz Twitter account, by ensuring that the truck supposed to go to Brady for being named MVP of the Super Bowl instead went to Butler. That's quite the present from teammate to teammate.
Kyrie Irving
6 of 10
On June 16 before the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors took the court for Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals, Tom Ziller of SB Nation wrote the following about Cleveland guard Kyrie Irving outperforming league MVP Stephen Curry:
"Kyrie Irving is outplaying Stephen Curry in these NBA Finals. The Cavaliers' point guard is the series' leading scorer at 28 per game, having hit the 30-point mark in each of the past three contests. Irving is outscoring Curry by six points per game while shooting better from the floor (48 percent vs. 42 percent) and about even from three, with similar assist numbers and fewer turnovers.
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Little did Ziller or the rest of us know on that Thursday that Irving's defining moment of the Finals and of his young career was to come.
The Cavaliers and Warriors were tied at 89 with a minute left to play in Game 7 when Irving possessed the ball several steps behind the three-point line. Curry stepped up to guard Irving as the shot clock ticked below 10 seconds and then to five seconds. Irving had enough space to pull up for a three-point shot, and Curry barely left his feet as he put up a hand up to defend the shot.
Not good enough, Mr. MVP. Irving drained the three, and it proved to be the game-winning shot of the NBA Finals and the bucket that ended Cleveland's 52-year championship drought.
Irving turned 24 years old earlier this spring, yet he is already a Cleveland sports hero, legend and icon. LeBron James is the hometown kid who returned to northeast Ohio to guide the Cavaliers to a title, but never forget that it was Irving and not James who hit the biggest shot in Cleveland basketball history.
Jose Bautista
7 of 10Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista may never win a World Series. The Major League Baseball veteran turns 36 years old this fall, and the Blue Jays are currently behind both the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox in the American League East standings. Unless the Blue Jays find fire during the summer months or Bautista is traded to a contender, he is seemingly closer to retirement than to winning a title.
That's OK, because Bautista's legacy among Toronto fans and among those of us who watched the 2015 American League Division Series involving the Blue Jays and Texas Rangers is protected.
ESPN staff writer Gordon Edes provided an in-depth look of the seventh inning of that classic and crazy Game 5. Texas took the lead in the top of the frame in controversial fashion, and Toronto fans responded by throwing debris onto the field. A trio of Texas errors and a misplayed fly ball in the bottom of the inning resulted in the Blue Jays tying the game. Two runners were on base when Bautista made his way to the plate.
Bautista earned legendary status among Toronto fans when he launched a home run well over the wall, a no-doubt-about-it blast that Bautista admired before tossing his bat high into the air and beginning his trot around the bases. The Rangers, as you might expect, felt disrespected by Bautista's actions, and Texas held that grudge up through this spring when the two clubs met in Texas in May.
You'll have to read about Rougned Odor punching Bautista in the jaw last month on your own time.
Fans love antics such as bat flips. They make for entertaining portions of sports that are, at times, taken too seriously by too many. A video of Bautista's flip uploaded to the official MLB YouTube page has attracted more than 1.3 million hits.
Not every defining moment leads to a championship.
Miesha Tate
8 of 10
Combat sports promotions such as the UFC and even World Wrestling Entertainment are built on a simple premise: Babyfaces, "good guys" often perceived as underdogs, or fight heels, villains made to look unstoppable from time to time. It's an easy formula to execute, and it makes a company boatloads of money when that organization produces compelling storylines.
Miesha Tate may, all things considered, be the biggest female babyface in the UFC today.
Tate served as the "other woman" in a feud with Ronda Rousey when the two were signed to Strikeforce in March 2012. Rousey, surrounded by an aura of invincibility, even possessed a wrestling-esque finishing move, a signature armbar. Tate was no match for the overpowering Rousey, as Rousey won their first encounter in the first round via submission.
Tate received a second chance to beat Rousey in December 2013, this time at UFC 168. Tate raised some eyes when she survived the first round against Rousey, but the fight ultimately ended the same way, with Rousey submitting Tate via armbar.
Always the bridesmaid but never the bride, Tate's defining moment became possible in November when Holly Holm defeated Rousey to win the Women's Bantamweight Championship. Holm defended that title against Tate in March, and Holm seemed to be on her way to another victory at the start of the final round. Tate refused to be denied this time around, though, as she locked in a rear-naked choke at about the halfway point of the closing round. Holm refused to submit, but she lost consciousness before being able to break the choke.
Tate's legacy as a UFC champion was born.
Some critics may suggest that Tate cannot be a real champion until she defeats Rousey. We don't know whether Rousey will ever again fight for a UFC title. Rousey has not yet committed to a date for a future UFC fight. Tate can only battle the opponents put in front of her, and nobody can take away the fact that she will forever be remembered as a UFC champion.
Von Miller
9 of 10
Discussions about the best overall defensive player in the NFL today often involve a few familiar names. Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt is probably the leading candidate. Those who prefer shutdown cornerbacks ahead of pass-rushers may suggest Patrick Peterson or Richard Sherman is the best defensive player in the business.
Don't sleep on Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller, as Miller recently produced a performance for the ages while on the biggest stage of them all.
Miller was the star of the show as the Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers at Super Bowl 50. The man named MVP of the game finished the evening with a pair of strip-sacks, both of which resulted in Carolina turnovers and led to Denver scores. Via ESPN.com, Miller ended the game with 2.5 sacks, six tackles and two hits on Carolina quarterback Cam Newton.
Those numbers alone are enough to crown a defensive player MVP of any Super Bowl. Remember that Miller and the Broncos contained Newton, the NFL regular-season MVP, and a Carolina offense expected to lead the Panthers to a title. Carolina, per OddsShark.com, began Feb. 7 as the consensus favorite to win the Super Bowl.
Defense wins championships, teaches the famous football adage, and that proved to be true. Miller's defining moment of his career, to date, occurred this past February, but the current Super Bowl MVP is only 27 years old.
Miller should theoretically just now be entering his physical prime.
LeBron James
10 of 10No more questions about LeBron James' legacy. No more talking about "The Decision" and taking talents to South Beach. No more jokes about Red Right 88, The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, the Cleveland Browns leaving for Baltimore, Game 7 of the 1997 World Series or James winning a pair of titles with the Miami Heat.
No more.
When James used Lee Jenkins of SI.com to announce his return to the Cavaliers in the summer of 2014, he provided a mantra for the Cavaliers and for the region, one that fans repeated time and time again over the past two years: "In northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned."
James finished his essay: "I’m ready to accept the challenge. I’m coming home."
Challenge accepted, and mission accomplished.
James' Hall of Fame resume was legitimate well before the 2016 NBA Finals. The best basketball player of his generation entered the spring as a two-time NBA champion and a two-time NBA Finals MVP. What James was lacking, however, was a defining moment of a NBA Finals game, such as the final shot Michael Jordan ever made while playing for a NBA title.
Then came the last quarter of the 2016 NBA Finals.
The Warriors and Cavaliers were tied at 89 with 1:56 left on the clock when Golden State began a two-on-one fast break. Andre Iguodala appeared on the verge of finishing that run with an easy layup until James swooped in to save the day. James sprinted down the court, ran through the paint, left his feet and nearly hit his head on the rim as he blocked Iguodala's shot, a block worthy of ending a curse.
James is not only the reigning NBA Finals MVP. He is Cleveland's most valuable athlete of the past five decades. That block should be immortalized via a statue placed outside Quicken Loans Arena.
Make it so, team owner Dan Gilbert.
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