Athletes Having the Best / Worst Summers So Far
In the words of Will Smith from back in the day, it's "summer, summer, summer-time," meaning the weather's warm and everyone is enjoying vacations, time around water and hoping to take in as much Vitamin D as possible before the fall hits in a couple months.
And while the sunshine, naturally, puts a smile on all of our faces, some of your favorite athletes haven't been so lucky.
Sure, there are some star players who have had some of the greatest months of their lives this summer—for a variety of reasons—but others will look back on this summer and wish it had gone a little bit differently for them.
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Best: LeBron James
In addition to fulfilling his promise to his hometown team by winning a championship for the city of Cleveland—its first in 52 years—Cleveland Cavs superstar LeBron James is about to cash-in (again) on a monster free-agent deal with the team.
Of course, the guy has a reported $1 billion lifetime deal with Nike, so it's not as if he really needs the cash, but James' summer has been one of the better ones in his life.
He had won a couple of titles with the Miami Heat, getting an enormous monkey off his back by doing so, but James' legacy is and forever will be built on this recent title with the Cavs.
Worst: Tom Brady
It was one of the longest processes in recent memory, dragging on and on for a year-and-a-half, but the NFL finally ended all the Deflategate controversy by punishing New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
After numerous court appearances and appeals, Brady was slapped with a four-game suspension, which he'll serve to start this upcoming season.
Brady usually keeps a low profile no matter what time of year the calendar says, but with this ruling and subsequent punishment, the four-time Super Bowl winner will be in the spotlight—and the sidelines—giving him some negative attention that he'd rather avoid.
Best: Sidney Crosby
It's easy to go ahead and say the biggest superstar in the NHL, Sidney Crosby, is having an awesome summer because he just led his Pittsburgh Penguins to a Stanley Cup title. But that's not the only reason Sid's summer has been great.
Like the aforementioned LeBron James, Crosby earns a spot on this list because he has just put himself in the conversation with the all-time greats after winning a second championship, building a legacy that many believed he would when he was the "it" phenom a decade ago.
Many either love or hate Crosby, with fans looking for reasons to write him off and ignore his greatness. With this recent title, though, there's no denying that anymore.
Worst: Yasiel Puig
Oh, boy, it sure seems like a long time ago when Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig was one of the most exciting players in the game, combining rare athleticism with a mercurial personality.
An All-Star in 2014, Puig always seemed to be in the doghouse, but this summer has only seen it get worse for him.
In addition to trade rumors over the past few weeks, Puig was demoted to the minors. Seeing where things are at between him and the team, it looks as if it's just a matter of time until Puig finds himself elsewhere.
Best: NBA Free Agents
It would have been easy to list a couple of guys who cashed in big time after the NBA's salary cap increased—like Mike Conley—but where's the fun in that?
That's because there were so many players who earned so much money that it would be an injustice to just mention a few.
From Timofey Mozgov to Kent Bazemore to a list of others, any player who positioned himself to be on the open market this summer was rewarded with an annual salary that was anywhere between $10-15 million over what they probably deserved.
Worst: Summer Olympians
Being an Olympian has to be one of the greatest honors for any athlete, as it gives him or her an opportunity to represent their country and play for pride rather than just a paycheck. This summer, though, it doesn't sound as if it's as respected as it once was.
Given all the problems going on in Brazil—particularly the Zika scare, among other things—a few world-class athletes passed on the chance to head to the host country.
For those who did decide to go, we've seen in the days leading up to the opening ceremony athletes being delayed during travel and others complaining about the living situations. So much for a remarkable, once-in-a-lifetime moment, huh?
Best: Cristiano Ronaldo
Throughout his entire career, superstar Cristiano Ronaldo had to battle questions about his lack of major team titles, as he was best known for individual achievements and highlight moments that made fans' jaws drop.
The summer of 2016 ended that all for CR7, though.
While he was limited during the Euro 2016 Final because of an injury, his Portugal squad ended up winning the entire tournament, giving Ronaldo the major title he was long searching for for his native country.
Oh, and of course, there's always those rumors about him hanging out with models on models on models when he's not on the soccer pitch—which has always been something he's won at.
Worst: Lionel Messi
As great of a summer as Cristiano Ronaldo has had, his competitive "rival," Lionel Messi, has had a disastrous couple of months.
Sure, Messi had his moments during Argentina's run to the Copa America final, but he will forever be remembered for his missed penalty kick during the final, which the internet roasted him for immediately after.
Like Ronaldo, Messi lacks a major international championship that solidifies his legacy, and with him announcing his retirement from the national team after the Copa loss, who knows if he'll change his mind to get another crack at it.
Best: Kevin Durant
Not only did Kevin Durant earn a lot of money when he inked a two-year, $54.3 million deal with the Golden State Warriors, but he instantly increased his chances of collecting his first NBA title in the process.
While the basketball world was shocked, stunned and couldn't believe the one-time league MVP bolted the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Dubs, it was a move that KD seems to be both happy and content with.
He'll now be cast into the villain role—something he and the Warriors are unaccustomed to—but Durant will happily accept that if it means hoisting a championship trophy at season's end.
Worst: Draymond Green
What has happened to Draymond Green this summer is something that, in recent memory, might just be unprecedented.
It all started when he received a critical one-game suspension during the NBA Finals after nut-punching LeBron James, which woke up the Cleveland Cavaliers and, eventually, led to Green's Golden State Warriors blowing a 3-1 series lead.
While that was bad enough, Green was arrested on assault charges just last month—which is still looming as he heads to play in the Olympics—and, just the other day, found himself in more controversy due to an inappropriate picture that he sent on social media.
In each of the past three months, Draymond Green has seen his image take a major hit, being involved in things that no athlete would ever want to be associated with.
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