10 Top Late Night Sports Moments in 2016

Late night television has helped provide athletes with a platform to showcase their funny sides for decades now. Over the course of 2016, we saw countless forays into sports by some of the country's top late night hosts.

Our annual tradition of finding out which athletes and entertainers stole the show has helped create a robust list of year-end fun. Take a look at the 10 examples we found and let us know in the comment section which clip you liked the best.

Honorable Mention: Finding out How Stephen A. Smith Got His Start

ESPN on-screen personality and sports journalist Stephen A. Smith has been a controversial figure for years now. There's no denying that.

But how exactly did he get his start? Jimmy Kimmel presses the issue and manages to pull an amazing story from Smith's past. All we're going to tell you is it takes place in college and has to do with his college basketball coach at the time.

Start the clip above to find out the rest of this tale.

Stephen Colbert Hits Wrigley Field

Stephen Colbert apparently isn't afraid of a challenge. In the spirit of fall baseball, the late night host took to Wrigley Field to become a hot dog salesman.

Between harassing fans and getting into it with Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, this skit was a home run for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Hopefully as time goes on, we'll see Colbert featured in a lot more of these situations. 

Guillermo Hits NBA Media Day

It's become an annual tradition for Guillermo over at Jimmy Kimmel Live! to attend the NBA's media day before the Finals get underway.

This past season was no different as the Kimmel sidekick shot down to Oracle Arena to get the conversation going between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Watch as Guillermo harasses NBA players and tries to finally get a conversation going with the King himself, LeBron James.

John Cena Gets His Feelings Hurt

John Cena has continued to go down the path of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson when it comes to WWE superstars finding their way in Hollywood. The long-time WWE champion has taken on performance roles with Saturday Night Live, has starred in feature films and has even kept up a limited wrestling schedule.

In March 2016, Cena went on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. The result of the conversation was Cena catching "hurt" feelings from Fallon himself. Enjoy the exchange posted in the clip above.

Slow and Tell with LeBron James

Jimmy Kimmel told the crowd in Los Angeles that LeBron James was "very relaxed" after closing the gap in the 2015-16 NBA Finals.

But how relaxed was he? Leave it to the production team over at Jimmy Kimmel Live! to slow down James' post-game presser and give us all spine-rattling laughs. Who would think such a simple concept would be this enjoyable?

Tonight Show Superlatives

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is always good for a handful of special moments. When it comes to sports, the late night superlative bit never ceases to amaze.

This particular edition we chose came from Sept. 15. It highlighted a matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings—a duel the Vikings would go on and win 17-14.

Enjoy as Fallon and his team of writers take your favorite NFL players and turn them into viral memes.

Mean Tweets

Warning: Content may be considered NSFW

Nothing gets people rolling around laughing quite like Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Mean Tweets. The ongoing series pits celebrities and athletes against their Internet foes, turning millionaires into vulnerable humans.

Despite some of the stuff being deemed NSFW, the segment is brilliant. Watching Magic Johnson, Jalen Rose and Klay Thompson turn salty never gets tiresome.

James Corden Takes over Arsenal

Who wouldn't want James Corden as their manager? Last summer, Arsenal got to experience what life would be like when a talk show host takes over.

While visiting California, Corden—host of The Late Late Show With James Corden—took control of the team, making them feel uncomfortable at every turn. Enjoy all of Corden's shenanigans above.

Stephen Colbert Talks About the Olympics

Warning: Content may be considered NSFW

Leave it to Stephen Colbert to properly dissect just how dominant the United States of America was during the 2016 Summer Olympics.

His monologue was not only clever and funny. It also made you appreciate all of the great men and women who participated in the Summer Games, representing this great nation.

Oh yeah, he also roasts Ryan Lochte. It doesn't get much better than that.

Jimmy Fallon Gives Michael Phelps a Picture of Himself

Jimmy Fallon didn't hold back on Michael Phelps when he was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He used a giant poster of his infamous pre-game "face" to push the Olympic swimmer's buttons.

Take a look at the video above, as Fallon does his best to make Phelps feel super uncomfortable in front of a live audience. The results are incredibly funny.

Jell-O Shot Twister with Shaquille O'Neal

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is known for wild antics and innovative late night games. So, when Shaquille O'Neal came on the program, Jimmy Fallon couldn't resist luring him into a ridiculous situation.

What we have above is Shaq taking on Fallon in the customary Jell-O Shot Twister, an absurd iteration of the classic Twister we all played as kids.

O'Neal's personality glimmers, turning this segment into one of the best late night sports moments of 2016.