Naomi Baker – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images; JEFF HAYNES/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images; Clive Brunskill/Staff/Getty Images
- Great athletes have been born all across America.
- Serena Williams may have gotten her start on tennis courts in Compton, but she was born in Michigan.
- Take a look below and see the most famous athlete born in your home state.
While everyone remembers Michael Jordan’s college days in Chapel Hill and his championship wins in Chicago, fans might forget that the NBA legend was actually born in Brooklyn, New York.
Grand Slam champion Serena Williams has a similar story; though she was raised on the tennis courts of Compton, California, she was born in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1981.
Now, after rising to the top of their games, both athletes have impressive business and real-estate portfolios across the US, from Williams’ co-ownership of the NWSL’s Angel City FC and venture capital firm Serena Ventures, to Jordan’s $14.9 million personalized Chicago mansion, contributing to their respective estimated net worths of $340 million and $3.5 billion, per Forbes.
We’ll leave it to each of these states to battle over who gets to claim these iconic athletes as their own. In the meantime, we’ve listed of the greatest athlete from every state based on where they were born.
Take a look below and see if you can guess the most iconic athlete from your home state.
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One thing to know: Born in Fox, Alaska, Lance Mackey was the first dog sled racer to win the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod in the same year. He won both races four times each in his career.
Other greats from the state: Curt Schilling, Mark Schlereth
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One thing to know: Scottie Pippen was a key member of two of the greatest teams the sport of basketball has ever seen: the ’90s Chicago Bulls and the original Dream Team. With the former, he won six NBA championships, and with the latter, two Olympic gold medals. He was born in Hamburg, Arkansas.
Other greats from the state: Sonny Liston, Cliff Lee, Lou Brock
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One thing to know: “Doc” Halladay became a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2019, and with good reason. As a member of the Phillies, Halladay threw the 20th perfect game in MLB history in 2010, and later that year, threw the second no-hitter in postseason history in Game 1 of the NLDS. He was born in Denver, Colorado.
Other greats from the state: Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith, Jack Dempsey, Chauncey Billups, Mikaela Shiffrin, Matt Hasselbeck, Vincent Jackson
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One thing to know: Elena Delle Donne won the WNBA scoring title in 2015 and was named MVP for her impressive season. She’s been an All Star in six of the seven seasons she’s played in the league. Delle Donne was born in Wilmington, Delaware.
Other greats from the state: Delino DeShields
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One thing to know: Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball when he became the first Black man to play in the majors. His contributions to the sport are so appreciated that his number, 42, has been retired across the league. Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia.
Other greats from the state: Ty Cobb, Jim Brown, Sugar Ray Robinson, Bobby Jones, Calvin Johnson, Cam Newton
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One thing to know: Born in Payette, Idaho, Harmon “The Killer” Killebrew was a Major League Baseball Hall of Famer known for his power at bat. Killebrew scored 573 home runs throughout his 22-year career.
Other greats from the state: Merril Hoge, Jake Plummer, Heather Moody
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One thing to know: Larry Bird played all of his 13 seasons in the NBA with the Boston Celtics, winning three NBA championships. He was named league MVP three consecutive seasons between 1984 and 1986. Bird was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana.
Other greats from the state: Tony Stewart, Chuck Klein
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One thing to know: Barry Sanders played for the Detroit Lions through the entirety of his 10 years in the NFL, making the Pro Bowl in every season of his career. He won NFL MVP in 1997 and led the league in rushing four times. Sanders was born in Wichita, Kansas.
Other greats from the state: Gale Sayers, Walter Johnson
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One thing to know: Peyton Manning won two Super Bowls — one with the Colts and one with the Broncos — during his 18 seasons in the NFL, and is remembered as one of the masters of the hurry-up offense. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Other greats from the state: Odell Beckham Jr., Karl Malone, Clyde Drexler
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One thing to know: Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time, winning 28 medals during his career, 23 of them gold. At the Beijing Games, Phelps broke fellow American Mark Spitz’s record by winning eight gold medals at one Olympics. Phelps was born in Baltimore, Maryland.
Other greats from the state: Kevin Durant, Babe Ruth, Cal Ripken Jr., Doug Flutie
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One thing to know: Widely regarded as the most dominant player the tennis world has ever seen, Serena Williams has won 23 Grand Slams as a singles player and 39 overall. While Williams was raised in California, she was born in Saginaw, Michigan.
Other greats from the state: Magic Johnson, Bill Hewitt, John Smoltz, Draymond Green, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
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One thing to know: Jerry Rice is widely considered the greatest receiver in NFL history, winning three Super Bowls over the course of his 20 years in the league. Despite the rush of offense the NFL has seen in recent years, Rice still holds records for career receptions (1,549), career receiving yards (22,895), career receiving touchdowns (197), total touchdowns (208), and career all-purpose yards (23,546). He was born in Starkville, Mississippi.
Other greats from the state: Walter Payton, Archie Manning, Brett Favre, Steve McNair
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One thing to know: Phil Jackson won two NBA championships as a player with the New York Knicks in 1970 and 1973, and would go on to become one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport, leading the Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls and Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers to a combined 11 titles. Jackson was born in Deer Lodge, Montana.
Other greats from the state: Pat Donovan, Bill Linderman
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One thing to know: Kyle Busch is one of the best NASCAR drivers of all time, with 63 Cup Series wins and two championships. Busch also holds the records for most all-time wins in the Xfinity Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. He was born in Las Vegas.
Other greats from the state: Steven Jackson, Kurt Busch, Andre Agassi, Bryce Harper
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One thing to know: Shaquille O’Neal won four NBA championships during his 19-year career, dominating underneath the basket as few players ever have in history. Since his retirement from basketball, O’Neal has found success as a commentator as a part of the “Inside the NBA” crew on TNT. He was born in Newark, New Jersey.
Other greats from the state: Derek Jeter, Mike Trout, Joe Theismann, Dennis Rodman, Michael Bradley, Victor Cruz, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
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One thing to know: While Jordan and his family moved to North Carolina when he was a child, the six-time NBA champion was born in Brooklyn. Depending on who you ask, Jordan is consistently named either the greatest or second-greatest basketball player who has ever lived, and his talent and superstardom broke new ground for the league.
Other greats from the state: Abby Wambach, Breanna Stewart, Lou Gehrig, Sandy Koufax, Julius Erving, Jon “Bones” Jones, Sue Bird
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One thing to know: With 213 home runs, Travis Hafner holds the record for most home runs by an MLB player born in North Dakota. He was born in Jamestown, North Dakota.
Other greats from the state: Rick Helling, Chris Coste
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One thing to know: Mickey Mantle played his entire career with the New York Yankees, winning seven World Series titles with the team. He also won the batting triple crown in 1956, leading the majors in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in. Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma.
Other greats from the state: Jim Thorpe, Blake Griffin, Matt Kemp
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One thing to know: Wilt Chamberlain holds a wide range of NBA records, but is probably best known for being the only player in history to score 100 points in a single game. Chamberlain was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Other greats from the state: Kobe Bryant, Joe Namath, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Ken Griffey Jr., Honus Wagner, Arnold Palmer
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One thing to know: A’ja Wilson is a three-time WNBA MVP and two-time WNBA champion with the Las Vegas Aces. In 2024 alone, Wilson set the record for most single-season points (she became the first WNBA player to score 1,000 points in a season) and rebounds and won an Olympic gold medal in Paris. She was born in Columbia, South Carolina.
Other greats from the state: Joe Frazier, Dustin Johnson, Roddy White, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, Jermaine O’Neal, Khris Middleton, Kevin Garnett, Althea Gibson
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One thing to know: Wilma Rudolph was one of the stars of the 1960 Olympics in Rome, taking gold in the 100- and 200-meter individual events as well as the 4×100-meter relay. She was born in Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee.
Other greats from the state: Reggie White, Mookie Betts, Pat Summitt
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One thing to know: Steve Young played 13 of his 15 NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, winning three Super Bowls and two MVP awards during his time in the league. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Other greats from the state: Denise Parker, Byron Scott
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One thing to know: In 1963, Arthur Ashe became the first Black player selected for the US Davis Cup team. Through the course of his career, he would lift the trophy at the US Open, Wimbledon, and the Australian Open. The main stadium at Flushing Meadows Park, host of the US Open, is named in his honor. Ashe was born in Richmond, Virginia.
Other greats from the state: Sam Snead, Allen Iverson, Lawrence Taylor, Moses Malone, Michael Vick
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One thing to know: Randy Moss led the NFL in receiving touchdowns five times during his 14 seasons in the league, and he set the single-season record for receiving touchdowns in 2007 with 27. He was born in Rand, West Virginia.
Other greats from the state: Jerry West, Mary Lou Retton, Mike D’Antoni
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One thing to know: Boyd Dowler won five NFL championships as a wide receiver with the Green Bay Packers, including the first two Super Bowls to ever be played. He was born in Rock Springs, Wyoming.
Other greats from the state: Chris Cooley, Lance Deal
https://www.businessinsider.com/best-athlete-from-every-state-2019-7