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Most Famous American Athletes

Sports 5,834
United States 23,678
61 MA Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali American Boxer 1942–2016
549 MJ Magic Johnson Magic Johnson American Basket b. 1959
584 LA Lance Armstrong Lance Armstrong American Sport b. 1971
1,135 JO Jesse Owens Jesse Owens American Sprint 1913–1980
1,270 TW Tiger Woods Tiger Woods American Golf b. 1975
1,505 JR Jackie Robinson Jackie Robinson American Baseball 1919–1972
1,543 JF Joe Frazier Joe Frazier American Boxer 1944–2011
1,728 CB Charles Barkley Charles Barkley American Basket b. 1963
1,822 DR Dennis Rodman Dennis Rodman American Basket b. 1961
1,851 JW Johnny Weissmuller Johnny Weissmuller American Swimmer 1904–1984
1,923 CJ Caitlyn Jenner Caitlyn Jenner American Olympic b. 1949
2,102 LJ LeBron James LeBron James American Basket b. 1984
2,498 KA Kurt Angle Kurt Angle American Wrestler b. 1968
2,539 JD Joe DiMaggio Joe DiMaggio American Baseball 1914–1999
2,625 CE Chris Evert Chris Evert American Player b. 1954
2,631 JL Joe Louis Joe Louis American Boxer 1914–1981
2,992 JT Jim Thorpe Jim Thorpe American Baseball 1887–1953
3,201 AP Arnold Palmer American Golf 1929–2016
3,307 GF George Foreman George Foreman American Boxer b. 1949
3,489 HA Hank Aaron American Baseball b. 1934
3,535 LB Larry Bird Larry Bird American Basket b. 1956
3,540 JN Jack Nicklaus American Golf b. 1940
4,238 MM Mickey Mantle Mickey Mantle American Baseball 1931–1995
4,281 JD Jack Dempsey Jack Dempsey American Boxer 1895–1983
4,605 TM The Miz The Miz American Wrestler b. 1980
4,722 BR Bill Russell Bill Russell American Basket b. 1934
4,728 KD Kevin Durant Kevin Durant American Basket b. 1988
4,988 AI Allen Iverson Allen Iverson American Basket b. 1975
5,009 JB Jim Brown Jim Brown American Football b. 1936
5,029 LD Landon Donovan Landon Donovan American Football b. 1982
5,226 SR Sugar Ray Robinson Sugar Ray Robinson American Boxer 1921–1989
5,240 EH Evander Holyfield Evander Holyfield American Boxer b. 1962
5,313 WR Wilma Rudolph Wilma Rudolph American Sprint 1940–1994
5,552 RM Rocky Marciano Rocky Marciano American Boxer 1923–1969
5,719 TH Tony Hawk Tony Hawk American Skateboard b. 1968
6,194 GL Greg LeMond Greg LeMond American Sport b. 1961
6,329 RV Rob Van Dam Rob Van Dam American Wrestler b. 1970
6,406 TC Ty Cobb Ty Cobb American Baseball 1886–1961
6,445 SL Sonny Liston Sonny Liston American Boxer 1932–1970
6,522 SR Sugar Ray Leonard Sugar Ray Leonard American Boxer b. 1956
6,616 BM Bode Miller Bode Miller American Skier b. 1977
6,703 K( Kane (wrestler) Kane (wrestler) American Wrestler b. 1967
7,016 OR Oscar Robertson Oscar Robertson American Basket b. 1938
7,121 KN Kevin Nash Kevin Nash American Wrestler b. 1959
7,217 JL Jerry Lawler Jerry Lawler American Wrestler b. 1949
7,494 JW John Wooden John Wooden American Basket 1910–2010
7,660 JW Jerry West Jerry West American Basket b. 1938
7,679 TU The Ultimate Warrior The Ultimate Warrior American Wrestler 1959–2014
7,708 PM Pete Maravich Pete Maravich American Basket 1947–1988
7,784 WM Willie Mays Willie Mays American Baseball b. 1931
See all 152,953 rankings →

Ranked by cross-verified academic notability — how it works

By the numbers

Inside the United States Athletes

5,834 notable people in this slice of the dataset.

Through the Decades

One face per decade — the most globally famous the united states athletes born in each.

Notable Births by Decade

Notable births among the United States Athletes peaked in the 1980s with 922 people.

What the United States Athletes Are Known For

Click any row to drill into that filter.

Baseball are the United States Athletes's biggest group — 31% of all notables (1,807).

The United States Athletes over-index on baseball — 21.6× the global rate.

  1. Baseball1,807
  2. Football1,698
  3. Basket755
  4. Wrestler184
  5. Hockey173
  6. Coach163
  7. Driver141
  8. Athletic139
  1. Baseball1,80721.6×
  2. Coach16318.9×
  3. Basket75515.9×
  4. Martial Art6613.5×
  5. Driver1418.7×
  6. Wrestler1846.4×
  7. Hockey1733.6×
  8. Boxer783.4×

City Hot Spots

Cities that over-produce the United States Athletes compared to the world average — multiplier shows how much more.