Let’s face it we cannot all be good at sports, and some of us really do not want to put the effort in. For many of us, the limit to our sporting prowess is the top bingo games and getting a full house. However, throughout history, there have been plenty of outstanding athletes who enjoy training for their passion and love to compete so much so that they have transformed the sport for the better. Here are 30 inspiring black athletes who did just that for American sports.
- Muhammad Ali
A name that pretty much everyone has heard of, Muhammad Ali, whose real name was Cassius Clay, is one of the most successful boxing champs of all time.
- Laila Ali
When your father is Muhammed Ali, there is every chance you will follow in his footsteps, although it was quite a surprise that it was his daughter Laila!
3.Lisa Leslie
One of the first women to bring pro basketball to the fore as a sport for the fairer sex, Lisa is a WNBA award winner and a force to be reckoned with.
- Althea Gibson
Pro tennis player Althea Gibson claimed a lot of firsts for black women over her career, and she has been recognised for her achievements with a statue in her honour.
- Bo Jackson
In the 1980s, Bo Jackson rose to fame as both a professional footballer and a professional baseball player.
- Maya Moore
A basketball player with a political agenda, Maya won WNBA awards and campaigned for prison reform and the end to police violence.
- Wille O’Ree
The first black player in the National Hockey league in 1958, now retired, he promotes diversity in the game.
- Jim Brown
Pro footballer and lacrosse player Brown also campaigns for black entrepreneurialism and encourages black voter registration.
- Barry Bonds
Major league basketball player Barry Bonds scored 762 home runs over his whole career and 73 in one season, which are both records.
- Curt Flood
Flood was not only a successful major league baseball player, but he also stood up for contract rights.
- Ken Griffey Jr
One of the most popular players of all time, Griffey was a 90s legend on the baseball field and was known for wearing his cap backwards.
- Serena Williams
Serena and her sister Venus are icons of the tennis courts, a 23 Grand Slam tournament winner; she has also campaigned for women raising families and being professional athletes.
- Doug Williams
American football quarterback Williams was the first black player to win a Super Bowl in 1988.
- Shaquille O’Neal
Basketball star, actor and platinum record seller O’Neal has created a mass following and raised his profile.
- Frank Robinson
Robinson became the first-ever MLB manager in 1975 after a successful playing career. He managed for four decades.
- Florence Griffith Joyner
A track star with a massive appeal, fans dubbed this sprinter Flo-Jo, sadly her life ended in 1998 after a seizure while sleeping.
- Simone Biles
In the gymnastics arena, Biles won many medals, but fellow black athletes will remember her bravery in standing up to sexual abuse from her team doctor.
- Herschel Walker
USFL player Walker is another legend who successfully got the rules of pro players changed in the NFL.
- LeBron James
NBA legend James is a star player and campaigns for education and many other causes close to his heart.
- Tiger Woods
Golfer Woods first came to light when he won the 1997 Masters and hasn’t looked back.
21.Arthur Ashe
The first black man to win the US and Australian tennis open during the 60s and 70s is what sent Ashe to the history books.
- Cheryl Millar
Basketball player turned pundit; Miller won an Olympic Gold and two NCAA national championships.
- Venus Williams
Winning a grand slam at just 20 years of age showed the world that Venus meant business.
- Magic Johnson
He saved the NBA in the late ’80s and raised awareness for HIV after coming out as positive.
- Joe Louis
PGA golf champion broke colour issues in the sport and is also famous for defeating Max Schmeling, the German fighter.
- Shani Davis
Speed skater Davis was the first black American to win a gold individual medal at a Winter Olympics in 2006.
- Jesse Owens
Track star Owens won four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics in 1936 and has an award named after him.
- George Foreman
Known for Rumble in the Jungle when he took on and lost to Muhammed Ali, he later became a heavyweight champion.
- Mike Tyson
Although controversial, Tyson was the youngest ever fighter to become a heavyweight champion.
- Kobe Bryant
Sadly, a helicopter crash claimed the life of this NBA star and his daughter in 2020.
