Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year

Since its inception in 1954, Sports Illustrated has annually presented the Sportsman of the Year award to "the athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement." Both Americans and non-Americans are eligible, though in the past the vast majority of winners have been from the United States. Both men and women have won the award, originally called "Sportsman of the Year" and renamed "Sportswoman of the Year" or "Sportswomen of the Year" when applicable. Since 2015, the official title of the award has been Sportsperson of the Year.^[1]

Tiger Woods, Tom Brady and LeBron James are the only individuals who have received the award more than once. Woods received his first award in 1996 as an amateur golfer, and in 2000 as a professional golfer.^[2] Brady received his first award in 2005, and his second in 2021. James received his first award in 2012, his second in 2016, and a third in 2020.^[3]^[4] Curt Schilling and Stephen Curry have won the award both individually and as part of a team.^[5]

The trophy is a ceramic replica of an ancient Greek amphora (c. 510 BC) which depicts nude male Hellenistic athletes engaged in a variety of athletic activities—running, discus, and javelin. It measures 8" in diameter and stands 18.5" high (20.32 x 47 cm). The original amphora was acquired by Sports Illustrated magazine in 1954 and was donated to the "Sports" collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in 1979.^[6] Winners of the award are now presented with a copy of the amphora made in silver by Tiffany & Co.^[7]

Winners

The award's trophy, a ceramic urn depicting great athletes, has been given to the following recipients:

Note: non-athlete individuals in Italics

Year	Winner	Nationality	Sport	Achievement
1954	Roger Bannister	Great Britain	Track and field	First sub-four-minute mile
1955	Johnny Podres	United States	Baseball	World Series MVP
1956	Bobby Morrow	United States	Track and field	Triple Olympic gold medalist
1957	Stan Musial	United States	Baseball	National League batting champion
1958	Rafer Johnson	United States	Track and field	Decathlon world record
1959	Ingemar Johansson	Sweden	Boxing	World Heavyweight Champion
1960	Arnold Palmer	United States	Golf	PGA Player of the Year
1961	Jerry Lucas	United States	College basketball	Final Four MVP
1962	Terry Baker	United States	College football	Heisman Trophy winner
1963	Pete Rozelle	United States	Professional football	NFL Commissioner; credited for expansion and the suspension of athletes for gambling
1964	Ken Venturi	United States	Golf	U.S. Open champion
1965	Sandy Koufax	United States	Baseball	World Series Champion, Cy Young Award, Triple Crown winner, World Series MVP
1966	Jim Ryun	United States	Track and field	Mile world record
1967	Carl Yastrzemski	United States	Baseball	Triple Crown winner, AL MVP
1968	Bill Russell	United States	Professional basketball	NBA champion player-coach
1969	Tom Seaver	United States	Baseball	Cy Young Award, World Series champion
1970	Bobby Orr	Canada	Ice hockey	NHL MVP, Art Ross, Conn Smythe, Norris
1971	Lee Trevino	United States	Golf	PGA Player of the Year
1972	Billie Jean King	United States	Tennis	Three major titles
1972	John Wooden	United States	College basketball	NCAA champion coach
1973	Jackie Stewart	Great Britain	Auto racing	Formula One World Champion
1974	Muhammad Ali	United States	Boxing	World heavyweight champion
1975	Pete Rose	United States	Baseball	World Series MVP
1976	Chris Evert	United States	Tennis	Two major titles
1977	Steve Cauthen	United States	Horse racing	Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey
1978	Jack Nicklaus	United States	Golf	British Open champion
1979	Terry Bradshaw	United States	Professional football	Super Bowl MVP
1979	Willie Stargell	United States	Baseball	NL MVP, NLCS MVP, World Series MVP
1980	U.S. Olympic hockey team	United States	Ice Hockey	Olympic gold medalists
1981	Sugar Ray Leonard	United States	Boxing	World welterweight champion
1982	Wayne Gretzky	Canada	Ice Hockey	NHL MVP, Art Ross
1983	Mary Decker	United States	Track and field	Double world champion
1984	Edwin Moses	United States	Track and field	Olympic gold medalist
1984	Mary Lou Retton	United States	Gymnastics	Olympic gold medalist
1985	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	United States	Professional basketball	Playoff MVP
1986	Joe Paterno	United States	College football	NCAA champion coach
1987	Bob Bourne	Canada	Ice Hockey	Helped handicapped children's school
	Judi Brown King	United States	Track and field	Helped abused children
	Kipchoge Keino	Kenya	Track and field	Cared for orphaned children
	Dale Murphy	United States	Baseball	Charity spokesman
	Chip Rives	United States	College football	Helped needy children
	Patty Sheehan	United States	Golf	Helped abused girls
	Rory Sparrow	United States	Professional basketball	Helped school children
	Reggie Williams	United States	Professional football	Helped high school students
1988	Orel Hershiser	United States	Baseball	World Series Champion, Cy Young Award, NLCS MVP, World Series MVP
1989	Greg LeMond	United States	Road cycling	Tour de France and World champion
1990	Joe Montana	United States	Professional football	Three-time Super Bowl MVP
1991	Michael Jordan	United States	Professional basketball	NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, NBA Champion
1992	Arthur Ashe	United States	Tennis	Supported humanitarian causes
1993	Don Shula	United States	Professional football	Winningest NFL coach
1994	Bonnie Blair	United States	Speed skating	Double Olympic gold medalist
1994	Johann Olav Koss	Norway	Speed skating	Triple Olympic gold medalist
1995	Cal Ripken Jr.	United States	Baseball	Consecutive games record
1996	Tiger Woods	United States	Golf	U.S. Amateur, NCAA champion
1997	Dean Smith	United States	College basketball	Winningest college coach at the time of publication
1998	Mark McGwire	United States	Baseball	Single-season home run record holder at the time of publication
1998	Sammy Sosa	Dominican Republic	Baseball	National League MVP
1999	U.S. women's soccer team	United States	Soccer	World Cup champions
2000	Tiger Woods (2)	United States	Golf	Three major championships
2001	Curt Schilling	United States	Baseball	World Series Co-MVP
2001	Randy Johnson	United States	Baseball	World Series Co-MVP, Cy Young Award
2002	Lance Armstrong	United States	Cycling	Four-time Tour de France winner (wins later disqualified in 2012)
2003	David Robinson	United States	Professional basketball	Two-time NBA champion
2003	Tim Duncan	United States	Professional basketball	NBA MVP, NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP
2004	Boston Red Sox	United States	Baseball	2004 World Series champions
2005	Tom Brady	United States	Professional football	Two-time Super Bowl MVP, Three-time Super Bowl champion
2006	Dwyane Wade	United States	Professional basketball	NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP
2007	Brett Favre	United States	Professional football	"For his perseverance and his passion"
2008	Michael Phelps	United States	Swimming	Eight gold medals in 2008 Summer Olympics
2009	Derek Jeter	United States	Baseball	World Series Champion
2010	Drew Brees	United States	Professional football	Super Bowl MVP and charitable work toward the reconstruction of New Orleans
2011	Mike Krzyzewski	United States	College basketball	Most wins as coach in NCAA men's Division I history
2011	Pat Summitt	United States	College basketball	All-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball
2012	LeBron James	United States	Professional basketball	NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, NBA Champion, Olympic gold medalist
2013	Peyton Manning	United States	Professional football	Five-Time NFL MVP, single-season touchdown record, AFC Champion
2014	Madison Bumgarner	United States	Baseball	Three-time World Series Champion, NLCS MVP, World Series MVP
2015	Serena Williams	United States	Tennis	Won three majors, oldest player to be ranked no. 1 during the Open Era
2016	LeBron James (2)	United States	Professional basketball	NBA Finals MVP, led Cleveland Cavaliers to first title in franchise history
2017	Jose Altuve	Venezuela	Baseball	American League MVP, World Series Champion, Helped lead the Houston Astros to their first ever title and the city's first major championship since 1995.
2017	J. J. Watt	United States	Professional football	Raised more than $37 million in relief aid for the city of Houston, Texas less than a month after the impact of Hurricane Harvey.
2018	Golden State Warriors	United States	Professional basketball	2018 NBA champions, third title in last four years.
2019	Megan Rapinoe^[8]	United States	Soccer	FIFA Women's World Cup champion, won Golden Ball and Golden Boot.
2020	Laurent Duvernay-Tardif	Canada	Professional football	Super Bowl LIV champion, sat out the 2020 season to serve as an orderly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
	LeBron James (3) ^[4]	United States	Professional basketball	NBA Finals MVP, worked to end voter suppression. First three-time winner.
	Patrick Mahomes	United States	Professional football	Super Bowl MVP, pushed the NFL to recognize the Black Lives Matter movement, pushed to encourage voter registration across the country, as well as among his teammates
	Naomi Osaka	Japan	Tennis	U.S. Open champion and advocate for social justice.
	Breanna Stewart^[4]	United States	Professional basketball	WNBA Finals MVP, spoke out against racism and for women's equality.
2021	Tom Brady (2)	United States	Professional football	Super Bowl LV MVP, 7-time Super Bowl champion
2022	Stephen Curry	United States	Professional basketball	NBA Finals MVP, led the Golden State Warriors to their fourth title in eight years.
2023	Deion Sanders	United States	College football	For revitalizing the Colorado Buffaloes Football program, despite a 4–8 record.
2024	Simone Biles	United States	Artistic gymnastics	3x 2024 Olympic gold medalist, transformed gymnastics in the USA and conversations around athletes in general.
2025	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	Canada	Basketball	Led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a franchise-record 68 wins and their first NBA championship; named NBA MVP and NBA Finals MVP.

References

↑ "Serena Williams is Sports Illustrated's 2015 Sportsperson of the Year". SI. December 14, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
↑ Sens, Josh (December 12, 2015). "Tiger Woods 40 Biggest Moments: No. 19 - 1996 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of Year". Golf.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
↑ Neuharth-Keusch, AJ (December 1, 2016). "LeBron James named SI's Sportsperson of the Year for second time". USA Today. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
1 2 3 "LeBron James, Breanna Stewart among SI's 2020 Sportspersons of the Year | NBA.com". www.nba.com. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
↑ Rosenberg, Michae (December 6, 2022). "Stephen Curry Is SI's 2022 Sportsperson of the Year". SI.com. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
↑ "Sports Legends Donate To Smithsonian". Evening Independent. St. Petersburg, Florida. Associated Press. June 19, 1979. p. 7C. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
↑ Hoffarth, Tom (November 3, 2009). "How much is that trophy in the window?". Farther Off The Wall. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
↑ Soccer legend Megan Rapinoe has been named Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year Alaa Elassar, CNN, Dec 10, 2019

[1] "Serena Williams is Sports Illustrated's 2015 Sportsperson of the Year". SI. December 14, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2026.

[2] Sens, Josh (December 12, 2015). "Tiger Woods 40 Biggest Moments: No. 19 - 1996 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of Year". Golf.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.

[3] Neuharth-Keusch, AJ (December 1, 2016). "LeBron James named SI's Sportsperson of the Year for second time". USA Today. Retrieved April 27, 2017.

[:0-4] 1 2 3 "LeBron James, Breanna Stewart among SI's 2020 Sportspersons of the Year | NBA.com". www.nba.com. Retrieved December 6, 2020.

[5] Rosenberg, Michae (December 6, 2022). "Stephen Curry Is SI's 2022 Sportsperson of the Year". SI.com. Retrieved December 6, 2022.

[6] "Sports Legends Donate To Smithsonian". Evening Independent. St. Petersburg, Florida. Associated Press. June 19, 1979. p. 7C. Retrieved June 29, 2015.

[7] Hoffarth, Tom (November 3, 2009). "How much is that trophy in the window?". Farther Off The Wall. Retrieved June 29, 2015.

[8] Soccer legend Megan Rapinoe has been named Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year Alaa Elassar, CNN, Dec 10, 2019

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v t e Sportsperson of the Year
National	Algeria Argentina Australia Austria Belgium Sportsman of the Year Sports Merit Award Bosnia and Herzegovina Brazil Bulgaria Canada Northern Star Award (general) Conacher (male) Rosenfeld (female) Springstead (female) Croatia Sportske novosti HOO DP Award Czechoslovakia Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland India Iran Ireland Italy La Gazzetta International Sports Prize Jamaica Japan Kenya Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malaysia Moldova Montenegro Netherlands New Zealand Norway Philippines Poland Portugal Serbia NOC Slovakia Slovenia South Africa Spain Sweden Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal Jerring Award Swedish Sports Awards Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom Main award Northern Ireland Scotland Wales United States AP ESPY female male The Sporting News Sports Illustrated NOC USSR Vanuatu Yugoslavia Sport Sportske novosti Zimbabwe
Regional	BTA Best Balkan Athlete of the Year
Continental	European Sportsperson of the Year
World	BBC World Sport Star of the Year International Sports Prize La Gazzetta Laureus Awards L'Équipe Champion of Champions

Winners

See also

References