Top 10 Most Notable Athletes Of 2020

2020 has been a completely different year for the sporting world. However, there are some athletes who still stood out and dominated the competition.

10. Teofimo Lopez – Boxing

Teofimo Lopez is one of the most sought-after boxing rising stars in the world today. He has been undefeated in his professional career, and the sensational win over Ukraine’s boxing superstar Vasyl Lomachenko in October has solidified his position as the undisputed king of the lightweight division.

In that victory, the 23-year-old Brooklyn native unified his IBF crown with the WBA, WBO and The Ring titles.

9. Naomi Osaka – Tennis

At 23, Naomi Osaka has had an illustrious career. The Haitian-Japanese tennis star already has six titles to her name. In September, Osaka beat Victoria Azarenka to win her second US Open and earn her third grand slam victory.

8. Patrick Mahomes – Football

2020 has been the best year in Patrick Mahomes’ career. The star quarterback led the Kansas City Chiefs in a come-from-behind win over the San Francisco 49ers to claim his first Super Bowl and MVP trophies.

In July, Mahomes signed a record-breaking 10-year deal with the Chiefs amounting to a staggering $503 million dollars.

7. Harry Kane – Soccer

This year, Harry Kane has been playing exceptionally for Tottenham Hotspur. The English striker has been instrumental to most of the club’s wins and has made them the No. 1 team in the English Premier League.

After hauling his eighth goal of the season in a spectacular performance against arch-rivals Arsenal earlier this month, Kane was quoted saying: “I’d probably say it’s the best form I’ve been in in my life, the best start to the season for sure.”

6. Lewis Hamilton – Auto Racing

Lewis Hamilton has long been dubbed as the greatest racer in the world. However, 2020 is arguably the best year for the Mercedes-Benz superstar.

In November, Hamilton finally equaled Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of seven world titles and is set to receive his knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for both his career achievements and contributions to society.

5. Anthony Davis – Basketball

Anthony Davis is currently lauded as one of the most proficient big men in the NBA today. After an impressive stint with the New Orleans Hornets, he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019.

He immediately made his mark with the “Purple and Gold,” winning his first NBA title in his debut season with the franchise.

4. Rafael Nadal – Tennis

With 20 grand slam titles to his name, Rafael Nadal is now being hailed as one of the greatest male tennis players of all time. The Spanish icon has won the French Open 13 times and is currently the second best palyer in the ATP rankings.

In November, Nadal became the fourth man to win 1,000 ATP Tour matches after beating Feliciano Lopez.

3. Tyson Fury – Boxing

Tyson Fury made headlines in 2020. Despite his awkward and unorthodox fighting style, “The Gypsy King” managed to prolong his undefeated record as a professional boxer.

His decisive TKO win over Deontay Wilder in February made Fury the most celebrated boxer of the year, claiming the WBC and vacant The Ring heavyweight belts.

The voluble Englishman is touted to face his compatriot Anthony Joshua in a highly-anticipated title unification bout next year.

2. Khabib Nurmagomedov – MMA

Khabib Nurmagomedov has never tasted a single defeat in his entire mixed martial arts (MMA) career.

In his 13-fight stint under the UFC banner, “The Eagle” has only lost two rounds on the scorecards. However, that did not stop him from cruising to victory every single time he set foot inside the Octagon.

The Russian mauler announced his retirement after dismantling Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October with a record of 29-0.

After the dominant conquest of Gaethje, UFC president Dana White believes that Nurmagomedov makes the case as MMA's greatest of all time.

“He is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. And you seriously have to start putting him up there at GOAT status with whoever else you think is the GOAT.”

1. LeBron James – Basketball

Despite being considered the greatest basketball player of the modern era, LeBron James is still proving that he can still add more glitter to his already stellar NBA career.

2020 has been monumental for “King James” as he managed to hand the Los Angeles Lakers their 17th NBA title in just his second season with the team.

Often compared to Michael Jordan, James shut down the “GOAT debate,” after claiming his fourth NBA championship saying, “The debates can happen. Y’all can talk about it. I’ll talk about it with my guys when we at home, our friends and all that stuff. But I’m not going to give it to y’all. I’m not going to do it."

"I’m not going to fall for it. You guys know how much I love Michael Jordan. I wear the number 23 because of Michael Jordan."