This article focuses on 10 whose excellence made them household names and changed their sports forever.
What kind of sports achievement does it take to make history?
Famous Black athletes make sports history by playing a key role in winning a championship, breaking a record, or being the first to achieve something in their sport. Some athletes use their platforms to make political or social statements or to fuel advocacy efforts, which can also contribute to establishing an athlete’s legacy.
Famous Black athletes who changed their sport’s history
Learn about these 10 famous Black athletes and their greatest achievements, and you’ll understand why they’re household names.
Simone Biles
With 37 Olympic and World Championship medals, Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history and, according to most, the greatest gymnast of all time. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Biles became the first American gymnast to win four gold medals in a single Olympic Games. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the famous Black gymnast made headlines again, this time for withdrawing from the competition to focus on her well-being, bringing global attention to the importance of athletes’ mental health, of which she is a strong advocate.
Stephen Curry
The son of a former NBA player, Stephen “Steph” Curry has basketball in his blood. Curry, the starting point guard for the Golden State Warriors basketball team, is among the most famous Black American basketball players and one of the greatest shooters in the sport’s history. His long-range shooting ability hasn’t just earned him numerous NBA three-point records and numerous other awards. It’s changed the game significantly, putting a greater emphasis on long-range shooting. He’s also seriously good at golf and played a major role in resurrecting Howard University’s golf team.
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson made history when he took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, becoming the first Black man to play in the MLB’s modern era. Robinson was a top-notch athlete, winning the Rookie of the Year award in his first season. Thanks to his legacy as a civil rights advocate and athlete, his number 42 was retired across all MLB teams.
Colin Kaepernick
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s resume makes him a standout among famous Black athletes. His career highlights include taking the football team to the Super Bowl and setting an NFL single-game record for most rushing yards by a quarterback. However, he is best known for his actions off the field. Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem before NFL games to protest police brutality and racial inequality. His activism efforts didn’t just spark a movement and bring attention to these issues. They also earned him GQ’s 2017 Citizen of the Year and the Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy awards.
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is one of the most famous Black athletes in sports history. His professional boxing career started with a bang — a light heavyweight boxing gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games — and went on to include several iconic fights, including the “Rumble in the Jungle” against George Foreman and the “Thrilla in Manila” against Joe Frazier. Ali also made headlines for his advocacy for peace and civil rights, even going as far as refusing to be drafted into the U.S. military because he opposed the Vietnam War.
Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens was a Black track runner and long jumper known for his victories at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. He followed in the footsteps of George Poage, the first African American in the Olympics to win a medal, taking home two bronzes from the 1904 games in St. Louis. Two decades later, Owens won four gold medals, making him the most successful athlete at those games and a counternarrative to the beliefs of Aryan supremacy held by Adolph Hitler. Despite his Olympic success, Owens faced racial discrimination in the U.S., not being invited to the White House and struggling to find endorsement deals. Still, he persisted and managed to build a reputation as a sports and civil rights icon despite the hardships.
Florence Griffith Joyner
Florence Griffith Joyner, better known as Flo-Jo, is the fastest woman of all time, having set world records for the 100- and 200-meter sprints at the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials, and she is yet to be bested. A role model for African American female athletes, she went on to win three gold medals and one silver medal at the Olympic Games that year. Besides being a remarkable runner, Flo-Jo is known as a style icon, wearing bold-colored, one-legged racing suits and sporting long, painted nails.
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka is a Japanese-Haitian tennis player who was born in Japan, was raised in the U.S., and has chosen to play for Japan’s Olympic team, earning her some backlash. With four Grand Slam singles, two U.S. Open, and two Australian Open titles, she won her first U.S. Open at just 20 years old, beating 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams and becoming the first Asian woman to be ranked number one in the world. Osaka became the first tennis player to light the Olympic cauldron during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics opening ceremonies, affirming her position as a top famous Black athlete.
Serena Williams
Serena Williams is widely regarded as one of the all-time greatest athletes. The retired tennis player holds 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most in the Open Era and the second most of all time. She is also the only tennis player to achieve the Career Golden Slam — winning all four majors and an Olympic gold medal — in both singles and doubles. Since stepping away from the game, Williams has become an entrepreneur, fashion designer, and philanthropist, often becoming involved in education and community development efforts.
Coco Gauff
Young tennis pro, Coco Gauff, made her Olympic debut in Paris after missing the 2020 Tokyo games due to illness. She bested Venus Williams in her Wimbledon debut when she was only 15. With seven singles titles, including the 2023 U.S. Open, and nine doubles titles under her belt at the age of 20, Gauff is one of our rising famous Black athletes.
Live history in the making with the latest sports news
The above list only scratches the surface in highlighting the best Black athletes in history. There are plenty of other famous African-American athletes dominating their sports. Stay up to date with the latest sports news, and who knows? You might witness the next Black trailblazer set a record or establish a new standard within their sport.
