African American athletes stamped their footprints on the sporting arena, displaying character, will, and resilience in times of adversity. Here is a look at the ten greatest African American athletes of all time, who have been able to shine in their sports and act as inspiration for millions around the globe.
1. Jackie Robinson
One of the most recognizable figures of baseball and all-American sports, Jackie Robinson was the first African American baseball player in modern history in Major League Baseball in 1947. Robinson was the first African American player to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson was a class apart. He showed a great attitude towards the extreme kind of racism from spectators, opponents, and even teammates. He was a great player, winning the Rookie of the Year in the first season, then MVP. More than the numbers, Robinson’s patience and dignity finally opened the doors of opportunity for many generations of African American athletes.
2. Michael Jordan – Basketball
Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. He was an athletic freak, skilful, and driven to compete, all put into a package not seen from another player. He led the Chicago Bulls to a then-record six-time NBA championship during the 1990s and won five MVP awards. Moments such as “The Shot” over the Cleveland Cavaliers or his Flu Game in the 1997 Finals made him an icon in sports history. Jordan’s effect was much more profound than that: he raised the stakes and blew open the door for athletic professionals to prove they could dominate their sports and become cultural superstars.
3. Muhammad Ali — Boxing
Muhammad Ali was no ordinary boxer; he was “The Greatest”. Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., he made his way through the boxing scene of the 1960s with an arrogance that nobody had ever seen before and fists moving faster than the speed of light. He took under his belt three heavyweight classes, a record that no other boxer has ever achieved. He was one of the most prominent vocal critics of the Vietnam War and well-known for his role in the civil rights struggle. He lost years of his professional life because of his conscientious objection to violence.
4. Serena Williams – Tennis
Serena Williams is one of the best Tennis players, arguably of all time. She has 23 Grand Slam Singles titles to her name. Serena Williams has dominantly ruled women’s tennis for over two decades. Her powerful serve, aggressive playing style, and relentless determination have moulded her into a powerhouse on the court. As an African American Woman in a white sport, she had to weather challenging times. She always came out on top, becoming a role model for younger athletes—especially girls of colour—showing that you can reach the top.
5. Jesse Owens – Track and Field
In 1936, at the Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens shattered not only world records but also Adolf Hitler’s notion of Aryan supremacy. Competing in the race, Owens, as an African American, won four gold medals in the games and became an international grand celebrity. He was the first American to win four gold medals in one Olympic Games.
6. Tiger Woods – Golf
Tiger Woods revolutionized golf. Before Woods, golf had initially been an elitist game played by mainly white men. However, with Woods’ rise in the late 1990s, all that changed as he broke barriers to open the game up to an exponentially bigger audience. Since that 1997 Masters, won by 12 shots, when Woods was 21, he has won 15 majors.
7. Jim Brown – Football
Jim Brown is considered the greatest running back ever to play in the NFL. In nine years with the Cleveland Browns, Brown led the NFL, rushing for eight of his nine seasons. He was a powerful physical specimen showing great speed, fluidly agile with obviously brutish strength. Brown almost seemed unstoppable on the field. But, notwithstanding all this fuss about football, Brown’s impact did not stop there. In his prime career, Roberts left the track to become an actor, leading athlete, and civil rights activist.
8. Simone Biles – Gymnastics
Simone Biles is one of the greatest gymnasts of this century. She now emerges as the most decorated gymnast in the World Championships with 30 and 7 Olympic medals. Biles is the epitome of the new level of delineation in the sport and is characterized by explosive power, difficulty on a level of its own, and flawless execution. She was also a mental health crusader. She spoke about her struggles at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics or, as Biles addressed it, “I’m a different kind of a champion.” Awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom by Joe Bisen in 2022.
9. Arthur Ashe – Tennis
Arthur Ashe was a tennis trailblazer—the first black male to become a Grand Slam Champion. He won the U.S. Open in 1968, Wimbledon in 1975, and the 1970 Australian Open. Ashe managed to win hearts with his very fluid style of play and his attitude as one of the true gentlemen. He was a vocal social justice and humanitarian crusader, protesting apartheid in South Africa and shining light on HIV/AIDS after he contracted the disease.
10. Wilma Rudolph – Track and Field
Wilma Rudolph was a woman who overcame severe odds in life. She was born prematurely and struck by polio in her early childhood. Rudolph endured much pain to step out as the fastest woman in the world. She clinched three gold medals in track and field, the first American lady to do that in a single Olympic Games event, in the 1960 Rome Olympics. These victories that Rudolph accomplished were not just athletic but also symbolic. She was an African American woman who competed at a time of immense racial segregation in the United States. Rudolph became a symbol of hope and possibility for many people.
