Los Angeles isn’t any stranger to stars within the leisure business, with many A-list actors, musicians, executives and extra calling Tinseltown residence.
There additionally won’t be a metropolis that has extra sports activities stars than Los Angeles. At the moment, six L.A. gamers have received MVP honors, whereas just a few others have received a playoff or championship MVP award.
These athletes have additionally helped their franchises turn into playoff mainstays. Since 2011, Los Angeles-based groups have received 11 championships mixed within the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS and WNBA:
- NFL: Rams (2022)
- NBA: Lakers (2020)
- NHL: Kings (2014)
- MLB: Dodgers (2020, 2024)
- MLS: Galaxy (2011-12, 2014, 2024), LAFC (2022)
- WNBA: Sparks (2016)
With all of those stars in L.A., which one is the largest? We ranked the ten greatest athletes presently within the Metropolis of Angels.
10 greatest athletes in Los Angeles
Harden’s MVP days is likely to be behind him, however he is nonetheless enjoying at a excessive stage. Regardless of Kawhi Leonard lacking a lot of the season, Harden has helped the LA Clippers stay within the playoff hunt following the departure of Paul George. The 35-year-old guard was named an All-Star for the eleventh time in his profession earlier in February as he is averaging 21.7 factors and eight.6 assists per recreation. In lots of cities, an 11-time All-Star with an MVP and several other top-five MVP finishes main his staff to the postseason can be one of many greatest names on the town. However in LA, Harden is one in every of many who’ve received an MVP previously.
When the Los Angeles Rams chosen Nacua within the fifth spherical of the 2023 NFL Draft, it is exhausting to check that anybody apart from Sean McVay or Les Snead thought he would rapidly turn into one of many league’s prime receivers. Effectively, simply two years in, Nacua has already acknowledged his case. In 2023, he set the report for many receiving yards ever by a rookie with 1,486, greater than the totals Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson had of their debut seasons. Nacua missed six video games in 2024 on account of damage, however he completed the 12 months third within the NFL in receiving yards per recreation (90). At 23, Nacua appears sure to maneuver up this listing within the close to future.
Freeman, who grew up in Fountain Valley, has continued to play at an All-Star stage after he left the Atlanta Braves for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022. However it wasn’t till his third season that the Southern California native turned a franchise icon. That is when Freeman hit a walk-off residence run in Sport 1 of the 2024 World Sequence. He added homers in every of the following three video games, turning into the primary participant to ever hit a house run within the first 4 video games of a World Sequence. Freeman wound up tying the report for many RBIs in a World Sequence with 12, profitable MVP when the Dodgers took down the New York Yankees for the title in Sport 5.
Ever because the Los Angeles Chargers took him with the fifth decide within the 2020 NFL Draft, Herbert has had an argument to be thought of a top-10 quarterback within the league. Herbert set rookie data in 2020, throwing probably the most touchdowns and completions ever for a first-year quarterback. Whereas the Chargers had been a bit uneven all through Herbert’s first 4 years of his profession, there was some stability when Jim Harbaugh arrived in 2024. The brand new teaching workers allowed Herbert to turn into a extra environment friendly quarterback, as he posted profession highs in passer ranking (101.7), yards per try (7.7) and interception proportion (an NFL-best 0.6). Herbert additionally guided the Chargers to their greatest report (11-6) in his tenure and a spot within the postseason.
Stafford won’t be on this listing for for much longer. The Rams have allowed the quarterback to talk with different groups as he seeks a brand new contract, getting the ball rolling for a potential commerce this offseason. For now, he is nonetheless a member of the Rams, and it might be an enormous omission to not embrace one of many NFL’s greatest quarterbacks on this listing. Stafford rapidly turned a Los Angeles sports activities icon when he led the Rams to a Tremendous Bowl title in his first season with the staff in 2021. Following an injury-shortened 2022 season, Stafford bounced again and performed like a top-10 quarterback once more during the last two years, practically bringing the Rams to the NFC Championship Sport in 2024.
The 37-year-old can be some of the embellished quarterbacks in immediately’s recreation, rating second amongst lively gamers in profession passing yards (59,809) and touchdowns (377), in addition to fourth all-time in profession comebacks (38).
The Dodgers had been primarily gift-wrapped a top-five participant when the Boston Pink Sox traded Betts to L.A. in 2020. He hasn’t wavered from that standing as among the best place gamers within the majors over his first 5 seasons with the staff. Betts has completed within the prime 5 of NL MVP voting within the years that he hasn’t missed vital time on account of damage, posting two runner-up finishes. Extra importantly, Betts has performed a significant function in two World Sequence titles.
He had just a few memorable moments on the sphere and on the plate within the Fall Traditional run in 2020, when the Dodgers broke their 32-year championship drought. He was productive on the plate of their postseason this previous 12 months as properly, hitting .290 with 4 homers. The 32-year-old is the one lively MLB participant with three World Sequence titles. He additionally ranks fifth in bWAR, fifth in batting common and seventh in slugging proportion amongst lively gamers.
In an identical vein as Harden, Trout’s a bit faraway from his peak. However he is nonetheless put up sturdy numbers regardless of coping with a number of accidents in recent times. He hit 40 homers in his final 100-plus-game season in 2022, producing one other season when he practically reached the 1.000 OPS mark (0.999). Whereas he is solely performed in 111 video games during the last two years, he has tallied 28 homers with a .860 OPS throughout that point.
Trout is about to maneuver to proper subject in 2025 to assist extend his enjoying profession, however he is arguably the very best all-time participant presently in MLB. His three MVP wins are tied for probably the most ever, whereas his bWAR is the best amongst lively gamers. He is additionally second amongst lively gamers in on-base proportion, slugging proportion and residential runs.
Nobody would’ve imagined Doncic being on this listing a month in the past, however his sudden commerce to the Lakers immediately places him close to the highest. As Doncic takes one of many 10 spots that may’ve presumably been held by Anthony Davis, it could possibly be argued that he ought to be increased than No. 3. Doncic, who has earned first-team All-NBA nods in every of the final 5 seasons, has had among the best begins to a profession in NBA historical past. He will not be named an All-NBA participant this season on account of damage, however Doncic would rank within the prime 10 in factors and assists per recreation for the sixth straight 12 months if he had been eligible. He additionally simply led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2024 as a 25-year-old, along with his 30.9 factors per recreation within the postseason being the second-highest mark in NBA historical past.
Doncic’s new teammate barely edges him out within the rankings. James, one in every of, if not the best NBA participant ever, is the league’s all-time main scorer, with 4 titles and 4 MVPs to his identify. And, at 40 years outdated, he is solely added to his spectacular résumé in the course of the 2024-25 season. As of Feb. 24, James ranks within the prime 15 in scoring and assists per recreation this season, registering numbers that are not far off from his prime years. James appears poised to complete within the prime 10 in MVP voting for the 18th time in his profession and could possibly be named first-team All-NBA for the 14th time in his profession because the Lakers have been one of many prime groups within the Western Convention this season.
It’s important to be doing one thing extremely particular to be ranked forward of James. Effectively, Ohtani did one thing fairly particular in 2024. He turned the primary participant in MLB historical past to ever report 50 residence runs and 50 stolen bases in the identical season, main the NL with 54 homers and ending second in stolen bases with 59. To nobody’s shock, Ohtani was unanimously voted NL MVP, turning into the primary participant among the many main North American skilled sports activities leagues to win three MVPs unanimously. Ohtani additionally received his first World Sequence title with the Dodgers in 2024. He did all of it with out pitching, taking a 12 months off from the mound to rehab his elbow after present process surgical procedure in 2023.
Honorable mentions
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