LeBron James, 2006

Lebron James has taken the sporting world by storm by becoming the number one first pick in the 2003 NBA draft for his team, the ‘Cleveland Cavaliers.’ He went on to win four NBA championships with multiple teams in his career and currently plays for Los Angeles Lakers, who he signed a two-year extension contract in 2020 worth $85 million. 

He is seen as one of the greatest players in basketball history and is often compared to the legend Michael Jordan. The 2020 sportsperson of the year has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated at least 37 times, including this shot in 2006.

Scottie Pippen, 1998

Scottie Pippen is an American professional basketball superstar; he’s played 17 seasons with the NBA and won six championships with the Chicago Bulls. He and Michael Jordan were part of the integral team to transforming the Bulls into the big leagues and popularizing the game in the ’90s. 

Pippen’s long arms span 7.2 feet, and his stature and jumping ability have helped him achieve the title of one of the greatest defenders in basketball of all time. The athlete retired in 2008, but he has not stopped earning money in other ways, releasing a memoir and his bourbon DIGITS in 2021.

Rob Gronkowski, 2012

Retired NFL player Rob Gronkowski was an American football tight end for the New England Patriots putting his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to an end in March 2019. The three-time Super Bowl champion played alongside his best friend and legend Tom Brady and is the record-holder for the highest number of touchdown receptions by a tight end. 

After announcing his retirement from the sport, Bronkowski teased in January 2022 that he may come back onto the field again with the Buccaneers. We reckon he wants to set more incredible records, and he holds quite a few. This 2012 portrait of Gronkowski appeared in Sports Illustrated.

James Harden, 2014

James Harden started in the NBA when he was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2009, recording the most consecutive 3-pointers by a rookie. He was traded over to the Houston Rockets in 2012, having the best statistical seasons in the team’s history. After a nine-year term, he was drafted by Brooklyn Nets in 2021 as part of a four-team trade. 

Harden’s skills have earned him the title of the best shooting guard in the NBA and easily one of the most prolific scorers. Rightly so, in October 2021, he was honored by the NBA 75th Anniversary Team as one of the league’s greatest players of all time.