Category: Sports

Each season in the NBA, there are only a handful of teams that end up having a realistic shot at winning the NBA Finals and oddsmakers know that. For this reason, there are typically two or three teams that are close to even odds while the rest end up being longshots. After all, the way that the NBA Playoffs are set up, being an underdog gives you almost no chance as you have to beat the better team in a best-of-seven series.

Still, there have been a few long shots to overcome the odds and not just make it deep into the tournament, but win the entire thing. Here are the five biggest longshots in NBA history to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy as league champions.

Houston Rockets (1993-94)

After the Chicago Bulls won three straight NBA titles, Michael Jordan unexpectedly retired. Oddsmakers weren’t quite sure what to do, and they ended up making many of the NBA teams into longshots since there was no clear-cut team expected to win. The Houston Rockets received +1200 odds to win the title as they were considered the third-best team in the Western Conference.

Equipped with the likes of Sam Cassell, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Otis Thorpe, the Rockets had a lot of potential. Houston secured the two-seed in the Western Conference and got by Golden States, Phoenix, and Utah on their way to the FInals. In seven games, the Rockets finished their underdog story by defeating the New York Knicks and winning the first of their back-to-back titles.

Detroit Pistons (2003-04)

There was one thing for sure about the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons, and it was that they played a tough defensive game. Still, they weren’t considered the top team in the Eastern Conference and oddsmakers felt that the “dream team” built by the Los Angeles Lakers would easily defeat any team that came from the East. As a result, the Pistons were given +1500 odds to win the 2004 NBA Finals.

Detroit was the clear-cut second seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs as they finished seven games behind Indiana and seven games ahead of New Jersey. The Pistons dispatched the Milwaukee Bucks, won in seven games against New Jersey, and took care of Indiana in six games. Still a big underdog in the Finals, the Pistons only needed five games to take down Shaq, Kobe, and the L.A. Lakers.

Toronto Raptors (2018-19)

Heading into the 2018-19 NBA season, the Golden State Warriors were expected to repeat as champions while some other surprise teams in the Western Conference popped up. As for the East, Toronto wasn’t given much of a chance to even make the NBA Finals as oddsmakers made them a +1850 longshot to win the NBA title.

That didn’t stop Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors from making waves, and they only needed one game seven to win the title. They defeated Orlando in the first round, Philadelphia in the second (in seven games), then Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference Finals. In six games against the Warriors, the Raptors clinched their first-ever championship with Leonard winning the Finals MVP award.

Dallas Mavericks (2010-11)

The Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers were the runaway favorites to meet up in the NBA Finals during the 2010-11 season, especially with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade joining forces in Miami and Kobe Bryant leading the Lakers. Dallas was seventh overall, carrying +2000 odds into the season. They played slightly above expectations in the regular season, finishing 57-25.

As the three-seed in the West, the Mavs needed only 21 games to win the championship. They defeated Portland in six games, unexpectedly swept the Lakers, then knocked out Oklahoma City in five games. Facing the Miami Heat, the Mavericks were able to win in six games to give Dirk Nowitzki the MVP award during his only championship win.

Golden State Warriors (2014-15)

It’s hard to think of the Golden State Warriors with Steph Curry ever being an underdog, but that was the case before their dynasty got started. The Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs were expected to meet in the 2015 NBA Finals, with Golden State being a massive +2800 longshot to win it all.

The Warriors quickly showed that they were legitimate, however, finishing with a 67-15 record, 11 games ahead of the second-place Houston Rockets. The Warriors swept New Orleans in the first round, then defeated Memphis (six games) and Houston (five games) to make the NBA Finals. In six games, they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers to claim their first title since 2015 thanks to the unlikely MVP-winner Andre Iguodala.

Each year, the NFL Draft’s first round is comprised mainly of players from colleges with massive college football programs. Colleges like Alabama, Notre Dame, Georgia, and more put out multiple first-round players seemingly every year, and have done so for decades. Then, there are surprises from small colleges, even all the way at the top. Let’s take a look at the first overall picks that came from surprising college programs.

For this list, we decided to stick with colleges in the Super Bowl era of professional football. Prior to then, it wasn’t uncommon to see a lot of small programs end up having a first-overall pick. After all, the University of Chicago hasn’t had a Division I team since the start of World War II, and they produced first-overall pick, Jay Berwanger.

Utah

Leading up to the 2005 NFL Draft, there had only been one Utah Ute drafted in the top 10, and that was two years prior when tackle Jordan Gross was selected eighth overall by the Carolina Panthers. In 2005, many thought that Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers was going to end up being the number one pick, but the San Francisco 49ers surprised many and went with quarterback Alex Smith at the top spot.

Smith became a starter in his first season with the 49ers and played for eight seasons in San Francisco. He also spent five seasons in Kansas City and three more with Washington before calling it quits after the 2020 season. Smith finished with 199 touchdowns and was a three-time Pro Bowl player.

University of Tampa

If you think of college football in Tampa, Florida, you probably think of the University of South Florida. However, the University of Tampa had a football program from 1933 until 1974, spending its final few years as an NCAA D-1 Independent. In their third-to-final season as a program, the Tampa Spartans produced defensive end John Matuszak, who was a surprise pick at number one in 1973 by the Houston Oilers.

Matuszak bounced around the league for a few years before finding a home with the Raiders from 1976 until the end of his career in 1982. He had no Pro Bowls and played in 123 career games, amassing 48.5 career sacks.

Fresno State

Prior to 2002, only two players in Fresno State history had been drafted in the first round. The first came in 1990 when defensive back James Williams (16th overall) was selected by the Bears, and quarterback Trent Dilfer was the sixth overall pick by the Buccaneers. David Carr became the third first-round Bulldog and the first to be taken with the number one pick by the expansion Houston Texans.

Carr became the day-one starter for the new franchise but failed to produce as a lack of an offensive line made him the most-sacked quarterback in the league twice in his first four seasons. Carr finished with a record of 23-53 in Houston and became a backup for Carolina, San Francisco, and New York (Giants) before retiring after the 2012 season.

Tennessee State

HBCU school Tennessee State began play in 1912 and has yet to produce two dozen players into the NFL. However, one of those players was the number one overall selection, and it happened when Ed “Too Tall” Jones was selected first by the Dallas Cowboys in 1974. The defensive end was selected ahead of the likes of Bo Matthews and John Hicks, and for the Cowboys, it was the right pick.

Jones was a three-time All-Pro in his career, all of which was spent with Dallas. He won a Super Bowl and was named to a trio of Pro Bowls, as well. Jones finished with 106 career sacks over 224 games with the Cowboys, achieving legend status with the franchise.

Central Michigan University

Mid-American Conference teams simply don’t have many first-round picks, and it took until 2013 for one of the MAC members to have a number one overall pick. Nobody knew what the Kansas City Chiefs would do with the number one pick that year since there wasn’t a clear-cut top player in the draft, so they selected offensive tackle Eric Fisher, which was even a surprise to the fine folks of Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

Fisher spent all but one of his 9 NFL seasons with the Chiefs, earning himself a Super Bowl title and a pair of Pro Bowl honors. Fisher was the full-time starter for the Chiefs during their rebuild that saw the team draft Patrick Mahomes. To date, he is the only MAC player drafted first overall, and only three have been within the top five.

More than any other league in the United States, the NBA is the one where the best players are typically taken in order and you expect a lot out of the first overall pick in his rookie season. However, not all #1 picks shake out, and some are so disappointing that they can’t even crack the starting lineup or even the roster itself after a few seasons. Who were the most disappointing #1 picks in NBA history, though? Here are our picks for the five worst.

Before we get into the list, we want to point out that the names that you’ll see are more modern. Some players who were drafted in the early days of the NBA didn’t produce much and simply left the game for various reasons, with the NBA hardly paying enough to be considered a job among them. Instead, we wanted to focus on the players who were making millions before even getting into a single game.

Anthony Bennett

The Cleveland Cavaliers were given the top overall pick of the NBA Draft for the first time since they selected LeBron James in 2003. While the Cavaliers could have still skipped out on James and gotten an All-Star in that draft, that wasn’t the case in 2013 when the talent pool was much shallower. 

Not many knew who they were going to select, and they wound up taking forward Anthony Bennett out of UNLV in a surprise to many. Bennett lasted just four seasons in the NBA and played for a different team in each season. He finished his career with 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.

Kwame Brown

After the final retirement of Michael Jordan, he stuck with the Washington Wizards to be part of the front office as the team had won the lottery and received the number one pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. There were some solid names on the list that included Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, and Shane Battier, but overall it was a weaker class. The Wizards took power forward Kwame Brown, who entered the draft straight out of high school.

Brown was still able to get 13 NBA seasons in before retiring, but nothing remarkable really happened. He finished his career in 2013 with a total of 6.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, playing for seven different franchises.

Michael Olowokandi

There were a lot of amazing names that came out of the 1998 NBA Draft. Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, and Paul Pierce were all Hall of Famers who were selected in the top 10, but the Los Angeles Clippers selected none of them. Instead, the Clippers put all of their hopes on Michael Olokowandi, a Nigerian center who graduated from Pacific University.

Was Olowokandi horrible as a Clipper? Not really, but for a number one selection you expect a lot more. Olowokandi averaged 9.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in five seasons with Los Angeles before splitting his final four seasons with the Timberwolves and Celtics. With Boston, he put up just 2.1 points and 2.2 rebounds per game before retiring at 31.

Markelle Fultz

The 2017 NBA Draft was one that evaluators were having a tough time with. There was no clear-cut number-one player, though the talent pool was deep. Players like Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, and Bam Adebayo were all available, but the Philadelphia 76ers surprised everyone with the top selection when they took guard Markelle Fultz from Washington.

Fultz played for just two seasons in Philadelphia where he averaged a disappointing 7.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. He was then traded to the Orlando Magic with hopes of reviving his career, and he did show some promise. However, injuries set him back repeatedly to hinder his development into a star player. He’s still expected to be around in the NBA for years, though, just not as an All-Star.

LaRue Martin

Though this pick is by far the oldest on the list, it’s hard not to leave it off because of the talent taken after the number one spot and the fact that the NBA had become nationally popular by 1972. The Portland Trail Blazers held the number one pick that year, and instead of taking future Hall of Famers Bob McAdoo, Paul Westphal, or Julius Erving, they selected center LaRue Martin from Loyola (Illinois).

Martin ended up playing just four seasons in the NBA and never really cracked the starting lineup. He averaged 5.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game during those four seasons but isn’t too shaken up about not having a lengthy NBA career. “I took care of my family…I’m the type of person (who) can’t dwell off the negatives,” Martin said.

At the very start of the NFL Draft, the team that’s selecting first overall is looking for a player that can turn their franchise around and get them into Super Bowl contention. After all, the first pick is reserved for the worst team in the league unless they trade out of the spot. With that in mind, there are certain positions that have more value at the number one spot in the draft, while others are taken much later in the first round.

Let’s take a look at the history of the NFL Draft and see which positions are taken the most frequently with the number one overall selection. While the most frequent might not surprise you, the rest of the list is quite a surprise.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Despite the fact that the NFL has evolved into a passing-first league, wide receivers and tight ends are being taken later in the draft. Many NFL teams feel that they can get a franchise-altering wide receiver later in the draft, with some of the best at the position being taken well outside of the top 10. 

For example, DaVantae Adams was a second-round pick, Terry McLaurin was a third-rounder, while Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs were selected in the fifth round. The last time that an NFL team used the top pick on a receiver or tight end came in 1996 when Keyshawn Johnson was drafted by the New York Jets. That ended a cold spell of more than a decade, with Irving Fryar in 1984 coming before him (New England Patriots).

Offensive Lineman

There are some rare instances in which a team is already set at other positions but still holds the number one overall selection. When this happens, teams can turn their attention to the offensive line in search of help. Sometimes, an offensive lineman is also considered a “safe” pick in drafts where evaluators feel that the talent pool isn’t that great.

Over the course of NFL Draft history, several offensive linemen have been drafted first overall, with all of them being left tackles since 1950. Before then, there were two offensive linemen, both of whom played center(Ki Aldrich and Chuck Bednarik). Recent left tackles include Eric Fischer (Central Michigan), Jake Long (Michigan), and Hall of Famer Orlando Pace (Ohio State).

Defensive Lineman

We mentioned that the NFL has become a passing-first league, and to offset this, many teams have used a first overall selection to shore up their defensive line with a solid pass rusher. The result is an influx of defensive linemen being taken first overall, especially as more elite talent is being developed at the high school and college levels for defensive ends.

Since the 21st century started, some of the defensive linemen to go number one overall include Mario Williams, Myles Garrett, and Travon Walker. Of these teams, only the Jaguars (Walker) were really set at quarterback as they had the first overall pick the previous year and used it on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Running Back

It might be hard to believe, but running back was the most drafted position at the number one spot up until the mid-2000s. The NFL of yesteryear had a heavy focus on running the ball, and having a running back with elite talent was an absolute necessity. These days, running backs are lucky if they’re even taken in the first round altogether. It’s a much different game, but running backs are still firmly number two on this list.

No running back has gone number one overall since 1995 when Ki-Jana Carter was selected by the Bengals out of Penn State, and he ended up not making an impact. Other notable number-one overall running backs include Earl Campbell, Bo Jackson, and even O.J. Simpson. It’s likely, however, that a running back won’t go number one again unless he’s also capable of playing quarterback.

Quarterback

It should be no surprise that after the quarterback position overtook the running back position on the list it would never look back. Out of the first 20 number-one picks in the 21st century, 14 of them were quarterbacks, and the list continues to grow. 2001 to 2005 marked the longest streak of quarterbacks being the first selected with Michael Vick, David Carr, Carson Palmer, Eli Manning, and Alex Smith being part of it.

You can probably name a big chunk of the quarterbacks who have gone first overall off the top of your head. Names like Kyler Murray, Trevor Lawrence, Andrew Luck, and Cam Newton all come to mind, but the list is a long one that only gets longer as the position (somehow) continues to become more important.

Every four years, the countries with the top soccer programs in the world meet up to determine who has the best squad at the World Cup. This isn’t just a showcase for athletics, but also for fashion. Each country has a unique kit that they wear, with some of them quickly becoming fan favorites worldwide. Because of this, countries do their best to stand out and have their kit recognized globally.

When teams don’t play it “safe” it can sometimes look gaudy and have people making fun of them either in the moment or years down the road. Then, there are those kits that end up being timeless classics. Let’s take a look at the history of the World Cup and discover the five best country kits that have been worn (in no particular order).

Argentina (Multiple Kits)

There’s one country that hasn’t really made major changes to its World Cup kits over the years, and it’s Argentina. The Argentines have won the World Cup three times, with the first coming in 1978 when the country hosted. They took home the title again eight years later in Mexico, then had Lionel Messi establish himself as the greatest soccer star in the world when they won in Qatar in 2022.

When you think of Argentina at the World Cup, you think of the white and blue vertical stripes that make up their jersey. Made to look like the nation’s flag, Argentina’s kits have been largely untouched for more than a century. While the ‘away’ kits have had some changes for each World Cup, the ‘home’ uniforms are a classic that the country can (and frankly shouldn’t) change.

United States (1994)

The United States hosted the World Cup for the first time in 1994 just four years after qualifying for its first World Cup since 1950. The United States had been known more for football, basketball, and baseball, but the 1990s saw an emergence in the soccer program. When the country hosted in 1994, it decided to have a unique kit to really stand out.

The blue tops were adorned with large white stars with “USA” emblazoned on the left breast. When combined with the red shorts, it was truly a star-spangled kit for the Americans. While it was considered “tacky” years later, it has now come around to being fashionable again. The kit turned out to be a good luck charm for the US, too, as the nation had its best World Cup finish in 44 years.

Nigeria (2018)

When you’re using a color like neon green, you have to make sure that you get the kit right, otherwise, it’s just going to be an eyesore. One of the greatest examples of neon green done well came in 2018 when Nigeria wore the color for the World Cup in Russia. For Nigeria, it was just their fifth World Cup appearance, but the kits made an impression.

Nike designed the uniforms and had a lot of inspiration from Nigerian culture. “We wanted to tap into the attitude of the nation,” designer Dan Farron said. “We built this kit and collection based on the players’ full identities…We started to see trends in attitude and energy connecting the athletes to music, fashion, and more. They are part of a resoundingly cool culture.” Sadly, the team didn’t make it past the group stage, winning just one game.

Mexico (1998)

Mexico is one of those countries that some people might be surprised to learn haven’t been beyond the quarter-finals of a World Cup. It’s true, though, as they’ve reached the final eight just twice (1970 and 1986). It hasn’t been for a lack of appearances, though, as Mexico has made the World Cup in all but just a handful of years.

The country has been dressed for success, however, and that includes their top kits from 1998 in France. The kit featured a Mayan-inspired design and the country’s signature green, white, and red colors from the national flag. Mexico reached the round of 16 at the World Cup but got knocked out by Germany.

Australia (2006)

Up until 2006, Australia had almost no history at the World Cup. They weren’t a member of FIFA until 1966, and even then, they had just one appearance (1974) until 2006. Australia has fared much better since then, making each World Cup and advancing past the group stage twice. The first of those two occasions was indeed 2006 when they unveiled their amazing kits.

The design was simple with mostly solid yellow tops and green shorts, but something about it just went together very well. The Socceroos still wear the colors that all of the nation’s sports teams wear, with green representing the forests while yellow (gold) represents the beaches and minerals.

Upsets happen in every sport, but it seems like they happen the most often in basketball. There are times when even a fairly unathletic shooter can get hot and knock down enough three-pointers to make a huge difference while the favored team goes ice-cold with their looks. As a result, some of the best teams from the best programs in college basketball history have been taken down by mid-majors that many have never heard of.

Whether it be early in the season or a trip to the Final Four on the line, some upsets have left neutral fans jumping out of their seats while fans of the blue-chip programs are still feeling dejected to this day. Here are our picks for the five biggest upsets in college basketball history.

Chaminade over Virginia

Prior to Chaminade hosting the Maui Invitational, they would take on some top programs early in the college basketball season for a tune-up game and a chance for those programs to get to Hawaii for the holiday season. Chaminade became a whipping boy for these teams, but that wasn’t the case in 1982 when they took on Ralph Sampson and the number-one-ranked Virginia Cavaliers.

Chaminade and Virginia entered halftime tied at 43-43, and they certainly didn’t go away in the second half. The Cavaliers took a lead midway through the half, but Chaminade fought back and grabbed the lead with just 35 seconds remaining. They held on and stretched their lead by three more points, shocking the world by winning 77-72, handing Virginia its first loss of the season.

UMBC over Virginia

Heading into the 2018 NCAA Tournament, a number one seed had never lost to a number 16 seed. Almost nobody thought that Virginia would be the team to be the first top seed to lose, but they did just that against the UMBC Retrievers in the first round of the tournament. Neither team was getting their shots to drop in the first half, and the two teams were tied at 21 apiece following the first half.

Virginia came into the game and favored to win by more than 20 points, but they came out flat in the second half, especially on defense. The Retrievers outscored the Cavaliers 53-33 in the half and went from 20-point underdogs to 20-point victors. Sadly, UMBC’s run wouldn’t last long as they lost to Kansas State 50-43 in the second round of the tournament.

Eastern Illinois over Iowa

There have been a few long shots that ended up winning despite being underdogs by around 20 points. In the history of college basketball, no team that was excepted to lose by 30 or more points had ended up winning their game. In December 2022, Eastern Illinois University put an end to that 558-game stretch by defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes.

By the time the game tipped off, the EIU Panthers were a 31.5-point underdog to Iowa, and it looked like the Hawkeyes were going to cover that spread when they jumped out to a 14-point lead within just a few minutes. However, the Panthers stormed back in a big way and wound up stunning Iowa with a 92-83 win. It’s not like EIU showed flashes of being good outside of the game, either, as they were 3-9 heading into the contest. 

Norfolk State over Missouri

The 15-seed vs 2-seed matchup in the NCAA Tournament is always a bit more interesting than the 1-16 game. There have been several occasions where the 15-seed has pulled off a major upset, and perhaps the biggest one came in 2012 when the Norfolk State Spartans upset the Missouri Tigers 86-84 in the school’s first-ever tournament appearance.

The game was overshadowed a bit because fellow 15-seed Lehigh had upset Duke in the first round as Duke has a lot more detractors, but the Norfolk State win was even more shocking. Unfortunately, Norfolk State didn’t play well at all in the following round as they lost by 34 points to Florida, who eventually made the Elite 8.

NJIT over Michigan

The University of Michigan has a storied history in basketball, whereas NJIT doesn’t have much of a history at all. In fact, it wasn’t until the mid-2000s that the Highlanders became a Division I program in basketball and at one point became the seventh team to go winless in a college basketball season in 2008.

In January 2014, though, they defeated the Wolverines, who were ranked #17 in the country at the time. The game was close throughout and the Highlanders held onto their narrow lead for the last few minutes of the game, winning 72-70. What was even more surprising was that NJIT was only 2-5 coming into the game.

Across all levels of sports, the state of Oregon has had a tremendous amount of athlete who has called the Emerald State their home at one point. Oregon was once known almost exclusively as the home for track and field in the United States, but over the years has gotten a lot more attention for other sports, especially football.

Between the Ducks, Beavers, Trail Blazers, and many other teams that are based out of Oregon, who are the top sports heroes that the state claims? While there are sure to be differing opinions, here are our picks for the five greatest Oregon sports heroes.

Clyde Drexler

Clyde Drexler could be considered a legend in many different parts of the country. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana then raised in Houston, Texas where he became a college basketball legend. Drexler then entered the 1983 NBA Draft where he became the 14th overall pick. Thanks to his career with the Portland Trail Blazers, Drexler was one of just two Hall of Famers selected in that year’s draft.

During his 12 seasons in Portland, Drexler averaged 20.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. Drexler was named an All-Star for eight of those seasons, including his tremendous 1988-89 campaign. During that season, Drexler averaged 27.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, both of which were career highs. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.

Marcus Mariota

Hawaii native Marcus Mariota was highly sought-after when he was coming out of high school in 2011. Oregon ended up being the lucky recipient of his services at quarterback, and Mariota didn’t disappoint. He would end up playing for three seasons with the Oregon Ducks, including getting significant playing time as a freshman.

All in all, Mariota finished with 10,796 passing yards and 105 touchdowns while also adding in 2,237 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns. Mariota only had 14 interceptions throughout his career, as well, with the cherry on top being the first Oregon player to win the Heisman Trophy. Mariota was selected second overall in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.

Steve Prefontaine

The first member of the list to be born and raised in Oregon, Steve Prefontaine became the face of running during the early 1970s. In fact, more people took up running as a hobby because of “Pre” and his signature mustache. He grew up in Coos Bay, Oregon, and chose to stay in-state for college at the University of Oregon.

Prefontaine participated in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich the year after winning gold at the Pan American Games. He broke the 4-minute mile barrier, and set a personal best of 3 minutes 54.6 seconds in 1973. Sadly, Prefontaine’s was taken in his prime in 1975 as a car crash claimed his life at just 24 years old. To this day, though, he remains an iconic figure in the world of track.

Danny Ainge

Danny Ainge is the only member of the list to not participate in college or professional sports in the state of Oregon but was a legend because of his high school days. Aigne was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, attending North Eugene High School during the mid-1970s. Ainge excelled at every sport and was named an All-American for football, baseball, and, of course, basketball.

Ainge had the offer to stay in-state for college but ultimately decided to head to BYU. While there, he was a member of the All-WAC Team in all four seasons and had his number retired by the BYU basketball program. Ainge spent well over a decade in the NBA before retiring as a member of the Phoenix Suns in 1995.

Damian Lillard

The other Portland Trail Blazer to make the list is point guard Damian Lillard, who has established himself as the franchise’s all-time best player. Lillard didn’t go to a large school for his college hoops days, heading to Weber State as he was only a two-star recruit and ranked outside of the top 100 in the nation.

Lillard showed his value, though, and he would end up being taken sixth overall by the Blazers in the 2012 NBA Draft. Since then, Lillard has been named an All-Star more than a half-dozen times while also being named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. Being able to average more than 25 points per game after a decade in the NBA is remarkable, and Lillard did just that.

The Detroit Red Wings, as one of the Original Six in the National Hockey League, have a history that dates back longer than just about every other team in the league. Throughout the years, there have been several stretches of absolute dominance by the Wings because of some all-time great players.

It’s hard to narrow it down to just a few, but there are a handful of Red Wings players who stand out as the franchise’s best. Let’s take a look at the five players who stood out above the rest in Hockeytown history. Before we start the list, here are some players that just missed the cut: Serge Fedorov, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and Alex Delvecchio.

Ted Lindsay

Many know about how Gordie Howe dominated for the Red Wings in the post-World War II years, but the casual fans might not know much about his longtime teammate Ted Lindsay. The left winger played for 14 seasons in Detroit (and another three with Chicago), recording 728 points in his 862 Red Wings games.

All of Lindsay’s best seasons came in the Motor City, and he won four Stanley Cups along the way. Lindsay was named an All-Star in nine seasons and won the 1950 Art Ross Trophy in addition to being named to the NHL’s 100th Anniversary Team. His jersey hangs in the rafters at Little Caesars Arena, and he became a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966.

Terry Sawchuk

There were a couple of times in which goaltender Terry Sawchuk left the Red Wings only to return to the franchise. Sawchuk started his career with Detroit where he spent his first six seasons, five of which resulted in him being named an All-Star and three of which saw him win the Vezina Trophy.

Sawchuk then spent two seasons with the Boston Bruins before his first return, and his second Red Wings tenure lasted for seven seasons. He had a third one-year stint, bringing his total to 14 seasons in Detroit. Sawchuck finished with 350 wins in his 734 appearances, saving 90.4 percent of shots and allowing 2.44 goals per game.

Nicklas Lidstrom

If it weren’t for the fact that Steve Yzerman was there for almost his entire career, Nicklas Lidstrom would have been the captain in Detroit for many more years. The Swedish defenseman played all 20 of his NHL seasons with the Red Wings and his list of accolades is one of the most impressive in NHL history.

Lidstrom recorded 1,142 points in 1,564 NHL games, which was good enough for sixth all-time when he retired in 2012. Lidstrom was named an All-Star 12 times, winning four Stanley Cups for the Wings. He famously won seven Norris Trophies as the best defenseman in the NHL and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015. Naturally, his number six jersey was retired by the Red Wings not long after his career ended.

Steve Yzerman

Spending your entire NHL career with one team used to be more common in the early days of professional hockey, but changed dramatically during the 1990s and 2000s. One man that still remained with one franchise despite the ever-changing league was Steve Yzerman, who spent all 22 of his NHL seasons with Detroit and was everyone’s favorite Red Wing if they grew up in the 1990s.

Yzerman won the Art Ross Trophy in his first year and finished with 692 goals and 1,063 assists in 1,514 career games. The Hall of Famer won three Stanley Cups with the Red Wings, winning the Pearson, Smythe, Selke, and Masterson Trophies along the way. Strangely enough, Yzerman was only named an All-Star once (1999-2000).

Gordie Howe

Yzerman is a legend and will forever be synonymous with the Red Wings, but there’s only one “Mr. Hockey” and that’s Gordie Howe. Howe started his NHL career in Detroit when he was just 18 years old following the end of World War II. By his third year, Howe was an NHL All-Star and remained with the franchise until his early 40s. All in all, it was 25 seasons for Howe wearing the winged wheel, most of which came as the team’s captain.

During those 25 seasons, Howe collected 786 goals and 1,023 assists (1,809 total points) over 1,687 games. He won four Stanley Cups to go along with his six Ross Trophies and six Hart Trophies. The 21-time All-Star was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and was considered the best NHL player of all time before Wayne Gretzky came along.

When you’re going toe-to-toe with another person in a boxing match, you have to get in their head a little bit. To do this, a lot of boxers will trash-talk their opponent to get them rattled, but sometimes it goes too far. Some boxers have gotten incredibly personal prior to their match, and at times, it cost them dearly. 

Let’s take a look at five historic boxing matches that had a lot of verbal barbs that were exchanged, taking things to a personal level and making the matches even more hyped.

Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather

No boxing match has had as much hype as the 2015 bout between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. While the fight itself would ultimately be a disappointment for most fans, the lead-up was anything but boring. The two came in as the best of their generation, and both were trading personal jabs in the countless press conferences before the match.

Mayweather had said that Pacquiao was only fighting lower boxers for easier wins and padding his record while Mayweather was taking on the top names. Pacquaio’s camp said that Mayweather was shady and avoided the fight between the two while adding that Mayweather’s father was a terrible cornerman. Mayweather would win, and the two have been talking about a rematch ever since.

Muhammad Ali vs. Anyone

If you were to ask any person on the street to name the first boxer that comes to mind, the answer is probably going to be Muhammad Ali. Ali was known not only for being a great fighter, but also one of the best trash talkers in human history. For him, every match was personal and he wanted to let his opponents know just how personal it was.

There were many matches where some people felt that Ali took things a little too far, including bouts against George Foreman and Joe Frazier. Perhaps the one that got it the worst was Sonny Liston. Prior to their controversial fight in 1964, Ali went all-in on the trash talk. There were some memorable lines which included “He’s too ugly to be world champion. The world champ should be pretty like me!”

Dereck Chisora and David Haye

There are many boxing matches where the fighters had traditional trash talk to try and get inside of their opponents’ heads, but then there are matches where the two sides absolutely hated each other. That was the case between Dereck Chisora and David Haye in their match in 2012. Chisora had just defeated Vitali Klitschko after making it personal between the two, and the extracurriculars spilled into his rivalry with Haye.

Haye was at the press conference for the Chisora-Klitschko fight and Haye had challenged Klitschko to a match. Chisora, as the winner, took it personally and started to call Haye an embarrassment to the sport. The two would get into it several times before and after their fight, and at one point, Chisora threatened to shoot Haye. Haye would end up winning the match in the fifth round via technical knockout.

Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant

In just about every sport, there’s a big rivalry between the United States and Mexico, and that even translates into individual sports. In 2021, Mexican legend Canelo Alvarez defeated American Caleb Plant via a technical knockout in the 11th round in Las Vegas. The lead-up to the match was filled with controversy as the two seemed ready to fight at a moment’s notice.

Alvarez is usually calmer in demeanor, but Plant was relentless in his trash talk, with Alvarez saying that the match was personal after hearing all of it. During their press conference two months before the match, the two got into a fistfight that left both of them bloodied, while Alvarez said Plant was taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield

One of the most famous matches of all time came when Mike Tyson bit off the ear of Evander Holyfield. At the time, no match had ever been quite as hyped-up, and Holyfield would come out on top. Holyfield remained calm, cool, and collected in the lead-up to the match, but that wasn’t the case for Tyson.

The two have since become friendly, especially as Tyson has calmed down and dwelled upon his past. “He never said nothing bad to me,” Tyson said. “I said miserable things to him.” Holyfield never got rattled, though. “I said, ‘You’ve got to understand, Mike’s younger than me. Mike really don’t know. So I’m not angry. I’ve got nothing to say about it,’” Holyfield said.

There are plenty of sports that are lucrative and offer nine-figure contracts. Think of basketball and baseball where those types of contracts get handed out like candy. However, those contracts typically last around a decade before the full amount of money is paid to the athlete. Then, you have boxing, which can pay you over $100 million for a single fight if the demand is high enough.

Not every big time boxer is going to get to that level of making hundreds of millions in the ring, but that’s just fine. There are other ways for a boxer to get into business ventures that pad their net worth massively. Here are five boxers who made some serious money outside the ring using their star status to get ahead.

5. Floyd Mayweather

No boxer in the sport’s history has had bigger in-ring payouts than the undefeated champion Floyd Mayweather. For just his one fight against Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather earned $180 million, and he has amassed a net worth of around $450 million over the years. Obviously, not all of that is from his in-ring payouts, as Mayweather has been able to earn plenty of cash from his star status.

Mayweather not only has his own promotion company, but he also runs a gentleman’s club, a roller skating rink, and even a racing team. Of course, Mayweather’s businesses are all based out of Las Vegas, where he’s had some of his biggest matches.

4. Conor McGregor

It might be cheating just a bit to add Conor McGregor to the list since he’s mostly known for his time in mixed martial arts, but McGregor has gotten into the ring as a boxer, as well. Of course, his lone professional match in a boxing ring came against the previously mentioned Floyd Mayweather, with Mayweather winning the bout via technical knockout in the 10th round. McGregor has a net worth of $200 million, and has been able to market himself brilliantly.

McGregor has a ton of endorsements that include Beats by Dre, Reebok and Bud Light. On top of that, McGregor has made a lot of money from the Irish whiskey brand Proper No. Twelve. McGregor had a majority stake in the whiskey, selling it to Proximo Spirits in 2021 for a cool $150 million.

3. Vitali Klitschko

Vitali Klitschko isn’t the richest boxer in the world, but he certainly has a comfortable net worth at nearly $100 million. Klitschko was one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all-time before he retired, winning 15 different matches with the world heavyweight title on the line. Once he retired, Klitschko stayed in the public eye while getting into politics, though it isn’t his time as mayor that made him super wealthy.

Klitschko runs his own investment firm called Klitschko Ventures, which has earned him millions more over the years. “My experience has shown me that I can achieve more with good partners by my side and reach my goal more quickly,” Klitschko said. “That is why I live according to this principle and let others share my knowledge.”

2. Oscar De La Hoya

If you ask any casual fan to naem a handful of boxers off the top of their head, and there’s a good chance that they would mention Oscar De La Hoya. If you were to then ask them to mention their favorite match of his, they likely wouldn’t be able to tell you. That’s because “The Golden Boy” has been able to establish a great post-boxing career for himself, and now has a net worth of $170 million.

De La Hoya launched several business ventures following his fighting career, including his own Golden Boy Promotions that kept some of his money in the sport. Other investments for De La Hoya include the fast food chain BurgerFi, an ownership stake in Major League Soccer and even a tequila brand. 

1. George Foreman

Of course, you can’t talk about boxers that have made big money outside of the ring without mentioning the great George Foreman. Foreman was a tremendous boxer who won 76 of his 81 professional fights, earning himself multiple heavyweight championships. Foreman became an entrepreneur following his fighting career, and amassed a net worth of $300 million.

Much of that money came from the George Foreman Grill, which was actually invented by Michael Boehm and Robert Johnson. Foreman attached his name and likeness to the product, though, earning him a massive amount of the revenue. After more than 100 million grills were sold, the rights to the product earned Foreman nearly $140 million.