Originally by Blake EdwardsList RulesOnly superstars who back up the fuss surrounding their career
Overhyped athletes who still performed represent a special breed of athletes who captured the attention of fans and critics around the world with their potential then went on to live up to the expectations and often exceed them. These athletes were expected by so many to dominate their respective sports and they did just that.
These fine football, basketball, baseball, hockey, golf, boxing and Olympic athletes had all eyes upon them as they were projected by experts to have long and successful careers filled with titles, awards and praise. Many did that and then some, going down as some of the best to ever play the game.
A great deal of these athletes were taken first overall in their respective professional drafts, such as star NHL players Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, who were taken first in the NHL Draft in 2004 and 2005, respectively, or NBA Slam Dunk Champion Blake Griffin, who was picked first in the 2009 NBA Draft. Professional football players are right up there as well, such as 2011 first overall pick Cam Newton who made a quick impact on the Carolina Panthers in the National Football League.
Others not only captured the attention of prospective professional teams but also entire countries as they represented their homeland on the world's stage in the Olympics. Michael Phelps is perhaps the best example of a highly hyped athlete who lived up to the expectations. The swimmer shattered numerous personal, Olympic and world records as he won eight gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
All of these athletes accomplished what so many up and comers aspire to do. They made headlines first for their potential, then became household names for their performance and many went on to become legends of the sport. Of course some went on to wait too long to retire but for the most part, these athletes had nearly flawless careers and it does not get much better than that.1
8991,289LeBron James
Age: 36Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Akron, Ohio, United States of America
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
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2,020417Cristiano Ronaldo
Age: 35Nationality: Portugal
Birthplace: Santo António, Portugal
Teams: Manchester United F.C., Real Madrid C.F., Sporting Clube de Portugal, Portugal national football team
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1,037602Usain Bolt
Age: 34Nationality: Jamaica
Birthplace: Sherwood Content, Jamaica
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7731,349Michael Phelps
Age: 35Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Towson, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
Teams: North Baltimore Aquatic Club
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5551,224Kobe Bryant
Dec. at 41 (1978-2020)Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
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8161,277Michael Jordan
Age: 57Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
Teams: Chicago Bulls, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, Washington Wizards, North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
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3821,187Wayne Gretzky
Age: 59Nationality: United States of America,Canada
Birthplace: Brantford, Canada
Teams: Edmonton Oilers
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1,00792Anna Kournikova
Age: 39Nationality: Russia
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
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99631Kimi Räikkönen
Age: 41Nationality: Finland
Birthplace: Espoo, Finland
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3421,195Peyton Manning
Age: 44Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America
Teams: Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts
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1,135195Maria Sharapova
Age: 33Nationality: Russia
Birthplace: Nyagan, Russia
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95933Simona Halep
Age: 29Nationality: Romania
Birthplace: Constanța, Sud-Est, Romania
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3031,163Tiger Woods
Age: 45Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Cypress, California, United States of America
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99550Yelena Isinbayeva
Age: 38Nationality: Russia
Birthplace: Volgograd, Russia
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2571,094Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Age: 73Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Milwaukee Bucks, UCLA Bruins men's basketball
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224898Kevin Garnett
Age: 44Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Greenville, South Carolina, USA
Teams: Boston Celtics, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Timberwolves
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611Mark McGwire
Age: 57Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Pomona, California, United States of America
Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, Oakland Athletics
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2581,108Mike Tyson
Age: 54Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York City, New York, United States of America
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2261,088Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Age: 43Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States of America
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1891,038Tim Tebow
Age: 33Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Makati, Philippines
Teams: New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, New York Jets, Florida Gators football
22
188582Herschel Walker
Age: 58Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Wrightsville, Georgia, USA
Teams: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Georgia Bulldogs football team
23
143871Ndamukong Suh
Age: 33Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Portland, Oregon
Teams: Detroit Lions
24
2261,117David Beckham
Age: 45Nationality: United Kingdom,England
Birthplace: Leytonstone, London, United Kingdom
Teams: Manchester United F.C., Real Madrid C.F., Paris Saint-Germain F.C., A.C. Milan, LA Galaxy
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1311,009Alex Rodriguez
Age: 45Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Washington Heights, New York City, New York, United States of America
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