2018'S MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN SPORTS CULTURE
Here at Bleacher Report, we've debated that question all year. And the answer is not some equation or another power ranking. Influence is when "we will not shut up and dribble" is an answer people listen to, because you've been to the last seven NBA Finals. And when the entire sports world watches your family vacation on Instagram, just to see where you'll go next? That's power.
Welcome to the B/R POWER 50, a definitive list of the most influential people in sports culture—athletes and celebrities who are doing the damn thing right now.
We picked 50 influencers making power moves. But this isn't just about LeBron in the Decision Cave. It's about ballers who BOSS UP, like Jimmy Garoppolo, who secured the bag in San Francisco after emerging from Tom Brady's shadow. ("I thought in my head, 'I'm better than this dude.'"). It's about groundbreakers who SHAKE IT UP, like Meek Mill, who told B/R about watching the Super Bowl from jail. ("People actually know I've been through some real s--t.") It's about game-changers who LEVEL UP on the field like Cristiano Ronaldo, and groundbreakers who SPEAK UP, as exemplified by Aly Raisman. It's also about emerging stars who GLOW UP, which...about Donovan Mitchell—can you believe that dude's still 21?
The power players on B/R's inaugural list are ranked and appreciated by 39 influential writers and fellow fans. Because the B/R POWER 50 is built to fit in your pocket, but also to expand your sense of possibility: It's a redefinition—a declaration—of the power within people to influence lives through sports, and for sports to change our culture for good.
Explore. Debate. Scroll. Tap. Celebrate. And be inspired.
—The Editors of B/R Mag
Tom Brady is yesterday's news. Meet the new boss.
Read the exclusive cover storyThe best NBA head coach for our imperfect world
The Spurs assistant doesn’t just deserve a job. She deserves the job. But this is why the rules are different for women. A word from ROXANE GAY.
Read MoreThe prophetic force of coveted “COOL”
Yes, a kid from Chicago broke down the barrier between streetwear and the runway. As hip-hop and its style become our lingua franca, JASMINE SANDERS reports from the former border.
Read MoreThe streetwear OGs staying true—and making BANK
From riot-ready drops to a $1B valuation, how did the little red box take its “World Famous” slogan and make it the truth? Hint: It’s more than a logo. RUSS BENGSTON reflects.
Read MoreThe Super Bowl champ graduating to retirement
After 10 years in the NFL, he’s still an author, rapper, director and cartoonist. With the biggest imagination in football, why wouldn’t he retire? MICHAEL BENNETT salutes his brother’s next chapter.
Read MoreThe walking instant classic
He appeals to the sneakerhead in all of us, but the guy actually wears his Instagram. He made some of the best kicks of the year. And that, RUSS BENGSTON declares, is a gift to the rest of us.
Read MoreThe cartoon villain turned Captain America
Love him or hate him, Zlatan is never going to stop showing off how great Zlatan is. If you’re wondering how to make yourself look immortal, HANIF ABDURRAQIB has answers in the MLS.
Read MoreThe double star whose boss moves are just beginning
Nigerian, Stanford nerd, sneaker ambassador, WNBA star and TV analyst AT THE SAME TIME! Sister, daughter, WOMAN! As ROSALYN GOLD-ONWUDE preaches, we should all be trying to get up and go like this.
Read MoreThe preacher of the basketball internet circa 2018
With a voice to narrate our deluge of highlights, “filayyyyyyy” is the “hallelujah” of today’s hoops vernacular. And we are witnessing a sermon unlike any other, says DRAGONFLY JONEZ.
Read MoreThe undefeated mouthpiece
Father, husband, black entrepreneur: Sorry we’re not sorry, but LaVar is in your face—no matter what. Sorry he’s not sorry, writes MICHAEL ARCENEAUX.
Read MoreThe rapper who disrupted an unjust system with champions, in his own words
Read the untold storyThe esports crew redefining what a team can be
You don’t think a gang of gamers from Cali count as celebrities? Ask Drake, Travis Scott and JuJu what they think. You don’t think esports count as sports? BRIAN MAZIQUE goes beyond the Fortnite effect.
Read MoreThe NFL coach who refuses to blend in
Yes, there is a gay woman working the sidelines of pro football, but she ain’t staying there. JACKIE BAMBERGER examines equality in the NFL workplace.
Read MoreThe secret scorpion of the kicks game
Say what you will about Drizzy, but a low-key sneaker selfie could be worth millions. Beyond the new album and the thirsty fandom, GIANCARLO FERRARI KING checks in on that shoe-deal flirtation.
Read MoreThe fearless QB making money moves with his mom
No agent? No problem. The Ravens QB insisted on keeping deals in the family. What now? MIKE FREEMAN predicts a ripple in the financial structure of the NFL.
Read MoreThe face of 2K—and nonstop social hustle
She has worked her way to being everywhere, but the host dominating your loading screen has bigger dreams than that. JOON LEE catches up with a modern whirlwind.
Read MoreThe hive mind of an underdog, according to their Twitter guy
Remember that night in March Madness? We all had a No. 16 seed we could believe in. And you’re damn right ZACHARY SEIDEL was going to make the most of it.
Read MoreThe Don King of YouTubers has trash talk for days
Gamer. Fighter. Rapper. Star. You ready for vlog-on-vlog combat? Because BRIAN MAZIQUE says this bloke could be bigger than the real thing.
Read MoreThe not-so-silent benefactor you’d least expect
Ben Simmons on FaceTime. Joel Embiid jumping up and down in bed. What was it really like when Meek Mill went free? “It was like we just won the NBA championship.” MAX RAPPAPORT in conversation with the Sixers co-owner.
Read MoreThe face of the end of one-and-done
Straight from high school to the G League? Now that’s pioneer power. As amateurism bleeds, DAVID GARDNER reports.
Read MoreThe Michael Jordan of world football is a true game-changer
READ MORE ON THE ALTERNA-GOATThe one we're all rooting for
How do you measure a man immune to limitations? You stare in awe, and appreciate the “Greek Freak” entering his prime. NATHANIEL FRIEDMAN quantifies the most fun you’ll have watching hoops this year.
Read MoreThe world’s best snowboarder is just getting started
Great expectations met a gold medal and then some. Marginalized communities got the voice of a new generation. JOON LEE, following a Korean American family up the mountain and back, wonders: What now?
Read MoreThe revolution will be televised
A superstar of MMA isn’t just teaming up with Charlotte Flair for ratings. The diva is dead, but pro wrestling’s better half has delivered...better wrestling. DAVE SCHILLING surveys a level playing field.
Read MoreThe joyous new face of the WNBA
When we talk about power in 2018, we’re talking viral moments more than monuments. This No. 1 pick can do it all. Superhuman pressure ain’t stopping a double threat, NATALIE WEINER writes.
Read MoreThe most dominant center in basketball
If you don’t know “Big Syl,” you better know: The WNBA MVP is part Tim Duncan, part Lisa Leslie, all heart. That, says LAUREEN IRAT, makes her an unstoppably modern legend in her prime.
Read MoreThe god of long ball plays above the rim
Unfazed by the paparazzi or pinstripes, the 26-year-old record-setter has a mind to match the muscles. And when SCOTT MILLER watches up close, it’s all or nothing.
Read MoreThe Great Bambino 2.0 is living two dreams at once
Do you believe in miracles? The pitcher/hitter import is playing like you did as a kid. And JOON LEE predicts that he won’t be the last to double-dip—indeed, that he’ll be an inspiration.
Read MoreThe singularity all over again
Against all odds, haters, and swarming defenses, the wizard of OKC takes absolutely no breaks. This, JONATHAN ABRAMS finds, is how to stretch the imagination of what a point guard can accomplish.
Read MoreThe second coming of Russell Westbrook
The Oregon Ducks visionary is already an all-timer...and she’s 20. Brodie? What Brodie? As SHANA RENEE schools us, this is what a college-hoops master class looks like.
Read MoreThe survivor will show you just how impactful one voice can be
READ MORE—AND DON'T BACK DOWNThe only GOAT who speaks his mind
From “U bum” to “we will not shut up and dribble” to #AlwaysBelieve and beyond, MJ never used his platform like this. Basketball players talk politics, too, writes CORD JEFFERSON.
Read MoreThe activists picking up where Kap can’t
If Eric Reid and Co. were only still risking their jobs to protest the anthem, that’d be enough. To work directly at the divide of the United States, though, is what JAMILAH LEMIEUX still respects.
Read MoreThe voices of the NBA resistance
His rise to power ignited their activism, but Trump can’t stop Gregg Popovich and Steve Kerr from boldly pushing the envelope. HOWARD BECK says that’s made it easier for more of the NBA to do the same.
Read MoreThe superstar skater is all the way out here
The bronze medalist is gay and honest about it—red-carpet bondage included. Therein, according to MICHAEL ARCENEAUX, lies the splendor.
Read MoreThe man in the mirror
The Cavs’ last man standing smashed the taboo of mental health—and that, writes BRANDON SNEED, represents a new kind of masculinity.
Read MoreThe woman who brought #MeToo to sports
The WNBA superstar became one of the first female athletes to discuss sexual abuse. But now, #MeToo founder TARANA BURKE predicts, she will be the living example of what “after” looks like.
Read MoreThe QB who wants student-athletes to get PAID
UCLA’s stud gave agency to the student-athlete, even if it hurt his NFL draft stock. That it did anyway, CHRIS SIMMS argues, is straight-up ridiculous.
Read MoreThe NBA owner dropping the mic for equality
How one postgame speech revealed an owner’s power for good: The Sacramento Kings boss talks to JONATHAN ABRAMS on how one moment resonated around the world.
Read MoreThe big man using NBA Twitter as a weapon for human rights
His native Turkey wants to put him in prison. But the Knicks star can make sure trolling LeBron meets spitting international fire. Indeed, writes YARON WEITZMAN, he knows exactly what he’s doing.
Read MoreFrom "rookie" to megastar, just like this
READ MORE...SMILES GUARANTEED!The most likable one-man brand in the NFL
The Steelers receiver is just as lit in the offseason. Hell, even his dog has an agent. A Q&A with MASTER TESFATSION.
Read MoreThe MVP of the world
It has been the ultimate year for a global shooting star. That Liverpool’s nonstop scorer can be ordinarily extraordinary, writes SAM BEHRENS, is what could make him burn even brighter.
Read MoreThe ballers leaving hashtags in the dust
This is bigger than just some kids balling for the hell of it. It ain’t just a finger roll—it’s a movement. KHALID SALIM breaks down what authenticity with finesse looks like.
Read MoreThe NBA’s Mr. Spectacular is now "mini-LeBron"
Before the Wakanda salute, before the album, there was a transformation. Don’t look now, but Dipo’s charging up again. Go behind the scenes with TOM HABERSTROH.
Read MoreThe new definition of clutch
Notre Dame’s sharpshooter made March Madness history, but she is more than The Shot(s)—plural. As NATALIE WEINER writes, on-court swagger has translated into flexes off it.
Read MoreThe future of football is more than the future
OK, so he won the World Cup. Is he the Pele of our generation? Or something more? JOON LEE goes to France and back.
Read MoreThe quarterback of tha culture
Migos frontman, sure. But who Eurosteps at the celebrity game? Quavo, that’s who, says DRAGONFLY JONEZ.
Read MoreThe tennis phenom destroying assumptions—and Serena
But you think she’s just “the girl who beat Serena”? Then just ask Serena. Don’t sleep on this Japanese American, PAULANA L. LAMONIER warns, because she represents.
Read MoreThe solo rider of NASCAR
What does it feel like to be the only prominent black athlete amidst the incredible whiteness of NASCAR? More like Tiger than Serena, but maybe something in-between, KIESE LAYMON hopes.
Read More"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing." —MUHAMMAD ALI
Copyright © 2018 Bleacher Report, Inc. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved. BleacherReport.com is part of Bleacher Report – Turner Sports Network, part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Network. Certain photos copyright © 2018 Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
