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Jeremy WillisESPN.com
Get away the cake and balloons as a result of Feb. 17 is likely to be among the best days for athlete birthdays.
On today, 60 years in the past, Michael Jordan got here into this world. The school and NBA stardom would comply with along with movies, sneaker dominance, business ventures and a world of iconic moments and basic memes.
Jordan is not the one notable sports activities star to be born on Feb. 17. He is joined by Jim Brown and Luc Robitaille. There are a pair different dates that includes birthdays of a number of all-time sports activities figures. When including nice birthdays from popular culture, nevertheless, does Jordan’s massive day make it the G.O.A.T. of G.O.A.T birthdays? Let’s blow out the candles and have a look at some massive days and evaluate.
The date: December 30
Sports activities G.O.A.T.(s) born at the moment: Tiger Woods and LeBron James
Woods has the document for PGA Tour wins (82) and the second-most main wins (15). James has 4 NBA titles with three completely different groups and is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Each Tiger and LeBron are additionally among the many few athletes whose web value is greater than $1 billion, in accordance with Forbes.
What else the day gave us
The brilliance of Sandy Koufax: He packed quite a bit right into a 12-year profession. Koufax received 4 World Collection with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. He was the World Collection MVP in two of these collection. He additionally, unanimously, received the Cy Younger 3 times.
The Punk Poet Laureate assembly the Boss: American singer, songwriter, punk music icon and Rock and Roll Corridor of Famer Patti Smith was born on today in 1946. Whereas she has made 11 albums, and written 27 books, Smith’s cowl of Bruce Springsteen’s “As a result of the Night time” stays her most well-known tune. It reached No. 13 on the 1978 Billboard Sizzling 100 listing.
The rest?: “The Jungle Guide” (Rudyard Kipling, born 1865); Roman Pearce from the “Quick and the Livid” franchise (Tyrese Gibson, born 1978); one Roman emperor (Titus, born 39 A.D.).
The date: February 17
Sports activities G.O.A.T. born at the moment: Michael Jordan
In 1963, His Airness arrived. We all know the remainder. An NCAA title, two Olympic gold medals, six NBA titles, 5 league MVPs, iconic footwear, “Area Jam,” “The Final Dance,” and lots of memes — Jordan is an icon of sports activities and popular culture whose affect continues almost 20 years after his enjoying profession ended.
What else the day gave us
Perhaps one of the best working again ever: At one time, Jim Brown, born today in 1936, held each vital NFL dashing document. He did it in simply 9 seasons (1957-65) with the Cleveland Browns. Brown held data for dashing yards in a sport, season and profession. He was additionally, on the time, the league’s all-time chief in dashing and whole touchdowns.
He retired to develop into an actor and was instantly superior in “The Soiled Dozen.”
Onerous rock icons: In 1972, about 1,700 miles aside, Inexperienced Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and the Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins arrived. This is Hawkins from the band’s tune “Times Like These.”
The rest?: An Oscar winner (Brenda Fricker, born 1945); the 46 protection (Buddy Ryan, born 1931).
The date: June 11
Sports activities G.O.A.T. born at the moment: Diana Taurasi
ESPN voted Taurasi the greatest player within the first 25 years of the WNBA. Longevity and consistency have set her aside whereas additionally being extremely clutch — a lot in order that Kobe Bryant gave her the nickname “White Mamba.” She’s additionally an unimaginable winner. Taurasi has an NCAA title, Olympic gold medal, FIBA World Cup and WNBA title.
What else the day gave us
Extra from the UConn dynasty: Taurasi received three NCAA titles with the UConn Huskies, the final in 2004. The Huskies went by way of an uncharacteristic down interval, not profitable a title till 2009. That got here with Maya Moore who was additionally born on June 11. Moore received two faculty titles and 4 WNBA crowns earlier than leaving basketball for philanthropic work. June 11 gave us gamers who, in whole, accounted for 5 NCAA titles, seven WNBA titles and 7 Olympic golds.
Extra winners, NFL version: One has his title on the Tremendous Bowl trophy. The opposite has received that trophy 4 occasions. Vince Lombardi (born 1913) is thought to be one of many NFL’s best coaches. He turned the Green Bay Packers right into a dynasty and by no means had a shedding season.
Joe Montana (born 1956) turned a Corridor of Famer main the San Francisco 49ers to 4 Tremendous Bowls within the Eighties. If we’re retaining rating, June 11 is liable for 11 NFL championships.
The rest?: The unique Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder, born 1933); Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage, born 1969); the Toyota (firm founder Kiichiro Toyoda, born 1894).
The date: September 26
Sports activities G.O.A.T. born at the moment: Serena Williams
She’s one of the best tennis participant ever, profitable 23 Grand Slam titles. Williams was ranked No. 1 by the Ladies’s Tennis Affiliation for 319 weeks in her profession. She is the one participant to win three straight Grand Slams — which has been dubbed the “Serena Slam.” She did it twice. She can be a trend icon and a minority owner of the Miami Dolphins.
What else the day gave us
The persevering with Buss dynasty: Because the controlling proprietor of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jeanie Buss (born 1961) is without doubt one of the strongest folks in sports activities. She is continuous the household enterprise, began by her father, Dr. Jerry Buss, of creating the Lakers a profitable franchise and one acknowledged all around the world. In 2020, Buss turned the primary feminine controlling proprietor to win an NBA title.
Velocity of sunshine: Albert Einstein’s particular concept of relativity was “born” on Sept. 26, 1905 when he printed a scientific paper on the topic. Stephen Hawking outlined the idea in “A Transient Historical past of Time” as stating that “the legal guidelines of science (together with the pace of sunshine) needs to be the identical for all observers, irrespective of how they’re transferring, within the absence of gravitational phenomena.” Einstein’s concept led to his work on mass and power and the world’s most well-known equation: E=mc².
The rest?: NASCAR (founder Invoice France, born 1909); Hockey energy twins (Daniel and Henrik Sedin, born 1980); “Physical” (singer Olivia Newton-John, born 1948).
The date: January 26
Sports activities G.O.A.T. born at the moment: Wayne Gretzky
He’s actually “The Nice One. Gretzky owns the scoring data for targets in a single interval, in a single season and in a profession. He holds or shares six help data as properly to associate with 4 Stanley Cup titles.
What else the day gave us
The dunk god: Vince Carter (born 1977) might be one of the best dunker ever. Who wants to clarify it? Simply watch.
Reggie Dunlop and “Quick” Eddie Felson: Paul Newman (born 1925) was one in all America’s best actors with memorable performances in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Child,” “Cool Hand Luke,” “Hud” and others. Nonetheless, his filmography additionally options three nice sports activities films. He was the hockey participant/coach who, to illustrate, inspired some soiled play in “Slap Shot.” Newman performs pool shark Eddie Felson in “The Hustler” and “The Colour of Cash,” the latter of which he received his solely appearing Academy Award.
The rest?: A five-star normal (Douglas MacArthur, born 1880); one half of The Street Warriors (Michael Hegstrand aka Street Warrior Hawk, born 1957); a former SmackDown Ladies’s Champion (Sasha Banks, born 1992); the maker of this guitar solo (Eddie Van Halen, born 1955).