The Top 10 Sports Moments of 2024 are here, and we’re getting you ready for an even more exciting 2025.
The best sports moments of the past year came from everywhere – the NFL, UFC, NBA, and maybe some surprise places too.
#10 – Caitlin Clark – WNBA Rookie of the Year
More than just a moment, Caitlin Clark provided a huge highlight reel of moments and lifted the WNBA to new heights this year.
Clark capped it off by winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year award, almost picking up the prize unanimously.
She set WNBA records for assists in a season (337) and in a game (19), and that’s for all players – not just first-year players. Clark also set WNBA rookie records for points, assists, 3-pointers and triple-doubles.
Catch a great recap of Caitlin Clark’s highlights and see some of the best sporting moments of the year.
#9 – Max Verstappen – Formula 1 Mastery
The young F1 legend won his fourth straight Driver’s Championship in 2024, outpacing Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton.
The Red Bull Formula 1 superstar didn’t come by it as easily as in past years, however, with Norris putting up the greatest challenge. Verstappen did win 9 times on the F1 circuit, but Norris took him the checkered flag in Miami, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and even Max’s home country of the Netherlands.
Verstappen still dominated overall, clinching the title late in November in Las Vegas, with two races still to come on the F1 calendar.
Rev up your engines and watch some of Max Verstappen’s 2024 highlights.
#8 – Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson
Ok, so maybe this was not the best sports moment of 2024, but definitely one of the most talked about.
The Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson boxing match in November got tons of hype, and for good reason. Paul is the loudmouth brat who has actually become a pretty solid boxer, and Mike Tyson is by many accounts the greatest heavyweight fighter who has ever lived.
Tyson, at age 58, managed to hype the fight as much as Paul. But when fight night arrived, it was clear that nearly retirement-aged fighters don’t have the stamina to hang in the ring with fighters 30 years younger than them.
Jake Paul won by decision, and there was plenty of talk that Tyson deliberately held back to collect some bonus cash. In all, it was unfortunately too on-brand for the sport of celebrity boxing.
Watch the Tyson-Paul fight highlights here.
#7 – Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup
It was the first appearance in a Stanley Cup Finals for Connor McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers’ superstar. He’s a generational talent that brings in fans from everywhere. The Oilers took on the Florida Panthers in a thrilling best-of-7 series that went all the way to the end.
The Panthers looked to be cruising, taking the first 3 games. But Edmonton stormed back with three straight W’s of their own, setting up what is often one of the best championship games in all of sports, a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup.
In the end, the Panthers clawed their way back from what would have been an historic embarrassment – no team has ever lost a Stanley Cup series after being up 3-0.
McDavid and his team will have to wait at least a few more months to get back to the finals.
Watch the Top 10 Goals from the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals.
#6 – Boston Celtics – NBA Champions
The 18th NBA Championship for this storied franchise came kinda easy.
The Boston Celtics won it all in 2024, going 14-2 in the NBA Playoffs and winning a perfect six games on the road.
The beat Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the NBA Finals, and there was little doubt going in who the stronger team was. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the team the whole way, with Brown eventually winning the Finals MVP award.
Their 2024 NBA title capped off an overall record of 80 wins against just 21 losses since the season began, and only 12 other teams in NBA history have had better records.
Grab some NBA Finals highlights from this year’s Celtics run.
#5 – Travis Hunter – Heisman Trophy Winner
As one of the rarest athletes ever in college football, Travis Hunter took home the Heisman Trophy this year.
The Colorado Buffaloes superstar was one the best receivers and cornerbacks in the NCAA in 2024.
In his college career, Hunter is also the first player to ever win the Chuck Bednarik Award (top defensive college player) and the Fred Biletnikoff Award (outstanding college wide receiver).
On the offensive side, it did help to have Shedeur Sanders throwing him the ball, and on defense he might have benefited from a tip or two from his own coach, legendary NFL DB Deion Sanders. But Hunter is a talent that most of us have never seen before.
Have a look at these Travis Hunter highlights to get a look at his phenomenal year.
#4 – Holloway vs Gaethje – UFC 300
Although not officially the Fight of the Year (that went to Zellhuber and Ribovics in UFC 306), the Max Holloway vs Justin Gaethje fight at UFC 300 caught some of the biggest attention of the year for style and grit, for the number of eyeballs on these popular fighters, and for the way it finished. And it was for the BMF belt too.
After a bruising battle, with just 10 seconds left, Holloway gestured to Gaethje to the center of the ring, inviting him to scrap it out to the finish.
Holloway was already on all the judges’ scorecards and didn’t need to ask Gaethje to throw down. But Gaethje did, and the two duked it out until Holloway connected with one second left to KO Gaethje. Fight fans went nuts.You can see the crazy finish to Holloway-Gaethje at UFC 300 here.
#3 – Shohei Ohtani – MLB MVP and a Record Night
In his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani proved he’s the best baseball player in decades – and possibly ever.
Normally a pitcher and outfielder, Ohtani only played DH this season and in the process won the NL MVP award.
But it was the night of September 19th when he set the sports world on fire with an incredible evening.
Ohtani went 6-for-6 with 10 RBIs, 4 runs scored, and 3 home runs. He threw in two stolen bases for good measure.
It was a night that resonated in Major League Baseball and around the sports world as one of the best individual performances by an athlete in any single game.
Watch the highlights of Shohei Ohtani’s historic night.
#2 – Kansas City Chiefs – Super Bowl Repeat
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce came back to this Super Bowl with experience and hunger, beating out the San Francisco 49ers 25-22.
Super Bowl LVIII (that’s 58 for you non-Roman numeral types) was only the second in Super Bowl history to go into overtime.
Mahomes led the team from behind, and even faced an OT deficit before taking them down the field for the winning touchdown and their second straight Lombardi Trophy.
His final stats were epic and secured him the MVP award: 333 yards passing and another 66 rushing.
Re-live the Super Bowl between the Chiefs and 49ers with these top highlights.
#1 – Steph Curry – Paris Olympics
What makes the Olympic Games so special? Two main factors: they only come around once every 4 years; and athletes are playing for their countries, not their contracts or local teams.
So when a superstar player like Steph Curry has one last shot at an Olympic gold medal, and he makes the most of it in the final game, it has to top our list of the best sports moments of 2024. Curry led the USA Men’s Basketball team in scoring throughout the tournament, and he saved his best for last in the gold medal game against France. He scored 24 points on eight 3-pointers, including 4 of them in the final three minutes to clinch the game for the American team.
Check out Steph Curry’s Paris Olympics Gold Medal Game highlights to relive the magic.
