PEOPLE KNOWN FOR: basketball

141 Biographies
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LeBron James
American basketball player
LeBron James is an American professional basketball player who is widely considered one of the greatest all-around players of all time and who won National Basketball Association (NBA) championships with...
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, wearing jersey number 1, celebrates under the basket during an NBA playoff game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
French basketball player
Victor Wembanyama is a French professional basketball center who, since being selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the first pick of the 2023 NBA draft, has established himself as the most dominant young...
A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces drives toward the basket while guarded by Robyn Parks of the Chicago Sky during a WNBA playoff game at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
American basketball player
A’ja Wilson is a star center for the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA. Wilson was named the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) a record-setting five times (2020, 2022, 2024–26). She also is a three-time Defensive...
Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers prepares to shoot a free throw during a basketball game, wearing a white jersey with the number 2.
American basketball player
Kawhi Leonard is an American professional basketball player noted for his prowess on the defensive and offensive sides of the ball whose status as one of the NBA’s best wing players has been hampered by...
Chris Paul
American basketball player
Chris Paul is an American former professional basketball player who was one of the premier stars of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the early 21st century. Paul’s career single-handedly gave...
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder dribbles a basketball on court during a game, wearing a blue Thunder jersey with number 2.
Canadian basketball player
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a Canadian basketball player who is one of the NBA’s leading scorers and among the most offensively skilled players in league history. Gilgeous-Alexander, a guard, is known for...
Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets, wearing jersey number 0, dribbles a basketball down the court during a game, with spectators visible in the background.
American basketball player
Russell Westbrook is an American former professional basketball player known for his obsessive work ethic and ferocious competitive intensity on the court. In 2016–17 Westbrook became the second player...
Kevin Durant
American basketball player
Kevin Durant is an American professional basketball player who won the 2013–14 National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player (MVP) award and established himself as one of the best players...
Jayson Tatum
American basketball player
Jayson Tatum is a standout forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Selected by the team as the third pick in the 2017 NBA draft, Tatum is a gifted all-around player...
Bill Russell
American basketball player
Bill Russell was an American basketball player who was the first outstanding defensive centre in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and one of the sport’s greatest icons. He won 11...
Brittney Griner
American basketball player
Brittney Griner is an American basketball player who is one of the game’s leading centers, especially known for her play with the Phoenix Mercury, which she helped win a WNBA championship (2014). In addition,...
Champion coach
American basketball coach and former player
Dawn Staley is an American basketball coach who has led the University of South Carolina women’s team since 2008. Under Staley, the team has won three national championship titles (2017, 2022, and 2024)....
Kyrie Irving
American basketball player
Kyrie Irving is a professional basketball player who, with LeBron James, led the Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA championship in 2016. Irving is known for his exceptional ball-handling skills, elite isolation...
Paul George
American basketball player
Paul George is an American basketball player known for his graceful athleticism and versatility as a top scorer and premier defender for several teams in the NBA. A 6-foot 8-inch (2.03-meter) forward,...
Jalen Williams, wearing number 8 for the Oklahoma City Thunder, celebrates on the basketball court during a game, with cheering fans in the background.
American basketball player
Jalen Williams is an American professional basketball player who was a key contributor to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2025 NBA championship with his outstanding performance in the NBA Finals against the...
Greatest of all time?
American basketball player
Widely recognized as one of the greatest women’s basketball players of all time, Sue Bird is the only player to win a WNBA championship in three different decades. One of the most decorated basketball...
Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers attempts a layup as two Golden State Warriors players watch under the basket during a game at Oracle Arena.
American basketball player
Damian Lillard is a dynamic point guard who is one of the most prolific scorers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After a stellar collegiate career at Weber State University, Lillard was selected...
Doc Rivers
American basketball player and coach
Doc Rivers is an American professional basketball player and coach who, as head coach of the Boston Celtics, led the team to a National Basketball Association (NBA) championship in 2008. Rivers first emerged...
Joel Embiid
Cameroonian basketball player
Joel Embiid is a dominating center for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), known for his scoring, ballhandling, and defensive play. The Cameroonian-born Embiid is the first...
Sabrina Ionescu
American basketball player
Sabrina Ionescu is an American professional basketball player who is a standout guard, known for her all-around play. Ionescu first gained widespread recognition during her record-breaking career at the...
Spencer Haywood smiles while holding up a basketball jersey with his name and the number 15 during the Basketball Hall of Fame 2014 class announcement event.
American basketball player
Spencer Haywood is an American professional basketball player whose lawsuit forced the National Basketball Association (NBA) to end its requirement that a player be out of high school for four years to...
Stephen Curry
American basketball player
Stephen Curry is an American professional basketball player who led the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) to championships in 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, and 2021–22 and...
Dylan Alcott
Australian basketball and tennis player
Dylan Alcott is an athlete who successfully competed in several Paralympic Games in the early 21st century in both basketball and tennis. The Paralympics, which are comparable to the Olympic Games, are...
James Harden
American basketball player
James Harden is one of the best shooting guards in the history of the NBA, whose skill making three-point shots helped bring about a revolution in the way basketball is played. In addition to winning three...
Anthony Davis
American basketball player
Anthony Davis is one of the most dominant big men in the National Basketball Association (NBA), noted for both his stifling defense and prolific scoring. After winning an NCAA championship with the University...
Jalen Brunson
American basketball player
Jalen Brunson is a star point guard for the New York Knicks of the NBA who is known for his strength and speed. Brunson played college basketball at Villanova, where he helped win NCAA national championships...
Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls, wearing jersey number 23, jumps to dunk a basketball during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks in a crowded arena.
American basketball player
Michael Jordan is an American former collegiate and professional basketball player widely considered to be one of the greatest all-around players in the history of the game. Jordan’s unmatched athleticism...
Jimmy Butler
American basketball player
Jimmy Butler is an American professional basketball player known for his hard-nosed intensity and standout performances in postseason games. He led the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association...
Perry Wallace dribbling basketball in black Vanderbilt uniform
American basketball player and lawyer
Perry Wallace was a trailblazer in college basketball who became the first Black varsity basketball player in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). On December 2, 1967, he played his inaugural varsity game...
Ja Morant
American basketball player
Ja Morant is an American basketball player who was one of the NBA’s leading point guards in the early 2020s. Morant was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft....
University of Kentucky basketball head coach John Calipari stands on a ladder waving, holding part of the basketball net after cutting it down beneath the hoop.
American basketball coach
John Calipari is one of the most successful coaches in American college basketball with more than 850 victories. In 2012 Calipari, who was named Naismith Coach of the Year three times (1996, 2008, and...
Steve Nash
Canadian basketball player
Steve Nash is a South African-born Canadian basketball player who is considered to be one of the greatest point guards in National Basketball Association (NBA) history. For three seasons (2004–05 to 2006–07),...
Gregg Popovich
American basketball coach
Gregg Popovich is an American basketball coach who led the San Antonio Spurs to National Basketball Association (NBA) championships in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014. He holds the NBA record for regular-season...
Tyrese Haliburton
American basketball player
Tyrese Haliburton is an American basketball player who in 2025 led the Indiana Pacers to the NBA Finals, where the team lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder. A 6-foot 5-inch (1.96-meter) point guard, he is...
Derrick Rose, wearing a light blue Memphis Grizzlies jersey with number 23, dribbles a basketball during a game, with spectators visible in the background.
American basketball player
Derrick Rose is a former professional basketball player who in 2011 became, at age 22, the youngest player to be named the Most Valuable Player in the history of the NBA. A 6-foot 3-inch (1.9-meter) point...
Kobe Bryant
American basketball player
Kobe Bryant was an American professional basketball player, who helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) to five championships (2000–02 and 2009–10). Bryant’s father,...
Steve Kerr
American basketball player and coach
Steve Kerr is an American basketball player and coach who was a prominent guard in the NBA, winning championships with the Chicago Bulls (1996–98) and San Antonio Spurs (1999 and 2003). As a coach, he...
A star on and off the court
American basketball player
Caitlin Clark is one of the greatest players in the history of women’s college basketball, especially known for her scoring. As a guard for the University of Iowa in 2024, Clark became the all-time leading...
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Greek basketball player
Giannis Antetokounmpo is a Greek professional basketball player who led the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA to a championship in 2021, the franchise’s first title in 50 years. Antetokounmpo is a long-limbed...
Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the basketball while guarded by an Indiana Pacers player during an NBA game, with a crowd watching from the stands.
Australian basketball player
Ben Simmons is an Australian professional basketball player known for his versatility, being capable of playing multiple positions and praised for both his defensive skills and playmaking ability on offense....
Jimmer Fredette
American basketball player
Jimmer Fredette is a former American basketball player who was a scoring sensation at Brigham Young University (BYU) and went on to play six seasons in the NBA. He experienced a career resurgence after...
Larry Brown
American basketball player and coach
Larry Brown is an American basketball player and coach, the first coach to win both a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men’s national championship and a National Basketball Association...
Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant
American basketball player
Carmelo Anthony is a former professional basketball player who was one of the most prolific scorers in National Basketball Association (NBA) history. Anthony is also noted for winning a National Collegiate...
Three-time MVP
Serbian basketball player
Nikola Jokić is a Serbian professional basketball player who is one of the most versatile talents of his generation. Widely considered the best-passing center in the sport’s history, Jokić won three National...
Candace Parker of the Las Vegas Aces, wearing jersey number 3, prepares to shoot a free throw during a WNBA game.
American basketball player
Candace Parker is a former professional basketball player who was one of the superstars of the WNBA in the early 21st century. In 2008 the 6-foot 4-inch (1.93-metre) forward-center was named league Most...
Zion Williamson
American basketball player
Zion Williamson is a power forward for the New Orleans Pelicans and one of the most explosive players in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Since his high-school days, Williamson has impressed...
Grant Hill
American basketball player
Grant Hill is a former professional basketball player who played the position of forward for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was a member of the second “Dream Team,”...
Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets dribbles a basketball on court during a game against the Charlotte Bobcats, wearing a navy blue uniform with number 5.
American basketball player and coach
Jason Kidd is a professional basketball coach and a former player who is considered one of the greatest point guards in National Basketball Association (NBA) history. His ability to see the floor and pull...
Dwyane Wade wearing a black turtleneck and blazer, posing at Disney's Strange World premiere with a colorful backdrop behind him.
American basketball player
Dwyane Wade is an American professional basketball player who was one of the best players of his era and who won three National Basketball Association (NBA) championships (2006, 2012, and 2013) as a member...
Rodman, Dennis
American basketball player
Dennis Rodman is an American professional basketball player who was one of the most skilled rebounders, best defenders, and most outrageous characters in the history of the professional game. He was a...