The 25 Biggest Sports Moments of 2025

25.President Trump Announces UFC Event at the White House

Date: October 6

The argument that politics should be kept out of sports was always disingenuous, but at this point—year one of Trump 2.0—a UFC event at the White House should come as no surprise. In honor of the president’s birthday, and as part of the observance of the country’s 250th anniversary celebration, Trump and UFC CEO and president Dana White announced an MMA event scheduled to be held on the White House South Lawn next spring on June 14, 2026.

This is the culmination of Trump and White’s relationship, a mutually beneficial bromance based on sports, spectacle, and power. If the Trump administration could stage a Tesla exhibition at the White House, why wouldn’t it try to pack thousands onto its grounds for an event that guarantees the one thing both Trump and White crave most: attention.—Julian Kimble

24.Coco Gauff Wins the French Open

Date: June 7

Coco Gauff is just 21 years old but she’s already mastered the art of winning ugly. On a blustery afternoon in Paris, Gauff didn’t have her best tennis at hand. She committed eight double faults and sprayed forehands all over the court, yet she managed to defeat top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5) 6-2 6-4 to claim her first French Open title and her second major overall.

How did she do it? Gauff improvised and battled. She utilized her incredible movement to turn each point into a war of attrition. With her shaky forehand misfiring, she started putting a little more air into her shots, forgoing the margins to keep the ball in play. In the end, it frustrated Sabalenka, who, true to form, had trouble controlling both her emotions and her groundstrokes in the windy conditions. Gauff might not be the best player on tour (yet) but on this day she demonstrated that she might already be the shrewdest.—Thomas Golianopoulos

23.Lane Kiffin Leaves Ole Miss For LSU

Date: November 30

The scuttlebutt had swirled for weeks that Ole Miss’ mercurial coach would leave for LSU. Granted, Kiffin had thrown gasoline on those rumors by ignoring a lucrative extension offer on his desk in Oxford and sending his family on a tour of other SEC towns. But up until the time Kiffin coached Ole Miss to an Egg Bowl win at Mississippi State on Black Friday, few knew for sure that he’d be leaving. His tenure ended with middle fingers flying at him at the Oxford airport 48 hours later. If there were ever a coaching saga to lay bare college football’s expensive, transactional new reality in the time of the transfer portal, NIL, and the playoff system, it was this one.—Alex Kirshner

22.Mark Sanchez Assaults Deliveryman

Date: October 4

Former NFL QB and present-day TV analyst Mark Sanchez made headlines this October when a parking spat outside a downtown Indianapolis hotel turned into one of the wildest off-field spirals in recent sports history. According to police, Sanchez—reportedly smelling of alcohol—confronted 69-year-old delivery driver Perry Tole for blocking his car. Things escalated quickly from there. Sanchez climbed into Tole’s box truck, shoved him, and dragged him to the ground. When pepper spray didn’t slow Sanchez down, Tole pulled a knife and stabbed him multiple times in self-defense.

Both men were hospitalized—Sanchez with stab wounds, Tole with a deep facial gash—and Sanchez was arrested on felony battery charges when video and witness accounts emerged. Fox Sports officially cut ties in November, and Tole filed a civil suit claiming permanent disfigurement. Only recently, Sanchez broke his silence with a post on Instagram expressing gratitude for his family, but has not yet addressed the incident.

A parking dispute to a career implosion. Quite the play call from Mr. Butt Fumble.—Brighid Tully

21.Jerry Jones Guests on Michael Irvin’s Podcast

Date: August 22

Cowboys owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones had been down this road countless times before: a heated contract negotiation with a star player, before the sides eventually settled with the player getting most or all of what he wanted. But the dispute between Jones and Parsons seemed unusually personal once Jones said he’d reached a verbal agreement with Parsons and saw no reason to work through his agent, David Mulugheta.

He laid out the details on an episode of Michael Irvin’s podcast, telling the former Cowboy great about his contract negotiations with Mulugheta. “When we wanted to send the details to the agent, the agent told us to stick it up our ass,” Jones said. Indeed, the bridge was burned, and six days later the Cowboys traded the future Hall of Fame edge rusher to the Packers for two first round picks and DT Kenny Clark. At least Jones got a public spectacle.—AK

20.Napheesa Collier Ethers WNBA Commissioner

Date: September 30

If you’ve ever wanted to air out management in broad daylight, Napheesa Collier beat you to it. The Minnesota Lynx forward stepped up to the mic and called WNBA leadership, including commissioner Cathy Engelbert, “the worst leadership in the world.” Periodt.

In a blunt exit interview, Phee laid bare systemic issues within the WNBA: inconsistent officiating, a lack of accountability, and a dismissive attitude from the league toward players' voices. This calculated, courageous moment by one of the league’s top stars marked a turning point: the WNBA—skyrocketing in revenue and popularity—was being challenged to match its business success with structural integrity, respect, and accountability.

The statement triggered a flood of reactions from players publicly backing her, conversations on social media amongst fans (and haters), and a public act of contrition from Engelbert In an era where athletes wield more influence than ever, Collier’s callout should go down not just as a headline, but a catalyst. However, with CBA negotiations ongoing, time will tell if September 30 will force the league to confront whether it truly values its players.—BT

19.Marshawn Kneeland Dies

Date: November 6

Check on your friends. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

These were the messages flooding social media after the death of Marshawn Kneeland this November. Just days after scoring his first NFL touchdown, the second-year Cowboys defensive end became involved in a vehicular pursuit in Frisco, Texas. He crashed his car and fled on foot, and during the search officers were informed that he’d recently expressed suicidal ideation.

Kneeland was later found deceased from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His death stunned the sports world: a young player on the rise, lost to suicide. The tragedy deepened when, days later, his girlfriend shared that the two had been expecting their first child. His loss became a sobering reminder that even the people living out their dreams can be fighting silent battles. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988. You are not alone.—BT

18.Duke’s Epic Final Four Collapse

Date: April 5

In control of a Final Four matchup against Houston—up double digits for good chunks of the game and leading by six with under a minute to play—Duke appeared a lock to play for yet another national championship. Except…no.

Duke biffing it was defined by lesser moments from NBA lottery picks Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel—Knueppel getting swatted at the rim and Flagg missing a short fadeaway that could have been the difference. When a villain, defined by the routine inevitably of success that spans generations, bungles a seemingly surefire opportunity for more success, it’s wise to double check that it happened. (It did.)—Jake Appleman

17.Dillon Danis Brawl at UFC 322

Date: November 15

Moments before the main event of the UFC’s card at Madison Square Garden, a melee erupted at ringside between rival fighter camps that resulted in Dillon Danis’ banishment from all UFC events and outgoing New York City mayor Eric Adams announcing a criminal investigation.

The beef between Danis, a former teammate of Conor McGregor, and UFC champion Islam Makhachev’s team goes back nearly a decade when Danis made disparaging comments prior to McGregor’s 2018 fight with Makhachev’s mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov. Danis never stopped trolling Makhachev though and this summer he posted AI generated content that insulted the fighter’s Muslim faith. The situation then boiled over at the Garden. Clips of the melee flooded social media and the brawl ended up overshadowing Makhachev’s dominant win over welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena.—TG

16.Cleveland Browns Draft Shedeur Sanders

Date: April 26

After watching his draft stock plummet amid doubts about his attitude and ability, once-projected first-rounder Shedeur Sanders finally got the call that stopped the 2025 NFL Draft’s most shocking freefall: the Cleveland Browns selected the former Colorado quarterback in the fifth round with the 144th overall pick. Sanders had streamed much of the three-day wait live via his brother Shiloh’s Twitch, turning his slide into a must-watch internet spectacle.

But the moment didn’t arrive without drama. Earlier in the draft, Sanders picked up a call from someone impersonating Saints GM Mickey Loomis, claiming New Orleans was about to take him. The stunt was later traced to Jax Ulbrich, son of Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.

Since then, Sanders has waited patiently for his chance, working his way from number four on the depth chart to, as of Week 15, being named the Browns’ starting QB for the remainder of the season. Some might just call it perfect timing.—BT

15.The Mavericks Win the Cooper Flagg Lottery

Date: May 12

Had embattled Mavericks GM Nico Harrison been playing three-dimensional chess all along? Probably not, but his universally panned trade of Luka Dončić to the Lakers did pay a major dividend when the Mavericks were just bad enough to get lucky in the lottery a few months later. Despite a 1.8 percent chance, the Mavs stumbled backward into another franchise talent in Flagg, the teenage frontcourt star out of Duke. Harrison, fired early in the next season, would not get to enjoy the fruits of that fortune. But the Flagg lottery transformed the Luka disaster into, well, a slightly smaller disaster. The biggest winner of all? NBA conspiracy theorists, who will (wrongly) believe for decades that the league steered Luka to L.A. and got the balls to bounce right for Dallas to land Flagg.—AK

14.Carlos Alcaraz Wins the French Open

Date: June 8

The 2008 Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is often cited as the greatest tennis match of all time but it will have to make room for this instant classic from the spring. In a five hour and 29 minute epic, Carlos Alcaraz saved three match points against world no. 1 Jannik Sinner to win his second consecutive French Open, 4-6 6-7 (4) 6-4 7-6 (3) 7-6 (2).

Though the duel lacked the historic implications of the Wimbledon final—Nadal ended Federer’s quest for a record sixth consecutive Wimbledon title—it matched it in both drama and quality. This was tennis at its highest level: Sinner hitting deep punishing groundstrokes that painted the lines; Alcaraz dipping into his bag, an endless arsenal of drop shots and impossible angles. In the end, Alcaraz’s best was better than Sinner’s. The real winners however were tennis fans who get to watch these guys do this for the next ten years.—TG

13.LeBron James Confronts Stephen A. Smith

Date: March 6

Stephen A’s criticisms of LeBron and his son Bronny, relating to Bronny’s NBA-readiness, led to a courtside confrontation following the Lakers’ 113-109 win over the Knicks that served to merely escalate their ridiculous feud.

“I don’t like his ass,” Smith said on Carmelo Anthony’s podcast, while LeBron landed this burn about Smith enjoying the attention: “He’s going to grab some fucking ice cream out of the freezer and sit in his chair in his tighty-whities.” In the end, America’s most famous athlete got to do what many American sports fans have always wanted to do: chew out Stephen A. Smith. The rest is enjoyable entertainment or mindless garbage depending on your opinion.—JA

12.PSG Wins Champions League

Date: May 31

Zlatan. Buffon. Neymar. Mbappé. Messi. Since 2011, when Paris Saint-Germain officially transformed into a Qatar-backed super-club, a parade of global icons has called Parc des Princes home. And yet it took a teenage rookie to finally bring the jug-eared Champions League trophy to Paris. Full respect due to Ousmane Dembélé, the Ballon d’Or winner and PSG’s talisman. But it was Désiré Doué who stole the Munich final against Inter Milan. The 19-year-old assisted on the opener, then scored the next two in what ended a 5-0 rout. Désiré—add his name to the list.—Donnie Kwak

11.Game 4 of the National League Championship Series

Date: October 17

Shohei Ohtani’s game for the ages punched the Dodgers’ ticket to the World Series. The eventual NL MVP’s magical night is both about the dominant what (three homers and 10 strikeouts over six scoreless innings pitched) and the jaw-dropping how (mighty blasts deep into the LA night, including a 469-foot moonshot in the fourth inning, and put-away pitches that completely overwhelmed hitters). The Brewers won an MLB-best 97 regular season games in 2025. Their reward was getting swept, on the wrong end of arguably the best two-way performance in modern sports history courtesy of a guy who is in a league of his own.—JA

10.Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez

Date: September 13

It was never as close as the scorecards made it seem. With over 70,000 people in attendance at Allegiant Stadium and more than 41 million streaming on Netflix, Terence Crawford easily defeated Canelo Alvarez by unanimous decision in a historic fight. In addition to the viewership records, which are part of boxing’s new streaming era, Bud Crawford won the undisputed super middleweight title, making him the first male boxer of the four-belt age to become the undisputed champion in three different weight classes. It may not have surpassed the audience Mike Tyson and Jake Paul drew in November 2024, but the gravitas and Crawford’s performance made it more of a capital-E Event for men’s boxing in all the best ways.—JK

9.John Cena Turns Heel

Date: March 1

John Cena’s retirement tour was supposed to be a year-long celebration of pro wrestling’s quintessential good guy. But after years of championing hustle, loyalty, and respect, Cena’s farewell featured a shocking deviation, resulting in a huge viral moment. Following his win at Elimination Chamber, Cena stunned the WWE Universe by turning heel for the first time in over 20 years, attacking Cody Rhodes at the Rock’s urging while Rock and Travis Scott looked on. In the end, Cena’s heel turn was rushed and ultimately not well-received by fans, but it provided a short-lived surprise before Cena, now a legitimate movie and television star, hung up his jorts.—JK

8.Pablo Torre Breaks the Kawhi Leonard Scandal

Date: September 3

Since its 2023 premiere, Pablo Torre Finds Out has endeavored to marry the investigative journalism world in which Torre cut his teeth with an oversaturated medium in the most effective way possible. For most of the year, the show was best known for its continuous coverage of Bill Belichick’s relationship with his 24-year-old girlfriend. That was until the first week of September, when Torre reported that in 2022, the since-failed environmental fintech company Aspiration allegedly signed Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard to a dubious $28 million endorsement deal which may have been a means to compensate Leonard outside of the NBA’s salary cap.

Before the start of training camp, the post-Donald Sterling Clippers were at the center of a new scandal in a year marked by scandals and questions of ethics in pro sports. And, mind you, this was before the Clippers sputtered out of the gate to begin the new season and abruptly discarded a retiring Chris Paul in the middle of the night.—JK

7.Game 7 of the NBA Finals

Date: June 22

The first NBA Finals Game 7 in almost a decade may always be known as much for Tyrese Haliburton’s Achilles injury as the Thunder’s first championship. The Pacers hung tough in the first half after Haliburton went down; a dominant OKC third quarter set the champs on their way. For OKC—and General Manager Sam Presti’s endless stream of young talent and incoming assets—Haliburton’s injury might have signaled the beginning of a dynasty. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and crew jumped out to a 24-1 start while defending the crown almost as if to prove the first one wasn’t tainted.—JA

6.Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals

Date: May 21

Generational pettiness is alive and well, y’all.

Madison Square Garden has seen its fair share of heartbreak, but this May, Tyrese Haliburton authored a fresh chapter. With the Pacers and Knicks trading haymakers in a wild Game 1, Haliburton forced OT with a cold-blooded buzzer-beater—then doubled down with the ultimate troll. As the stunned MSG crowd fell silent, he hit Reggie Miller’s infamous choke gesture, a move forever burned into Indiana–New York lore (and Spike Lee’s psyche). And he did it in the same building where Miller made it iconic.

The Pacers rode that momentum to an overtime win, stealing home-court advantage and lighting up their fanbase. They went on to beat the Knicks in six and advance to the NBA Finals, where Haliburton’s run ended in brutal fashion: an Achilles tear in Game 7 against the Thunder.—BT

5.Hulk Hogan Dies

Date: July 21

Hulk Hogan’s death at 71 following a heart attack at his Clearwater, Florida home triggered the predictable takepocalypse that erupts whenever a celebrity’s legacy is considered “complicated.” Hogan rocketed to fame during the 1980s as a musclebound, shirt-ripping symbol of Reagan-era America and played the biggest role (handlebar ‘stache and all) in ushering pro wrestling into the mainstream. About a decade later, he helped propel another boom period as leader of the New World Order.

Outside of the ring, Hogan appeared in Rocky III, headlined family comedies, and was part of VH1’s Celebreality prime. His sex tape inadvertently exposed his racism; his lawsuit following its publication ultimately buried Gawker. He campaigned for Donald Trump in 2024 and was vociferously booed at his final WWE event earlier this year.

All in all, Hogan’s death prompted a look back at the evolution of celebrity over the past four decades: the good, the bad, and the ridiculousness that helped it stick. That was the full Hulkamania experience, brother.—JK

4.Super Bowl LIX

Date: February 9

With America on the precipice of witnessing the first ever SuperBowl three-peat (and, really, just too much Chiefs), the Eagles and their dominant defense stepped up, sacking Patrick Mahomes six times. What was supposed to be a close game ended 40-22, a blowout pretty much the whole way. Special shout out to Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift for continuing their relationship after a big loss—sometimes life isn’t perfect—and to Kendrick Lamar, whose halftime performance guaranteed that the only guy who had a worse night than the Chiefs was Drake.—JA

3.Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier Arrested

Date: October 23

Every sports league’s nightmare is gambling interests compromising a game, opening up a Pandora’s box of liability and mistrust. The NBA’s came true when federal agents indicted Blazers head coach Billups and journeyman guard Rozier on a litany of gambling offenses. Some were related to illegal poker games, but more troubling for the NBA were the Justice Department’s allegations that gamblers worked with NBA personnel (including Rozier and an unnamed person who matched Billups’ description) to rig prop bets. Both men’s criminal cases are pending. On the one hand, the NBA continues to promote gambling products and apps. On the other hand, players and coaches know exactly what they’re not allowed to do.—AK

2.Game 7 of the World Series

Date: November 1

The best baseball game of the 21st century? Probably so. When Bo Bichette hit a three-run homer off Shohei Ohtani to open the scoring in the third inning, it looked like the Blue Jays would end the Dodgers’ reign. The champs, though, proved hard to kill. L.A. battled back, and light-hitting utilityman Miguel Rojas tied the game with a solo shot off Jeff Hoffman in the top of the ninth. Toronto had every chance to win anyway, loading the bases with one out in the inning’s bottom half before Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s iffy baserunning got him called out at home. The Dodgers finally went ahead on a Will Smith dinger in the 11th. As Fox broadcaster Joe Davis said when Mookie Betts ended the game with an unassisted double play, “To beat the champ, you’ve gotta knock ‘em out!”—AK

1.The Luka Dončić Trade

Date: February 1

On February 1, 2008, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the rights to Marc Gasol, and two first round picks, in one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history. The Lakers went on to win back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010, while the Grizzlies got the full Kwame Brown Experience. Seventeen years to the day of the Gasol trade, the league’s most charmed franchise did it again.

In one of the most shocking moments in sports history, the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Dončić—a 25-year-old five-time All-NBA first team selection who, eight months earlier had led the Mavs to the NBA Finals—to the Lakers for the oft-injured Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first round pick. No swaps. No future considerations. None of that stuff. How could it be? Shams had to assure readers that he hadn’t been hacked. The discourse was frenzied. The takes flew fast and furious. The consensus was unanimous: The Mavericks got fleeced. Trading Luka was one thing. Trading Luka for that return at a time when Mikel Bridges fetched five firsts for the Brooklyn Nets was malpractice, a fireable offense, and, surely, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison would soon meet that fate.

The Dončić trade was a seismic event that shifted the balance of power in the NBA. The Mavericks fan base revolted and the team has sputtered since the deal went down. The Lakers reloaded around a generational talent entering his prime just as age started to catch up with the ageless LeBron James. The fallout will be felt for the next decade. And that’s why it’s the biggest sports moment of 2025.—TG