47 Energetic Facts About Your Favorite Athletes You’ll Find Hard To Believe

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26Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille O'Neal

In his entire 19 year career, NBA player Shaquille O’Neal only made 1 three-point shot, out of 22 attempts.


27. Out of the top 30 100m sprint times, only 9 were run by athletes not associated with doping, all 9 are by Usain Bolt (as of January 2020).


28. When the Edmonton Oilers traded Wayne Gretzky to the LA Kings, the Canadian government stepped in and wanted to block the trade.


29. After Nike released Air Jordan sneakers in 1985, the NBA banned Michael Jordan from wearing them because its colors didn’t match his team’s uniform. Nike supposedly paid the fine of $5000 the NBA charged Jordan each game so he would continue wearing them.


30. Tom Brady's wife Gisele Bundchen, has earned more money in modeling and business than he has in the NFL at near $300 million next to his $120 million. She has also made more money than just about every other Pro-Athlete in History.


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31Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan

The night before the Olympic final, Michael Jordan apparently spent the night drinking and gambling all night, then he went on a long day of press appearances, plus 18 holes of golf in Barcelona before he went on to lead Team USA in a gold-medal-winning victory over Croatia.


32. In 1990 Muhammad Ali went to Iraq to meet with Saddam Hussein about releasing 15 American civilians being held in Iraq by Hussein against their will. After meeting with Hussein, Ali got all 15 American prisoners released and they returned to America 3 days later.


33. Elite athletes sleep longer than average humans. Roger Federer sleeps 12 hours a day. Usain Bolt 9-10 hours a day. Le Bron James also sleeps 12 hours. For a long time, while he was struggling with his form, Tiger Woods had a sleep disorder.


34. American basketball player Wilt Chamberlain once challenged Muhammad Ali to a boxing match. Wilt was a foot taller, 60 pounds heavier, and had a 92-inch reach. During a joint press conference, Ali answered every question with “Timberrrrr!” After breaking to meet with his lawyers, Wilt returned and called the fight off.


35. Bo Jackson was drafted in the first round of the 1986 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he refused to sign because he believed that they tried to sabotage his baseball career by purposefully making him ineligible for his senior season.


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36Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan took home economics in high school to learn to cook because he was worried his big ears would make it hard to find a woman who would want to marry him.


37. Snoop Dogg and David Beckham are such good friends that Snoop sends Beckham his new music before it’s officially released.


38. Cristiano Ronaldo refuses to get any tattoos on his body just so he can continue on donating blood.


39. After Usain Bolt broke the 100 m world record at the 2009 Berlin World Championships, the mayor of Berlin awarded him a 12 foot long, 6000-pound piece of the Berlin Wall. Bolt accepted and it is now housed at the Jamaica Military Museum.


40. The most recent of Wayne Gretzky’s 60 NHL records was set sometime after his 1999 retirement. His points-per-game average of 1.921 was second only to Mario Lemieux (2.005), who later came out of retirement and lowered his own average, moving Gretzky to the number 1 spot.


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41Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan once tipped a waitress a $5 chip for bringing him a drink. Wayne Gretzky stopped the waitress, removed the $5 chip, grabbed one of the many $100 chips on Jordan’s side of the table, and gave it to her. Then he said, “That’s how we tip in Las Vegas, Michael.”


42. American professional golfer Phil Mickelson is actually right-handed in everything he does. He only golfs as a lefty because he would mirror his dad’s swing as a child.


43. As a child, Muhammad Ali was refused an autograph from his boxing idol Sugar Ray Robinson. When Ali became a prized fighter he vowed to never deny an autograph request, which he honored throughout his entire career. He even had a special P.O. box for anyone who wanted his autograph.


44. If Wayne Gretzky had never taken a single shot in his career, he would still be the all-time points leader. In other words, he had more assists than anybody has ever had goals and assists.


45. Manny Pacquiao became World Boxing Champion in 1998. Over 20 years later he is still World Boxing Champion with his latest victory being over an undefeated Keith Thurman who was 10 years younger (as of December 2019).


46Pelé

Pelé

Pelé was declared a national treasure by the Brazilian President after the 1962 World cup, to prevent him from transferring to foreign clubs.


47. When Lewis Hamilton was nine years old, the UK bookmaker Ladbrokes took a bet that he would win the World Drivers’ Championship before turning 25. Ladbrokes calculated the odds at 150/1. After Hamilton did so, the bettor received £150,000.

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