These are the sports moments that have shaped the century...so far. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the greatest, most impactful, and most memorable sports moments from each year since the 21st century began.
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00:00 "The NBA's all-time scoring record now belongs to LeBron James!"
00:07 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the greatest,
00:11 most impactful, and most memorable sports moments from each year since the 21st century began.
00:17 "And in 2022, the world champions are Argentina!"
00:25 2000. Four-Time Champ. There's a reason they called him the real deal.
00:30 Evander Holyfield is one of the best heavyweights to ever lace up the gloves. After all, he never
00:36 lost to Mike Tyson and had a legendary rivalry with Lennox Lewis. In 2000, Holyfield faced
00:42 John Ruiz for the vacant WBA Heavyweight Championship. After 12 rounds, the judges
00:47 deemed Holyfield the winner by a score of 114 to 113. "And now the four-time heavyweight champion
00:55 of the world, Evander 'The Real Deal' Holyfield!" The decision was controversial and sparked two
01:05 rematches. But it couldn't change the historic moment, because the victory meant Holyfield
01:10 became the first-ever four-time world heavyweight champion. "Absolutely ridiculous. What a stinker
01:16 of a decision." 2001. The Legend Returns. In 1999, Michael Jordan retired from professional
01:23 basketball for the second time. Many thought it would stick, and he himself claimed that he was
01:28 quote "99.9% certain" that he was done playing in the NBA. "And the game will continue on.
01:34 Once again, I've had a great time." Jordan soon became a part owner and president of basketball
01:41 operations for the Washington Wizards. But in September 2001, he announced his NBA comeback,
01:47 saying that he would donate his player salary to September 11th relief efforts.
01:51 The Wizards sold out every home game when Jordan was there.
01:54 Even though he suffered some injuries and was not in his prime, he still regularly led the team in
02:03 scoring. He would eventually retire for the third and final time in 2003. 2002. Super Underdogs.
02:11 Before they began their two-decade run as a dominant franchise, the New England Patriots
02:21 had all the odds against them. They faced the heavily favored St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl 36.
02:28 St. Louis put points on the board early with a field goal in the first quarter,
02:32 but then let the Patriots score 17 unanswered before the fourth. The Rams scored two touchdowns
02:37 and tied the game with a minute and a half left. With no timeouts, New England tried for a game
02:43 winning drive. Tom Brady spiked the ball with seconds left on the clock, and Adam Vinatieri
02:48 made a 48-yard field goal to win. "Set to go, snap ball down, kick up, kick is on the way, and it is...
02:56 It's good! It's good! It's good!" The Brady-Belichick dynasty would go on to earn New England five more
03:06 Super Bowls. 2003. Skating Superior. "And this young woman has more heart, more resilience,
03:14 and has touched more people than any other skater in the world." Not many American women have
03:20 excelled in the figure skating rink like Michelle Kwan. A two-time Olympic medalist and nine-time
03:26 U.S. champion, Kwan was praised for being both consistent and artistic. In 2003, her powerhouse
03:32 status was confirmed on her own turf at the World Figure Skating Championships in Washington, D.C.
03:37 "Look at this face! I love it, I love it!" "She is loving what she's doing right now."
03:46 Kwan won her fifth and last world title at the competition, becoming the first woman in 43 years
03:52 to win that many times. She claimed her first world's victory in 1996 and would continue to
03:58 compete at the competition through 2005. "Two perfect 6.0s, she now has six in her career at
04:05 the World Championship. Look at that! Because she did well, that's what counts, not winning,
04:10 it's doing well." 2004. Breaking the Curse. For 86 long years, the Boston Red Sox were plagued by
04:18 the curse of the Bambino. It all started in 1920 when the team sold the legendary Babe Ruth,
04:24 aka the Bambino, to the New York Yankees. After that, the Red Sox didn't win a championship.
04:31 Some people thought they never would. However, that changed in 2004. Boston took on the Yankees
04:37 in the American League Championship Series. It didn't start well, and the team fell down
04:42 3-0. But they won four straight to reach the World Series. Riding high off the thrilling
04:57 comeback, Boston swept the St. Louis Cardinals and won the championship, finally breaking that curse.
05:09 2005. The Final Comeback. In 2005, Italy's AC Milan had one of the most exciting football
05:16 sides in the world, with players like Clarence Seedorf, Andrei Shevchenko, Andrea Pirlo,
05:22 and Kaká. All eyes were on them in the Champions League final in Istanbul against England's
05:27 Liverpool. Milan came out dominant, ending the first half up 3-0. Yet in the second half,
05:34 the revitalized Scousers fought back and leveled the score. Normal time ended in a draw,
05:39 and neither team could find the back of the net during extra time. The game would be decided by
05:44 penalties. Liverpool triumphed and provided one of the best football comebacks in history,
05:50 now known as the Miracle of Istanbul. 2006. Forever Federer. When we talk
06:04 about the greatest tennis players of all time, Switzerland's Roger Federer is in the conversation.
06:09 His run in 2006 is a big reason why. The tennis star won 12 singles titles that year,
06:29 including three Grand Slams. He took on Marcos Bagdades at the Australian Open Final and claimed
06:35 victory over Andy Roddick at the US Open. He came up short in France against Rafael Nadal,
06:40 but later beat him to win at Wimbledon. Many point to the French Open as the birthplace of
06:45 the iconic rivalry between Federer and Nadal, which continued for many years of enthralling tennis.
06:50 2007. Geelong the Greats. In 2007, club side Geelong rose from the ashes to become a big
06:58 player in the Australian Football League. The last time they had won the AFL Grand Final,
07:03 which determines the premiership, had been in 1963 when it was known as the Victorian
07:08 Football League. Taking on Port Adelaide, they were hoping to end a 44-year drought.
07:14 Straight from the start, the Cats tore into the power, maintaining their dominance as the game
07:19 continued. By the end, Geelong had scored 24-19-163 to Adelaide's 6-8-44. The margin of 119
07:34 broke the previous Grand Final record of 96, set in 1988.
07:49 2008. The Helmet Catch. The undefeated New England Patriots were the overwhelming
08:02 favorites to win Super Bowl XLII in 2008. And with around two minutes left in the game,
08:07 they were leading the New York Giants 14-10 and getting ready to lift their fourth trophy
08:11 since 2001. But the Giants weren't done yet. On third down and five, quarterback Eli Manning
08:17 launched a long pass to wide receiver David Tyree. In a
08:32 move that would become known as the Helmet Catch, Tyree grabbed the ball and creatively
08:36 used his headgear to stop it from escaping his grasp. The 32-yard play boosted the Giants to
08:42 a championship-winning touchdown scored by Plaxico Burress.
08:45 2009. The Return of Mayweather. One of the greatest boxers of all time, Floyd Mayweather
08:58 Jr. had been retired for 21 months when he announced he would return to the ring.
09:02 He was coaxed back by the prospect of facing Juan Manuel Marquez. Although there was a delay due
09:14 to a Mayweather injury, fans were excited to witness the icon's return. In a hard-fought
09:19 battle watched by a pay-per-view audience of over one million households, Mayweather triumphed. The
09:25 boxer used his unprecedented speed and won a unanimous decision after 12 rounds. It'd take
09:39 three retirements for it to stick, but Mayweather finished his professional boxing career with a
09:44 stunning 50 wins and no losses. 2010. Olympic Golden Goal. Canada's rivalry with the United
10:02 States might be at its fiercest in hockey. At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver,
10:07 the two men's teams faced off in a rematch of their 2002 clash, which Canada had won.
10:12 Team Canada built a 2-0 lead before the United States came back to life,
10:16 eventually making it a tie game with 25 seconds left and sending the bout into sudden death
10:20 overtime. Around seven minutes into OT, Sidney Crosby, also known as Sid the Kid,
10:26 received the puck from Jerome Aguinla and scored the game-winning Golden Goal.
10:41 2011. The World Series Comeback. Sometimes in team sports, it takes only one athlete to impact
10:48 the result in a big way. In 2011, the St. Louis Cardinals faced the Texas Rangers in the World
10:53 Series. At the bottom of the ninth in Game 6, it was Texas' championship to win. They were up 7-5
11:00 and just needed to get David Freese. Instead, Freese hit a triple. The game went into the
11:06 10th inning, and the Rangers were able to pull ahead, only for the Cardinals to level it again.
11:11 In the 11th inning, Freese stepped up once more. He hit a home run, tying the series and forcing
11:16 a World Series Game 7 for the first time since 2002. The Cardinals would go on to win the trophy.
11:33 2012. Perfect Phelps. Getting one Olympic medal is a massive achievement,
11:39 but Michael Phelps is on another level. The iconic American swimmer competed in eight events at the
11:44 Summer Olympics in London. After four events in the game, Phelps had claimed three medals and
11:49 had made Olympic history. When he won gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay, he became the most
11:56 decorated Olympian of all time with 19 medals. He passed Soviet Union gymnast Larisa Latynina,
12:02 who won 18 medals, nine of them gold, between 1956 and 1964. By the time he hung up his goggles in
12:18 2016, the swimmer had won 28 medals, 23 of which were gold.
12:24 2013. Turning up the heat. By 2013, Ray Allen was in the twilight of his professional basketball
12:31 career, playing for the Miami Heat after leaving the Boston Celtics. The NBA Finals saw the Big
12:36 Three era Heat trying to defend their championship title against the San Antonio Spurs. Coming into
12:41 Game 6, the Spurs were leading the series 3-2. At the end of the fourth, a San Antonio Championship
12:48 seemed likely, but then Allen hit a three with just 5.2 seconds left on the clock, tying the score.
12:59 The bucket sent the game to overtime and breathed life into the Heat's hopes at
13:03 back-to-back titles. Miami won, forced a Game 7, and came away with the championship.
13:09 2014. Down to the wire. After winning his first Formula One World Drivers Championship in 2008,
13:23 Lewis Hamilton went through a dry patch. But in 2014, that all changed. Locked in a season-long
13:29 battle with his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, Hamilton came into the final race, the Abu Dhabi
13:34 Grand Prix, with a 17-point advantage. The outcome of the race would decide the championship.
13:40 On lap 23, Rosberg began facing issues with his vehicle, eventually being told his ERS had failed.
13:47 Hamilton ended up finishing first, winning the championship.
13:56 He would go on to be one of the most dominant F1 drivers of his time,
14:00 meeting the record seven championships in 2020.
14:03 2015. Beating the best. Ronda Rousey was one of the biggest names in UFC at one point,
14:10 with many of her fights regarded as must-sees for fans. She was a dominant fighter known for
14:16 obliterating any challenger, and was also the inaugural UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion.
14:21 Set to defend her title against Holly Holm at UFC 193, everyone expected Rousey to add another
14:27 notch to her belt. Instead, Holm used her boxing experience to batter Rousey early into the bout.
14:33 By the second round, Holm was in control. She delivered a kick to Rousey's neck,
14:38 knocking her out and crowning a new champ in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
14:51 2016. The long wait.
14:53 In 1908, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series, but it would be over a century before they were
15:10 champions again. Things got worse after 1945's infamous Curse of the Billy Goat, when a tavern
15:16 owner allegedly cursed the team after his pet goat was forced to leave Wrigley Field. In 2016,
15:22 the Cubs took on the Cleveland Indians in the World Series. The Cubs came back from a 3-1
15:27 deficit in the series to force a seventh game. The 108-year-long wait was over as they defeated
15:33 the Indians 8-7. The Cubs were the only team to win the World Series, and the Cubs were the only
15:37 team to win the World Series. In 2016, the Cubs were the only team to win the World Series.
15:48 2016 was a big year for dramatic comebacks. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were
15:54 down 3-1 against the Golden State Warriors to claim the NBA title.
15:57 2017. The Super Super Bowl.
16:01 It takes a special game to beat or match over 30 NFL records, but that's what happened at
16:06 Super Bowl 51 in 2017. The Atlanta Falcons were out to a decisive lead against the New England
16:12 Patriots. By the third quarter, the Falcons were ahead 28-3, but then the Patriots woke up. With
16:19 58 seconds left in the fourth, the Patriots scored and completed a two-point conversion to tie the
16:24 game. For the first time since 1958, the NFL championship was decided in overtime.
16:36 James White scored the winning touchdown, completing the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history.
16:41 2018. The final trophy.
16:57 The legendary Russian left winger Alexander Ovechkin had done it all on the rink. But in
17:02 2018, one major trophy still eluded Ovi - the Stanley Cup. The last time the Washington Capitals
17:09 had reached the finals was in 1998, years before Ovechkin joined. They had never won.
17:15 All that stood in the Caps' way were the Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas took the first game,
17:20 but something stirred in the Capitals, and they secured a 3-2 win in Game 2.
17:25 They continued the momentum and claimed the Cup in a five-game series.
17:29 It was a historic win for the franchise, as well as its venerated star.
17:40 2019. The Masters back.
17:43 By 2019, golf icon Tiger Woods was in something of a rut professionally.
17:49 Years of injuries and problems off the green meant he hadn't won a major championship since
17:54 the U.S. Open in 2008. Before the final round of the Masters tournament, Francesco Molinari was
18:00 leading the table. But he began to fall down the standings, allowing Woods to rise. Entering hole
18:06 15, he was tied for first with four other players. Through the final stretch, he moved ahead and
18:12 claimed the victory. The joy and relief on his face after realizing he had won was a heartwarming
18:18 moment in sports history. 2020. The Fantastic Fielder.
18:29 In a year of several canceled sporting events due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
18:34 cricketer Nicholas Poran stole the show in a dramatic moment. The stage was set as Kings XI,
18:39 now known as the Punjab Kings, faced off against the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.
18:44 Poran was fielding when batter Sanju Samson hit the ball beautifully. It soared high and far,
18:50 looking likely to secure the Royals' six runs. But Poran wasn't going to allow that. Like Superman,
18:56 he dove over the boundary, caught the ball in the air, and threw it into play behind his back.
19:01 The save looks even more extraordinary in slow-mo.
19:11 2021. Sharing the Title. After the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the 2020 Summer Olympics,
19:17 the event was put on in Tokyo in 2021. Among many impressive athletic feats,
19:23 there was one moment that really captured the hearts of the audience. In the men's high jump,
19:28 cutters Mu'taz Aisabh Barsham and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi were tied for first place,
19:33 with neither able to clear the Olympic record height of 2.39 meters. The two could have done
19:38 a jump-off for the win. However, the competitors are friends off the track.
19:42 Barsham asked if they could share first place, and the judges agreed.
19:46 The two embraced and took the top podium together.
19:56 2022. Magnificent Messi. Between football fans, the debate about who is the best modern-day
20:03 footballer, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, has raged for several years. Before 2022,
20:10 neither had ever hoisted the World Cup trophy. When Argentina came away from the tournament with
20:14 the win, it only added to Messi's lore. The legendary forward captained his side during
20:19 perhaps one of the greatest finals ever. In a high-octane battle against France,
20:24 the two sides were tied at three goals apiece at the end of extra time, forcing a penalty shootout.
20:30 Argentina came away with the win, and Messi took home the golden ball as the tournament's best
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21:00 2023. LeBron the leader. There's a reason many people argue that LeBron is the GOAT. Throughout
21:08 his career with the Cavaliers, Heat, and Lakers, LeBron has won championships and set records.
21:14 In 1984, the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar set the record for the most points in NBA history
21:20 with 38,387 points, building on his lead before retiring in 1989. He held the record until February
21:29 2023, when LeBron surpassed him in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. After LeBron scored his
21:43 38,388th career point, the NBA stopped the game and held an encore ceremony to honor the
21:50 achievement. The Lakers went on to lose the game, but league history was made. Who has been the best
22:04 athlete this century in your opinion? Let us know below. Did you enjoy this video? Check out these
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