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Throughout the history of sports, the concept of a “generational talent” is a special one.
Every sport has that one person who not only transcends their game, but other realms of life. Think about Lebron James for a second. The guy is a global icon in not only basketball, but meme culture, social issues, business, whatever you can think about.
Solely on the court, he’s won multiple MVPs, NBA Finals, he’s been included on so many All-NBA and All-Star teams. He is literally the all-time leading scorer of the NBA. It’s safe to say that he lived up to the billing of being the first pick of the 2003 NBA Draft and then some.
In the 2020s, sports are at an all-time high, which means more exposure for athletes who have earned that prestigious title of being generational. Literally back in 2023, the coverage around the NBA and NHL Drafts were incredible because of two players. Victor Wembanyama and Connor Bedard.
For someone who loves both leagues, seeing them meet up that one time was extraordinary. For the two of them right now, their journeys have been different in their first few seasons in their respective leagues. Wemby has been otherworldly and hopefully Bedard with the Blackhawks can soon end their long playoff drought.
What made me want to talk about this was because I witnessed Wembanyama have an iconic game vs the Thunder on Monday. The Spurs’ superstar had a statline that followed: 41 points, 24 rebounds, three blocks, as well as multiple insane dunks. When you watch Wemby play, you just sit there in amazement.
As such, social media was at a loss of words. I literally saw someone post something showcasing Wemby, as well as other generational athletes in sports. For the most part, the players they used were legit, except it was still a slight joke because they included J.J. McCarthy who is… not good.
Besides Wemby, the person included Paul Skenes and Macklin Celebrini, who if you know baseball and hockey, are pretty good.
Considering all of them are under 25 and performing at a high-level, it makes sense why people loved them entering their leagues. It also makes sense why people believe they are the next big things in their sports.
If you asked me which young players in basketball, hockey, football, soccer, lacrosse, and baseball could be generational at this moment, this is who I would say. Also, note that the players I’m about to list are all under 25-years-old.
So enough talking, here’s who I believe could redefine their sport in the years to come. Some already have.
Basketball - Wemby, Cooper Flagg, AJ Dybantsa, Anthony Edwards, Caitlin Clark (W), Paige Bueckers (W)
Hockey - Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, potentially Gavin McKenna
Soccer - Lamine Yamal
Lacrosse - Brennan O’Neill (M), Chloe Humphrey (W)
Football - Jeremiah Smith
Baseball - I guess Paul Skenes (Not a baseball guy remember)
Other sports - Carlos Alcaraz (Tennis)
Yes, there’s a lot for the NBA. No time for the face of the league talks.
When you think of their personalities, the way they play, and the cultural impact they could make as they continue through their careers, it makes sense who I chose. We have never seen anything like Wemby, Flagg had a fantastic rookie season and Ant, besides some off-court stuff, is incredible. For the potential first pick in the 2026 NBA Draft Dybantsa, he would do wonders for the NBA.
On the women’s side, Clark is the obvious answer for pretty much a majority of casual fans. She has transcended the women’s game, even though some players like Sabrina Ionescu and A’ja Wilson have done their part and deserve credit. The injuries for Clark, though, have been noticeable, which have hurt other great athletes before like Mike Trout in the MLB.
For Bueckers, she has been a star in women’s basketball for a while now. For her to continue the impressive lineage of great guards like Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi would be massive for the sport. Let’s not forget USC star JuJu Watkins in what is a golden era of talent in women’s basketball.
Onto hockey, I still believe Bedard has what it takes to become the best player in the NHL. He is only 20-years-old still and I do think success is awaiting him.
The hype, however, has seemingly shifted towards the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft in Celebrini. The season the kid from Canada just had was spectacular. He finished fourth in the league in points with 115, represented Canada at the Winter Olympics, and had some sensational plays throughout the year.
When an all-time great like Steph Curry is praising him and giving him advice, you know his potential to be one of the best ever is there.
Like Dybantsa, McKenna is projected to be the first pick in his league’s draft. From what I’ve heard and watched, McKenna is really good. Something tells me he will be great in the league and potentially playing with Auston Matthews in Toronto would be cool.
In soccer, it’s pretty straight forward with Yamal. The whole wonderkid phenomenon is really crazy when you deep-dive into it.
He has already racked up individual and team awards, his play on the pitch is remarkable, and he’s already well-known to the masses. He’s also already considered one of the best players in the world, at 18. It’s genuinely not fair that Barcelona had the likes of global icons in Messi and Neymar before him and now Yamal is destined to be next.
Having already won a UEFA European Championship, his popularity is about to skyrocket into a different stratosphere if he wins the World Cup this summer. Hopefully he can recover quickly from his hamstring injury to make an impact for Spain.
To lacrosse and yes I’m including it here. I truly believe if the sport was more mainstream, O’Neill would have gotten the attention he deserved coming out of Duke. When you watch O’Neill, you can understand why he is the definition of a generational talent.
Already one of the best players in the PLL, O’Neill is a strong goal-scorer and he can transform the league into something bigger. O’Neill is marketable and with lacrosse’s popularity growing, the time will come when he’s mentioned among the best in the sports world.
This brings me to the inclusion of North Carolina Women’s Lacrosse player, Chloe Humphrey. With the creation of the WLL, women’s lacrosse is in a position to grow. Stars Charlotte North and Izzy Scane are somewhat known to casual viewers of the sport since they are both talented.
However, Paul Rabil has said that Humphrey could be someone who elevates the women’s game to the next level. Humphrey is an unstoppable scorer, has already won the Tewaaraton Award, and has won a national championship. Humphrey could become the sport’s Caitlin Clark and just like UNC great Michael Jordan, she could be a face of a sport.
We have finally reached football and it’s Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith. I don’t care that I didn’t put Arch Manning. Manning will probably be the first pick in 2027 anyway just like his uncles Peyton and Eli.
It’s not to say Arch can’t do great things in the league because he will. But, Smith is truly a sight to behold and he will be amazing when he becomes a pro.
A national champion, a unanimous All-American, a five-star out of high school, a physical beast, Smith is undoubtedly the best player in college football entering the new season. He’s fast for his size, he’s an excellent route runner, he possesses great hands. Whoever picks him next spring is getting the next great receiver in the NFL.
I really hope Smith succeeds in the league when his time comes. College football is thankful he’s back for another season because he will be a must-watch once again. Ohio State does play at Texas in September which will have viewers from all across the nation tuning in.
The baseball section here is going to be short. The de facto pick here is Skenes, only because my baseball knowledge isn’t the best. He already has a Cy Young in his trophy case and from what I hear, he’s fun to watch.
Unfortunately he plays for the Pittsburgh Pirates who, let's just say are… dysfunctional. Sorry UrinatingTree. I’m sure the Dodgers or Yankees or some big-market team will eventually get his service.
I did want to finish the piece highlighting Tennis star Carlos Alcaraz. Born in the same year as me (2003), Alcaraz is already replacing greats like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal and leading the next generation of tennis stars. Alcaraz is a must watch, even for people who don’t watch tennis.
His rivalry with Jannik Sinner is also something that will define the next generation of tennis. It’s basically tennis' version of Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.
So there you have it. May all these incredible athletes continue to be amazing and that they become some of the best players of their era.