Top 10 Sports Moments of 2017

10. Kyrie Leaves for Boston

Kyrie Irving was a staple of the Cleveland Cavaliers ever since being drafted first overall in 2011. Irving saw his share of highs and lows as the only star in Cleveland, but once Lebron James returned, the attention shifted away from the talented point guard. After a few seasons of playing second fiddle on the team, Irving requested a trade in the offseason and was sent to the Boston Celtics.

9. The Face of NASCAR Retires

After being one of the most recognizable drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series, Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired after 18 years of racing. The veteran had 26 Cup Series wins in his career, and had won the most popular driver award 14 times. While Earnhardt says he plans to still do two more Xfinity Series races in 2018, this was pretty much his last race being a full-time driver.

8. Big Baller Begins

The emergence of Lavar Ball is the example of a sports-helicopter parent. He began making national headlines when he claimed he could win a basketball game against Michael Jordan. From there, the media was ready to follow him around and get their quotes. He later appeared on “The Herd” where he challenged co-host Kristine Leahy while promoting his Big Baller Brand, the brand his sons will be the forefront of. Since then, he has pulled his two younger sons from UCLA and Chino Hills High and sent them to Lithuania to play professional basketball. Here’s to hoping Lavar learns to stay in his lane.

7. Westbrook’s Historic Season

Russell Westbrook had a historic 2017 season, proving he was dominant without former teammate Kevin Durant. In 2017, Westbrook averaged 31.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 10.7 assists, which was the second time in NBA history a player averaged a triple-double in a season. For his efforts, he became the NBA MVP and showed he was a player on a mission.

6. Tigers Win National Title in Dramatic Fashion

The Clemson Tigers defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide to become National Champions in what was one of the greatest finishes in college football history. In a rematch from the previous season’s national championship game, the Tigers made a comeback in the fourth quarter, similar to Alabama’s in the 2016 National Championship game. Deshaun Watson threw a touchdown pass with one second left on the clock, which sealed his case for game MVP. Clemson outscored Alabama 21-7 in the fourth quarter putting them in prime position for a big play at the end of the game.

5. Golden Knights Honor Victims at First Home Game

The mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival  Oct. 1, 2017, was the deadliest in United States History. The Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL’s newest team, wanted to honor the victims and help the city recover with a ceremony before the team’s first ever regular season home game. Before the contest, the team brought out dozens of first responders and hospital workers who worked tirelessly in the aftermath of the shooting. T-Mobile Arena then took a 58-second moment of silence to honor the 58 victims of the tragedy. The Golden Knights went on to score four first-period goals in what was an emotional night for those in attendance, and those watching at home.

4. UConn’s Streak Ends

The University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball team lost for the first time since 2014 when they were defeated by Mississippi State in the National Semifinal game. The Bulldogs put an end to the incredible winning streak in overtime after a buzzer beater from Morgan Williams. Unfortunately, Mississippi State was defeated in the National Championship game by South Carolina. They didn’t win it all, but what the Bulldogs did was truly special by defeating one of the best teams in history.

3. Mcgregor vs Mayweather

The fight that people never thought would happen and just took as “Twitter fingers.” Conor McGregor had been one of the most popular fighters in the UFC and speculation came to a possible fight with Floyd “Money” Mayweather, an undefeated boxer that is known by some as the greatest of all time. Mayweather And McGregor put on a spectacle before announcing the fight, during their press conferences, and Aug. 26 for the actual boxing match. Mayweather ultimately knocked out McGregor in 10 rounds, but with talks brewing about Mayweather and UFC, will we get a rematch in the octagon?

2. Patriots Make Miracle Comeback in Superbowl LI

The biggest game of the entire year would usually take the top spot of the list, however, Superbowl LI did not have a lot of drama for the first half. Seen by many as the end of the Brady-Belichick era at halftime, people assumed a comeback of this proportion couldn’t happen; they were wrong. Atlanta led 28-3 with just over two minutes remaining in the third when New England decided to take control. The Patriots scored 25 unanswered points sending the game into overtime and eventually won the game with James White running into the endzone. The state of Georgia seems to have trouble holding on to leads in their biggest games.

1. Houston, We Have A Champion

The city of Houston, Texas was devastated by Hurricane Harvey in August, and just a few months later the Astros won baseball’s biggest prize. The talented group of young players took on the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of the best teams in baseball, and defeated them in game seven of a very exciting series that will be considered one of the best of all time. World Series MVP George Springer helped power the Astros to a title with a 0.379 Batting Average, five home runs, seven RBI’s and eight runs scored.