The most prestigious honor in all of sports media, Sportsperson of the Year is an annual award given to an athlete, coach or team who best represents the spirit and ideals of sportsmanship, character, and performance. Dating back to 1954, past winners that have joined the event include LeBron James, Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, Megan Rapinoe, Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali, and many more. This year’s winner will be revealed live on the broadcast of 2021 SI Awards. Sports Illustrated’s December issue spotlighting the 2021 Sportsperson of the Year goes on sale on newsstands December 16. The issue will be available digitally following the reveal during the live broadcast.
2020 Sportsperson of the Year Winners
Past Winners:
| 1954 | Roger Bannister | First sub-four-minute mile |
| 1955 | Johnny Podres | World Series MVP |
| 1956 | Bobby Morrow | Triple Olympic gold medalist |
| 1957 | Stan Musial | National League batting champion |
| 1958 | Rafer Johnson | Decathlon world record |
| 1959 | Ingemar Johansson | World heavyweight champion |
| 1960 | Arnold Palmer | PGA Player of the Year |
| 1961 | Jerry Lucas | Final Four MVP |
| 1962 | Terry Baker | Heisman Trophy winner |
| 1963 | Pete Rozelle | NFL Commissioner |
| 1964 | Ken Venturi | U.S. Open champion |
| 1965 | Sandy Koufax | Cy Young Award, strikeout record |
| 1966 | Jim Ryun | Mile world record |
| 1967 | Carl Yastrzemski | Triple Crown winner, AL MVP |
| 1968 | Bill Russell | NBA champion player-coach |
| 1969 | Tom Seaver | Cy Young Award, World Series champion |
| 1970 | Bobby Orr | NHL MVP, Art Ross, Conn Smythe, Norris |
| 1971 | Lee Trevino | PGA Player of the Year |
| 1972 | Billie Jean King | Three major titles |
| John Wooden | ||
| 1973 | Jackie Stewart | Formula One World Champion |
| 1974 | Muhammad Ali | World heavyweight champion |
| 1975 | Pete Rose | World Series MVP |
| 1976 | Chris Evert | Two major titles |
| 1977 | Steve Cauthen | Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey |
| 1978 | Jack Nicklaus | British Open champion |
| 1979 | Terry Bradshaw | Super Bowl MVP |
| Willie Stargell | NL MVP, NLCS MVP, World Series MVP | |
| 1980 | U.S. Olympic hockey team | Olympic gold medalists |
| 1981 | Sugar Ray Leonard | World welterweight champion |
| 1982 | Wayne Gretzky | NHL MVP, Art Ross |
| 1983 | Mary Decker | Double world champion |
| 1984 | Edwin Moses | Olympic gold medalist |
| Mary Lou Retton | Olympic gold medalist | |
| 1985 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Playoff MVP |
| 1986 | Joe Paterno | NCAA champion coach |
| 1987 | Bob Bourne | Helped handicapped children’s school |
| Judi Brown King | Helped abused children | |
| Kipchoge Keino | Cared for orphaned children | |
| Dale Murphy | Charity spokesman | |
| Chip Rives | Helped needy children | |
| Patty Sheehan | Helped abused girls | |
| Rory Sparrow | Helped school children | |
| Reggie Williams | Helped high school students | |
| 1988 | Orel Hershiser | Cy Young Award, NLCS MVP, World Series MVP |
| 1989 | Greg LeMond | Tour de France and World champion |
| 1990 | Joe Montana | Three-time Super Bowl MVP |
| 1991 | Michael Jordan | NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, NBA Champion |
| 1992 | Arthur Ashe | Supported humanitarian causes |
| 1993 | Don Shula | Winningest NFL coach |
| 1994 | Bonnie Blair | Double Olympic gold medalist |
| Johann Olav Koss | Triple Olympic gold medalist | |
| 1995 | Cal Ripken, Jr. | Consecutive games record |
| 1996 | Tiger Woods | U.S. Amateur, NCAA champion |
| 1997 | Dean Smith | Winningest college coach at the time of publication |
| 1998 | Mark McGwire | Single-season home run record holder at the time of publication |
| Sammy Sosa | National League MVP | |
| 1999 | U.S. women’s soccer team | World Cup champions |
| 2000 | Tiger Woods | Three major championships |
| 2001 | Curt Schilling | World Series Co-MVP |
| Randy Johnson | World Series Co-MVP, Cy Young Award | |
| 2002 | Lance Armstrong | Four-time Tour de France winner (wins later disqualified in 2012) |
| 2003 | David Robinson | Two-time NBA champion |
| Tim Duncan | NBA MVP, NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP | |
| 2004 | Boston Red Sox | 2004 World Series champions |
| 2005 | Tom Brady | Two-time Super Bowl MVP, Three-time Super Bowl champion |
| 2006 | Dwyane Wade | NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP |
| 2007 | Brett Favre | “For his perseverance and his passion” |
| 2008 | Michael Phelps | Eight gold medals in 2008 Summer Olympics |
| 2009 | Derek Jeter | Five-time World Series Champion |
| 2010 | Drew Brees | Super Bowl MVP and charitable work toward the reconstruction of New Orleans |
| 2011 | Mike Krzyzewski | Most wins as coach in NCAA men’s Division I history |
| Pat Summitt | All-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball | |
| 2012 | LeBron James | NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, NBA Champion, Olympic gold medalist |
| 2013 | Peyton Manning | Five-Time NFL MVP, single-season touchdown record, AFC Champion |
| 2014 | Madison Bumgarner | Three-time World Series Champion, NLCS MVP, World Series MVP |
| 2015 | Serena Williams | Won three majors, oldest player to be ranked no. 1 during the Open Era |
| 2016 | LeBron James | NBA Finals MVP, led Cleveland Cavaliers to first title in franchise history |
| 2017 | José Altuve | American League MVP, World Series Champion |
| J. J. Watt | Raised more than $37 million in relief aid after Hurricane Harvey. | |
| 2018 | Golden State Warriors | 2018 NBA champions, third title in last four years |
| 2019 | Megan Rapinoe | FIFA Women’s World Cup champion, won Golden Ball and Golden Boot. |