Los Angeles is no stranger to stars in the entertainment industry, with many A-list actors, musicians, executives and more calling Tinseltown home.
There also might not be a city that has more sports stars than Los Angeles. Currently, six L.A. players have won MVP honors, while a few others have won a playoff or championship MVP award.
Those athletes have also helped their franchises become playoff mainstays. Since 2011, Los Angeles-based teams have won 11 championships combined in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS and WNBA:
- NFL: Rams (2022)
- NBA: Lakers (2020)
- NHL: Kings (2014)
- MLB: Dodgers (2020, 2024)
- MLS: Galaxy (2011-12, 2014, 2024), LAFC (2022)
- WNBA: Sparks (2016)
With all of these stars in L.A., which one is the biggest? We ranked the 10 best athletes currently in the City of Angels.
10 biggest athletes in Los Angeles
Harden’s MVP days might be behind him, but he’s still playing at a high level. Despite Kawhi Leonard missing much of the season, Harden has helped the LA Clippers remain in the playoff hunt following the departure of Paul George. The 35-year-old guard was named an All-Star for the 11th time in his career earlier in February as he’s averaging 21.7 points and 8.6 assists per game. In many cities, an 11-time All-Star with an MVP and several top-five MVP finishes leading his team to the postseason would be one of the biggest names in town. But in LA, Harden is one of many who’ve won an MVP in the past.
When the Los Angeles Rams selected Nacua in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, it’s hard to envision that anyone other than Sean McVay or Les Snead thought he would quickly become one of the league’s top receivers. Well, just two years in, Nacua has already stated his case. In 2023, he set the record for most receiving yards ever by a rookie with 1,486, more than the totals Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson had in their debut seasons. Nacua missed six games in 2024 due to injury, but he finished the year third in the NFL in receiving yards per game (90). At 23, Nacua seems certain to move up this list in the near future.
Freeman, who grew up in Fountain Valley, has continued to play at an All-Star level after he left the Atlanta Braves for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022. But it wasn’t until his third season that the Southern California native became a franchise legend. That’s when Freeman crushed a walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series. He added homers in each of the next three games, becoming the first player to ever hit a home run in the first four games of a World Series. Freeman wound up tying the record for most RBIs in a World Series with 12, winning MVP when the Dodgers took down the New York Yankees for the title in Game 5.
Ever since the Los Angeles Chargers took him with the sixth pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Herbert could be considered a top-10 quarterback in the league. Herbert set rookie records in 2020, throwing the most touchdowns and completions ever for a first-year quarterback. While the Chargers were a bit uneven throughout the first four years of Herbert’s career, they finally got some stability when Jim Harbaugh arrived in 2024. The new coaching staff allowed Herbert to become a more efficient quarterback, as he posted career highs in passer rating (101.7), yards per attempt (7.7) and interception percentage (an NFL-best 0.6). Herbert also guided the Chargers to their best record (11-6) in his tenure and a spot in the postseason.
Stafford might not be on this list for much longer. The Rams have allowed the quarterback to speak with other teams as he seeks a new contract, getting the ball rolling for a possible trade this offseason. For now, he’s still a member of the Rams, and it’d be a big omission to not include one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks on this list. Stafford quickly became a Los Angeles sports icon when he led the Rams to a Super Bowl title in his first season with the team in 2021. Following an injury-shortened 2022 season, Stafford bounced back and played like a top-10 quarterback again over the last two years, nearly bringing the Rams to the NFC Championship Game in the 2024 season.
The 37-year-old is also one of the most decorated quarterbacks in today’s game, ranking second among active players in career passing yards (59,809) and touchdowns (377), as well as fourth all-time in career comebacks (38).
The Dodgers were essentially gift-wrapped a top-five player when the Boston Red Sox traded Betts to L.A. in 2020. He hasn’t wavered from that standing as one of the best position players in the majors over his first five seasons with the team. Betts has finished in the top five of NL MVP voting in the years that he hasn’t missed significant time due to injury, posting two runner-up finishes. More importantly, Betts has played a major role in two World Series titles.
He had a few memorable moments on the field and at the plate in the Fall Classic run in 2020, when the Dodgers broke their 32-year championship drought. He was productive at the plate in their postseason this past year as well, hitting .290 with four homers. The 32-year-old is the only active MLB position player with three World Series titles. He also ranks fifth in bWAR, fifth in batting average and seventh in slugging percentage among active players.
In a similar vein as Harden, Trout’s a bit removed from his peak. But he’s still put up strong numbers despite dealing with multiple injuries in recent years. He hit 40 homers in his last 100-plus-game campaign in 2022, producing another season when he nearly reached the 1.000 OPS mark (0.999). While he’s only played in 111 games over the last two years, he has tallied 28 homers with an .860 OPS during that time.
Trout is set to move to right field in 2025 to help prolong his playing career, but he’s arguably the best all-time player currently in MLB. His three AL MVP wins are tied for the most ever, while his bWAR is the highest among active players. He’s also second among active players in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and home runs.
No one would’ve imagined Doncic being on this list a month ago, but his sudden trade to the Lakers instantly puts him near the top. As Doncic takes one of the 10 spots that would’ve presumably been held by Anthony Davis, it could be argued that he should be higher than No. 3. Doncic, who has earned first-team All-NBA nods in each of the last five seasons, has had one of the best starts to a career in NBA history. He won’t be named an All-NBA player this season due to injury, but Doncic would rank in the top 10 in points and assists per game for the sixth straight year if he were eligible. He also just led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2024 as a 25-year-old and boasts the second-highest scoring average (30.9 points per game) in NBA playoff history.
Doncic’s new teammate slightly edges him out in the rankings. James — one of, if not the greatest NBA player ever — is the league’s all-time leading scorer, with four titles and four MVPs to his name. And, at 40 years old, he’s only added to his impressive résumé during the 2024-25 season. As of Feb. 24, James ranks in the top 15 in points and assists per game this season, registering numbers that aren’t far off from his prime years. James seems poised to finish in the top 10 in MVP voting for the 18th time in his career and could be named first-team All-NBA for the 14th time as the Lakers have been one of the top teams in the Western Conference this season.
You have to be doing something incredibly special to be ranked ahead of James. Well, Ohtani did something pretty special in 2024. He became the first player in MLB history to ever record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season, leading the NL with 54 homers and finishing second in stolen bases with 59. To no one’s surprise, Ohtani was unanimously voted NL MVP, becoming the first player among the major North American professional sports leagues to win three MVPs unanimously. Ohtani also won his first World Series title with the Dodgers in 2024. He did it all without pitching, taking a year off from the mound to rehab his elbow after undergoing surgery in 2023.
Honorable mentions
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