Top Athletes Who Overcame Adversity
While the lifestyles of the rich-and-famous and those who are athletically inclined are definitely enviable, the truth of the matter is that many of these same athletes began their lives in difficult circumstances and had to overcome much adversity to make it to where they are.
And although we, as fans, only see their success, their true story has shaped and molded these athletes into the players and human beings that they are today.
And while some athletes were fortunate enough to grow up in privilege and with riches, many other were not so fortunate, often growing up poor and destitute and without a father figure.
Below, we are going to discuss and review the top athletes who overcame adversity and difficult challenges in their lives. And, despite these adversities, these athletes were able to make it to the top of the world stage and become the recognizable athletes that we all know and love.
Jimmy Butler
To begin our list of the top athletes who overcame adversity is Jimmy Butler. As one NBA general manager would say about Butler:
“His story is one of the most remarkable I’ve seen in all my years of basketball. There were so many times in his life where he was set up to fail. Every time, he overcame just enormous odds. When you talk to him—and he’s hesitant to talk about his life—you just have this feeling that this kid has greatness in him.”
Born in Houston, Texas, Butler’s father left the family when he was an infant. When he was 13 years old, his mother kicked him out of the house. Butler recalls that his mother simply told him, “I don’t like the look of you. You gotta go.”
He then bounced between the homes of various friends, staying for a few weeks at a time before moving to another house.
However, as an ultimate act of kindness, Butler maintains a close relationship with his parents, saying, “I don’t hold grudges. I still talk to my family. My mom. My father. We love each other. That’s never going to change.”
Simone Biles
One of the most beloved gymnasts, Simone Biles is a 7-time Olympic medal holder and widely considered one of the greatest and most dominant gymnasts of all time. With an impressive resume, Simone Biles inspires greatness and courage to all professional and amateur athletes around the world.
However, she grew up in difficult circumstances and had to overcome much adversity to reach where she is now.
Born in Columbus, Ohio on March 14, 1997, Biles’ biological mother was unable to care for her or her siblings, with all four children being placed in foster care.
However, her maternal grandparents, upon hearing of their grandchildren being placed in foster care, would officially adopt the children and help to raise them without their mother’s presence.
Michael Oher
Michael Oher’s story is well-known and represented in Michael Lewis’ 2006 book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, and was featured in the Academy Award-winning 2009 film The Blind Side.
Born on May 28, 1986, Michael Oher would play in the NFL for eight seasons and would primarily play for the Baltimore Ravens as an offensive tackle. Having played at the University of Mississippi, Oher earned All-American honors and was selected in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
However, his childhood was extremely difficult and filled with adversity.
Living in Memphis, Tennessee, he was one of 12 children. His mother, Denise Oher, suffered from alcoholism and crack cocaine addiction and his father, Michael Williams, was frequently in prison.
He received little attention as a child and had to repeat the first and second grades, and attended eleven schools during his first nine years as a student. In addition, he was placed in foster care at the age of seven, and alternated between living in various foster homes and periods of homelessness.
And although Oher was eventually able to find a reputable high school and college football program who recognized his potential, he did so through hard work and through adversity.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
One of the most liked and most humble players in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo has set a higher standard for his Milwaukee Bucks. Playing for the Bucks in the Central Division of the NBA’s Eastern Conference, he led the Bucks to the 2020-21 NBA Finals championship.
Nicknamed the “Greek Freak”, Giannis was born and raised in Athens to Nigerian immigrants. As immigrants, his parents could not easily find work in Greece, leading Giannis and his siblings to sell watches, handbags, and sunglasses on the streets of Athens.
And although Giannis and his siblings were born in Greece, they did not automatically receive Greek citizenship, leaving him essentially stateless, neither having papers for Greece or Nigeria.
However, that all changed when he was drafted to the NBA as the 15th overall selection in the 2013 NBA draft. With a 2022 salary of $39.34 million, Giannis has done extremely well for himself and has shown that hard work really does pay off.
Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson was one of the most prolific ball-handlers and shooters in the NBA. Nicknamed “the Answer” and “AI”, he played 14 seasons in the NBA at both the shooting guard and point guard positions.
In his time in the league, he won NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1997 and was an 11-time NBA All-Star, won the All-Star game MVP award in 2001 and 2005, and was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2001.
He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. In October 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
However, Iverson had a difficult upbringing and faced much adversity to reach the NBA.
Born to a single 15-year-old mother, Ann Iverson, he would never meet his biological father. And at the age of 13, he would witness a father figure of his be arrested in connection to selling drugs.
And in 1993, Iverson was arrested due to an incident at a bowling alley. Although he was 17 at the time, he was convicted as an adult of the felony charge of maiming by mob. The charges alleged that he struck a woman in the head with a chair.
Spending four months at a correctional facility, video later emerged showing Iverson to have left the bowling alley shortly after the fight broke out.
Serena and Venus Williams
Perhaps the most famous women’s tennis players of all-time, Serena and Venus Williams were raised in the notorious Compton, California before moving to West Palm Beach to further their tennis careers.
However, the move to West Palm Beach did not come without its own set of challenges. Both Serena and Venus faced criticisms and controversy regarding their skills and their race.
Proving their doubters wrong, both Serena and Venus Williams went on to achieve success on the tennis court, with Venus being the first African American to be named the number one women’s tennis player.
Pelé
Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento and known worldwide as Pelé, he is a former Brazilian soccer player who played as a forward. Widely considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time, and aptly labeled as “the greatest” by FIFA, he is one of the most successful athletes of the 20th century.
The all-time leading goalscorer for Brazil with 77 goals in 92 games and the only player to ever win three FIFA World Cups, Pelé began playing soccer at the age of 15.
However, Pelé grew up in extreme poverty in Bauru in the state of São Paulo. Earning money by working in tea shops as a servant, he was taught to play soccer by his father, although they could not afford a proper soccer ball and had to use either a sock stuffed with newspaper and tied with a string or a grapefruit.
Jim Abbott
Jim Abbott is a former MLB player who played as a pitcher for the California Angels, the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox, and the Milwaukee Brewers, between 1989 to 1999.
However, Abbott was successful in the MLB despite having been born without a right hand.
Having grown up near Flint, Michigan, he would overcome doubters and much adversity due to being born without a right hand. However, he would prove those doubters wrong, being drafted in the first round of the 1988 MLB draft and reaching the major leagues just a year later.