Athletes on TIME's 100 Most Influential People (2025)

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Jalen Hurts
by Derek Jeter, Five-time World Series Champion and Baseball Hall of Famer





I admire how great athletes deal with both success and failure. What Jalen Hurts went through in being benched during the 2018 National Championship game would break a lot of people down.

But not Jalen; he focused on what he could control and found a new path to success. In the NFL, Jalen didn’t let a Super Bowl defeat in 2023 shake his confidence. He used that loss as motivation and kept a picture of himself walking off the field after losing as his phone lock screen.



This past February, Jalen found himself on the Super Bowl stage again. This time he led Philadelphia to a convincing victory in its rematch with Kansas City. We connected shortly after, and the only thing he asked about was insight on going back and winning again.

Sometimes people win, then exhale. Jalen is not exhaling. He’s embracing the next challenge. Win or lose, Jalen’s resilience and determination offer all of us something to admire.

https://time.com/collections/100-mos...9/jalen-hurts/








Léon Marchand
by Summer McIntosh, Three-time Olympic Gold Medalist in Swimming





Léon Marchand’s drive to get his hand on the wall first at the Paris Olympics captivated the entire world four times over.

First, he dominated the 400-m individual medley, winning gold by over 5 seconds. He then went on to become the first swimmer ever to achieve Olympic record-breaking, back-to-back individual gold medals in the 200-m butterfly and 200-m breaststroke—each within a couple hours of each other.

His fourth win? The 200-m individual medley, another broken record. I have so much respect for the incredible work and dedication that went into Léon’s preparation to be the world’s best across multiple races, including some of the toughest events in our sport.



Everyone in the building felt the energy when Léon was racing. The crowd would roar each time his head broke the surface of the water. His performance at the 2024 Olympics inspires the entire world of sport to bring your best when your best is required.

To be able to do that under the pressure of a home crowd is nothing short of sensational. Léon is simply unstoppable.

https://time.com/collections/100-mos...leon-marchand/








Serena Williams
by Allyson Felix, Seven-time Olympic Gold Medalist in Track and Field





Serena Williams won the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant, then returned to tennis after a difficult childbirth experience that threatened her life.

Her perseverance inspired my own comeback story. After an unexpectedly difficult pregnancy that required an emergency C-section, and a lengthy recovery, I returned to the track to win two medals—a gold and a bronze—at the Tokyo Olympics.



Even as she’s moved away from professional tennis, Serena continues to be impactful. Whether it’s through her venture-capital fund that invests in companies founded by women and people of color, or joining the ownership group of the Toronto Tempo, a WNBA expansion team, or dancing during halftime at the Super Bowl, she continues to show that we, as athletes, are so far from one-dimensional.

She doesn’t have to do any of this. She could take a break from being in the public eye and raise her family. Instead, she continues to pave the way. So many female athletes see ourselves in Serena. A win for her is a win for all of us.

https://time.com/collections/100-mos...rena-williams/








Simone Biles
by Aly Raisman, Three-time Olympic Gold Medalist in Gymnastics





Simone Biles is a gem—one of a kind, forged by relentless hard work and polished by her own determination. She shines with a brilliance that sets her apart.

Simone dominates gymnastics, performing skills that push beyond what was once thought possible. Her routines are so difficult, my teammates and I used to joke that we were all competing for second place. Even as the GOAT, she continues to push herself—defying the very notion of limits. With five signature skills, she has etched her name into the sport.



Simone has faced—and withstood—mounting expectations, pressures, and adversity, which seem to intensify each year. Through it all, she has embraced her vulnerability, while refusing to let it define or limit her.

She is both deeply human and undeniably superhuman—a combination that makes her impact profound. She inspires us to believe that we, too, can persevere. That we, too, can shatter limits.



Simone has changed lives by bringing mental health and athlete safety to the forefront. She has transformed gymnastics—and even sport itself.

But her greatest legacy may be ensuring a better future for those who follow.

https://time.com/collections/100-mos.../simone-biles/









Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier
by Alex Morgan, World Cup and Olympic Champion Soccer Player





As an investor in Unrivaled, the women’s 3-on-3 professional basketball league launched in January of this year, I have so much respect for Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, the league’s founders.

Their ability to continue to shine in the WNBA—in fact, Phee and Stewie faced off in the 2024 finals—while building the next big thing blows me away. The dynamic duo stuck their necks out there to give players a chance to make money in the U.S. in the offseason, and not have to move their families across the world.



Unrivaled makes female athletes think about everything differently. It’s not always just take the salary and sign on the dotted line and be happy. Sometimes you can just do it yourself better. That’s what Phee and Stewie did here.

The launch of Unrivaled will go down in history as a pivotal moment for continuing the tidal wave of momentum in women’s sports.

https://time.com/collections/100-mos...pheesa-collier