He wasn't from Seattle; like most racehorses, he was born in Kentucky. He didn't even race in Seattle (like most elite thoroughbreds, he frequented places like Churchill Downs and Saratoga). He also, obviously, wasn't human. But Seattle Slew was the only champion of a major American athletic title—the Triple Crown—with Seattle in his name. The speedy stallion got the moniker because two of his owners were from our area, overcame a wonky gait due to a curved foot, and in 1977 landed in the history books. 

Few Americans have had as profound an impact on sports, culture, and entertainment as Seattle's own martial arts legend. The only reason he didn't hit Seattle's top 25? He didn't really fight competitively, and our list focused on individual who won games or races. While some people have questioned Lee's power outside of his on-screen performance (in 2020 ESPN asked "Could Bruce Lee win a real fight?"), he's a big reason why many Americans understand martial arts as an athletic endeavor. His grave is an attraction in Lake View Cemetery, and UFC fighters idolize him. They're not the only ones.

This boxer fights hard. Not only in the ring, where the Seattle-born athlete won five national championships and a bronze at the 2010 World Boxing Championships in the lightweight class, but in her personal life. After surviving repeated sexual assault in her youth, she shared her story publicly when she became an Olympian in 2012, when women's boxing debuted at the Games.

He guarded the goal for the U.S. men's national team, went to four World Cups, played in England's Premier League, and starred on the Seattle Sounders. So why is the Olympia local not a top Washington athlete? Timing, mostly; he largely shone elsewhere. Keller only played three Sounders seasons when the team debuted in Major League Soccer before retiring. But he followed his playing career with a commentating one, and went on to coach at a Bellevue high school. 

Is mountain climbing a sport? If it is, Seattle can claim all-stars. In 2006, Sophia Danenberg became the first Black woman to summit Mount Everest, and has gone on to grow outdoor sports through nonprofit work and a role as a state park commissioner. Washington became her home as an adult, but fueled her climbing career. Hilaree Nelson, who grew up skiing at Stevens Pass, clocked first ski descents around the world, including on Lhotse next to Everest in Nepal; she died on another nearby peak in 2022. The two each pushed for high alpine goals once thought to be impossible. Their athleticism wasn't about races, but somehow they still won.

Another pair of mountaineers: Undeniably exceptional, but we're not sure if their sport qualifies. Jim Whittaker, who died this year at 97, was Seattle's stunning hometown hero. The first employee (and then the first CEO) of REI, and then the first American to summit Everest. Fred Beckey was, perhaps, his polar opposite; a self-proclaimed dirtbag who set innumerable first ascents up American peaks. He mapped Washington's wilderness for adventure seekers. Between the two of them, they helped invent the sport of American mountain climbing.

Jamal Crawford, born in Seattle, played for nine different NBA teams over the course of a 20-year career, but like Nate Robinson, he was a first-round draft pick who traces his roots to Rainier Beach High School. He continued to promote basketball in Seattle with a pro-am summer league. But his legacy-building isn't over—this year his son JJ, a freshman at Rainier Beach, was named at the top of an ESPN list of the top boys basketball prospects for the class of 2029. 

Seattle's Reign FC was part of the launch of the National Women's Soccer League in 2013, and one player has been tied to the club the entire time: Welsh superstar Jess Fishlock. Her scoring and assists have been a consistent asset on 14 seasons in the league—she's the only player who started on NWSL's inaugural roster and has played every season. She's expected to retire at the end of this year as a Reign legend. 

The big man was undeniably great; he pitched a perfect game at age 40, appeared on The Simpsons, and once murdered a bird with a single pitch. So why didn't Johnson hit our big league list? It's hard to ignore that when he made the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 2015, he elected to do so as an Arizona Diamondback, the team where he spent most of the last half of his career. But as Randy Johnson enjoys a retirement as a photographer (like fellow M's legend Ken Griffey Jr.), he's inching back toward the Seattle fold; this year his number was retired at T-Mobile Park. Before Seattle had the Big Dumper, we were the home of the Big Unit. We'll never forget it.