Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes TIME's list of the 100 Most Influential People in Sports

TIME Magazine just released its inaugural “Time100 Sports” list of the 100 most influential people in sports in 2026. One Kentucky Wildcat made the cut, which shouldn’t be too surprising considering he just won his second straight NBA Most Valuable Player award.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of six NBA players to make the Top 100, listed as one of sports’ “titans” in 2026, the second tier beneath “icons.” LeBron James is the only “icon” from the NBA, and is the highest-ranked person on the list overall, gracing his third TIME cover. Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is also a titan, while Jalen Brunson and Cooper Flagg are in the “innovators” tier and Stephen Curry is tabbed as a “leader.”

Even though the Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, it was another stellar season for Shai, who just wrapped up his eighth year in the league. TIME’s Sean Gregory doesn’t want to hear your complaints about his flopping.

“Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the 2024-2025 regular-season and NBA Finals MVP from the Oklahoma City Thunder, somehow upped his game this season,” Gregory wrote. “The unstoppable guard, a four-time All-Star and four-time first-team All-NBA honoree, turned in his most efficient season yet, shooting shot 55% from the field, averaging a career-best 6.6 assists per game, and leading the NBA in free throws made per game (7.9), as Oklahoma City again finished with the league’s best record.

“The Canadian’s shiftiness and ability to stop on a dime for pull-up jumpers and step-backs helped him frustrate opponents and secure his second straight MVP award. His Thunder dropped Game 7 of this year’s conference Finals, though the player who goes by ‘SGA’ almost single-handedly kept the duel with the San Antonio Spurs competitive: he scored 35 points and dished 9 assists in 43 minutes. Throughout the playoffs, his ability to draw fouls drew the ire of fans who accuse him of flopping. But why blame the player for a referee’s whistle? SGA shot 89% from the line in the playoffs.”

TIME’s list spans all sports, including Olympic sports, sports media, and executives. Other familiar names include South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley (icon), soccer star Lionel Messi (icon), two-time Masters champ Rory McIlroy (titan), broadcaster Mike Tirico (titan), Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti (titan), and horse racing trainer Cherie DeVaux (titan). In May, DeVaux became the first female horse trainer to win the Kentucky Derby with Golden Tempo. She added another Triple Crown victory to her resume last weekend when Golden Tempo won the Belmont. They elected not to run in the Preakness, but as Gregory writes, DeVaux made plenty of history in 2026 without the Triple Crown.

“If you need a lift, just watch—or perhaps rewatch, on a loop—the viral clip of horse-racing trainer Cherie DeVaux losing her mind as her 23-to-1 Kentucky Derby long shot, Golden Tempo, charged from the back of the pack down the backstretch to clinch a stunning comeback victory. It’s almost guaranteed to make you smile, if not tear up.”

Great advice. Let’s do that now. Head on over to TIME to check out the complete list. I’m looking forward to Mark Pope and Will Stein making the 2027 edition.