Introducing up-and-comers set for big 2021 in the sports world
From Noah Lyles to Sabrina Ionescu to Sunisa Lee, who will be sports’ breakout stars?
Part of sports’ mystique is the unpredictability of it all. In 2020, who could have foreseen Randy Arozarena’s rise from obscurity to a record-setting MLB postseason, or 20-year-old Tyler Herro lighting it up from the NBA bubble?
There’s also the other side of the conversation: the can’t-miss prospects and the already-anointed greats.
This next year – with the Tokyo Olympics on tap and potentially a return to a more normal sports calendar – will provide a fresh crop of breakout stars. Here are a few of USA TODAY Sports’ best guesses as to whom will become household names in 2021.
Sunisa Lee
At 16, Lee placed second in the allaround at the 2019 U.S. gymnastics championships behind Simone Biles. She was also part of the world championship squad, earning team gold, and a silver and bronze in individual events. With the Summer Olympics around the corner, she has the chance to shine on the biggest stage in Tokyo.
Noah Lyles
Like Lee, Lyles had a breakout year in 2019 but had to wait an extra year for the spotlight of the Olympics. In 2019, Lyles – then 22 – won the 200 meters at 19.83 seconds at the world championships. He was also part of the United States’ gold medal-winning 4x100-meter relay.
Catarina Macario
Born in Brazil, Macario’s family moved to the USA while she was in high school. At Stanford, she was a threetime first-team All-American, two-time national champ and won the MAC Hermann Trophy – awarded to the nation’s best player – twice. Granted citizenship in October, she joined the U.S. women’s national team camp that same day.
James Wiseman
The Golden State Warriors took Wiseman second in the NBA draft after the 7-footer played three games at Memphis, leaving questions about projectability. His pro career is seven games old, but all indications are the 19-yearold is handling the transition well (11.4 points per game, 6.1 rebounds). If he can figure out a two-man game with Stephen Curry, he could prevail as a prototype of the league’s future bigs.
Tua Tagovailoa
It seems odd to have someone on a “breakout” list who has been a Heisman contender, national champ and top-five draft pick. This is a prediction that Tagovailoa will have a bountiful 2021: returning to full health, gaining significant offensive weapons and taking complete control of the Miami Dolphins.
Sabrina Ionescu
The record-setting college basketball player and No. 1 pick’s rookie season with the New York Liberty lasted three games before an ankle injury ended her year. With the WNBA’s rising popularity, Ionescu could become one of its elite in play and popularity in 2021.
Sixto Sanchez
Major League Baseball’s 60-game regular season last year served as an appetizer for a rookie class that included the Miami Marlins right-handed pitcher, who can touch triple digits on the radar gun and then spin a slider that makes a hitter look foolish. Sanchez posted a 3.46 ERA over seven starts in the regular season before shutting out the Chicago Cubs for five innings (six strikeouts) in the National League wildcard playoff series. With more performances like that, Sanchez won’t be “just another live arm” for long.
Igor Shesterkin
Still technically a rookie, Shesterkin is one of the favorites to win the Calder Trophy this coming NHL season. With Henrik Lundqvist gone after 15 years in net for the New York Rangers, it’s Shesterkin’s turn. In 12 games last season, he went 10-2 while averaging 2.32 goals against. He won all five of the contests in which opponents shot 40 times.
Chellsie Memmel
Likely the only person on this list who could have also appeared on it in 2008, the gymnast spent the quarantine posting videos on YouTube and other social media sites of her training, eventually leading to a comeback effort for the Olympics. As a 32-year-old mother of two, she would become quite the story if she makes the team.
Emilie Castonguay & Rachel Luba
Castonguay is executive vice president and director of legal affairs at Momentum Hockey. She became the first NHLPA certified agent in Canada four years ago and the first female agent to represent a No. 1 pick when Alexis Lafrenière was selected by the Rangers in last year’s NHL draft.
Luba has built a stable of clients at her agency, Luba Sports, at age 28. The former UCLA gymnast represents pro softball players, MLB coaches and MLB players – including one of the most coveted free agents in the 2021 class, Trevor Bauer. The Forbes 30 under 30 honoree co-hosts a podcast and is active on social media, providing a glimpse into what new-age athlete representation entails.