Most Colorful Athletes of All Time

The most interesting athletes aren’t always the best players. They may excel, but they’re often more famous for their style — the louder, the better.

The greatest sports characters are entertaining, charismatic or just plain weird. And they have a long tradition of making headlines outside the lines.

These are the most colorful athletes in sports history.

Sport: Surfing

Years active: 2005-present

Famous words: “It gets peaceful when you blackout. When you’re gone, you’re gone. And I knew before I was gone, I knew that the only thing I could do was to try my very hardest to get as close as I could to the shore.” — Maya Gabeira after a near-death experience surfing in Portugal in 2013

Bottom line: There aren’t many athletes in the world — male or female — with the kind of daring and guts of big-wave surfer Maya Gabeira.

The Brazilian’s appeal begins with her eclectic background. Her father was a well-known former guerilla warrior and founder of the Green Party in Brazil.

Gabeira won an ESPY for Best Female Action Sports Athlete in 2009, the same year she rode the largest wave ever by a woman when she got a 46-foot wave in South Africa.

She broke that record in 2018 by riding a 68-foot wave.

Sport: Football (NFL)

Years active: 2001-17

Teams: Cincinnati Bengals (2001-2010), New England Patriots (2011), Miami Dolphins (2012), Montreal Alouettes (2014-15), Monterrey Fundidores (2017)

Famous words: “There are only three things certain in life; death, taxes and 85 always being open.” — Chad Johnson talking about his prowess as a wide receiver

Bottom line: Chad Johnson, who changed his name to Chad Ochocinco from 2008 to 2012, was one of the NFL’s best wide receivers for almost a decade and a four-time All-Pro.

He was also one of the first professional athletes to connect with fans via social media, including famously announcing he would live tweet during a game before the NFL even had rules against such things … although they invented one quickly in this case.

And that’s one of his tamer stunts.

Sport: Baseball (MLB)

Years active: 1993-2004

Teams: Chicago Cubs (1993-97), New York Mets (1997-2001), Philadelphia Phillies (2001, 2003), Colorado Rockies (2004) 

Famous words: “I’d like to play my last season for free, as a testament to the game. All I ever wanted out of life was a wife, a child and a place to hunt deer. I have all those things.” — Turk Wendell on his last MLB season (his salary was $700,000 with the Rockies)

Bottom line: Turk Wendell was a solid but not overwhelming pitcher for the better part of a decade, but the right-handed reliever became much more well known for his personality.

Wendell, who was voted the “Most Superstitious Baseball Player of All Time” by Men’s Journal magazine, chewed black licorice when he pitched and made a point of never touching foul lines on his way to the mound.

He also was the first player to publicly accuse Barry Bonds of steroid use.

Sport: Basketball (NBA0

Years active: 2001-2013

Teams: Golden State Warriors (2001-03), Washington Wizards (2003-10), Orlando Magic (2010-11), Memphis Grizzlies (2012), Shanghai Sharks (2012-13) 

Famous words: “It sucks the way the world works. You can do a hundred things for people, but you do one bad mistake and everyone crucifies you, and that’s all they want to remember.” — Gilbert Arenas, to Sports Illustrated, after his reputation was permanently damaged by a locker-room incident involving guns

Bottom line: Gilbert Arenas was one of the most exciting players in the NBA in the early 2000s.

The three-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA pick also had two of the greatest nicknames of his generation, “Hibachi” and “Agent Zero,” both nods to his scoring prowess.

Arenas’ quirky charisma brought him into contact with A-list celebrities — Diddy even hosted his birthday party when he turned 25.

But Arenas’ image never recovered from a locker-room incident when he and Wizards teammate Javaris Crittenton allegedly pulled unloaded guns out after an argument.