SPORT NEWS: Ranking the 25 Most Incredible Sports Moments of the Last 25 Years.giang

Twenty-five years. The sports world has produced countless indelible memories during the 21st century’s opening quarter, and it would be a gargantuan task to conjure it all in one place.

To help sift through all of the dizzying heights, jaw-dropping feats, unforgettable players and teams, the Bleacher Report staff got together to run back the best of the past two-and-a-half decades in sports—because, hey, reminiscing is part of why we’re all fans.

Today we present the 25 most incredible moments in sports since January 1, 2000, the fifth of our six-part Quarter Century series.

To determine the ranking, a staff vote gave us our pool of finalists. Voters were instructed to consider moments from history-changing plays and games, as well as incredible athletic feats that are still talked about years later. The more it sticks in the collective memory, the better. We’ve limited the list to one moment per game, series or event, so you’ll find things like LeBron James’ chasedown block and Kyrie Irving’s shot from the 2016 NBA Finals combined.

Once that was set, the rankings were subject to a smaller expert panel to produce the final order.

You can find other installments of the series linked below, and be sure to check back on New Year’s Day as we reveal Part 6, a look-ahead at the stars of the next 25 years.

Moment write-ups by David Kenyon

Part 1: 25 Most Influential Sports Figures of the Last Quarter Century

Part 2: 25 Best Sports Franchises of the Last Quarter Century

Part 3: 25 Biggest Sports Trades of the Last Quarter Century

Part 4: 25 Winningest Sports Cities of the Last Quarter Century

When: Super Bowl LII in Feb. 2018

As part of the memorable “underdog run” through the 2017 NFL playoffs, the Philadelphia Eagles surprisingly won a championship with backup quarterback Nick Foles at the controls of the offense.

Foles completed 28 of 43 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns in the Super Bowl LI victory over the New England Patriots.

But it was a one-yard reception that is most remembered.

Shortly before halftime, the Eagles ran a trick play on 4th-and-goal called “Philly Special.” Foles pretended to audible at the line of scrimmage, leaving the snap for running back Corey Clement. He sprinted left and flipped the ball to tight end Trey Burton—a quarterback in high school—who tossed the ball to a wide-open Foles in the end zone.

Philadelphia ended up defeating the Patriots 41-33, securing the first NFL championship in franchise history.

When: Game 7 of 2001 World Series

Representing the American League, there was Goliath. The iconic New York Yankees—and three-time reigning World Series champions—were seeking a remarkable fifth MLB title in six seasons.

On the other side, it was David. The 2001 campaign marked only the fourth year of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ existence.

Arizona went up 2-0 in the World Series, but New York responded with three straight home victories to snatch a 3-2 series lead. Then, the Diamondbacks rolled 15-2 in Game 6 to set up a winner-take-all Game 7.

And the backyard dream happened.

Bottom of the ninth inning, down 2-1. Against future Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera, the D-backs needed a miracle. Tony Womack’s one-out double tied the score, and a hit-by-pitch sent Luis Gonzalez to the plate with the bases loaded. He blooped a single into center field, scored Jay Bell and sparked the celebration for Arizona.

When: 2016 Men’s NCAA Tournament Title Game

For several of these incredible plays and games, I can still vividly recall the broadcaster in the moment.

Exactly 4.7 seconds remained in the 2016 national championship game between North Carolina and Villanova after UNC guard Marcus Paige somehow buried an acrobatic three to even the score. After a timeout, Villanova pulled off a buzzer-beating winner now burned into history.

Kris Jenkins inbounded the ball to Ryan Arcidiacono, who sprinted down the court and flipped a short pass to Jenkins. He squared, rose and fired with a second to play.

“For the championship!” CBS icon Jim Nantz shouted.

Splash.

Jenkins’ shot handed Villanova a 77-74 victory and brought home the program’s second national title.

When: 2009 World Championships

Usain Bolt is most remembered for dominating the 100- and 200-meter runs during the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics. He swept the sprints at each of those Summer Games.

His iconic run, however, happened at worlds.

After setting the 100-meter record twice in 2008—first at 9.72 seconds and then at 9.69—the Jamaican dropped his time again. United States sprinter Tyson Gay posted a national record at 9.71 seconds in the final, yet Bolt ripped off a spectacular 9.58-second time.

The record still belongs to Bolt, who collected 11 world championship and eight Olympic golds in his dazzling career.

When: The Masters Tournament in April 2019

Tiger Woods dominated the PGA Tour for a decade early in his career. But by 2019, the legend had faded as Tiger struggled with a seemingly unending string of injuries.

However, there was enough magic left for Woods to assemble a back-nine comeback at The Masters.

The defining moment happened on the 12th hole, where Francesco Molinari and Tony Finau both found Rae’s Creek and carded a double-bogey. Molinari later hit a branch on the 15th, taking another double.

Tiger, meanwhile, played it safe and notched a par on the 12th, then surged ahead with birdies on the 13th, 15th and 16th. He walked onto the 18th tee holding a two-stroke lead, including a three-shot advantage on groupmates Molinari and Finau.

Woods knew he could play for a bogey and—following a not perfectly ideal tee shot—played for exactly that.

The crowd roared as Tiger tapped in his final putt and secured his first major championship in 11 years.

When: 2001 American League Division Series

Not once, but twice, did Derek Jeter’s defense stun the Oakland Athletics in the 2001 MLB postseason.

First, it was “The Flip” in Game 3. As the Yankees held a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning, A’s outfielder Terrence Long ripped a drive into the right field corner. Oakland tried to score Jeremy Giambi from first base, but Jeter corralled a missed relay and backhand-flipped the ball to catcher Jorge Posada, who tagged out Giambi at the plate.

The clutch play helped the Yankees to extend the series and break Oakland hearts with a comeback from a 2-0 series deficit.

Though it’s not to be confused with “The Dive” from the summer of ’04, Jeter had another defensive gem worth remembering from the series. In the eighth inning of the decisive Game 5, Jeter tracked a foul ball by Long toward the left field stands. He caught the ball, flipped over the wall and crashed into the stadium seats. But he caught it.

New York finished off a 5-3 victory to eliminate the A’s, and the Yanks eventually lost to Arizona in the World Series.

When: NFC Wild Card Round in Jan. 2011

There are any number of moments when a fan or broadcaster could have suggested that a noisy environment would register on the Richter scale. Stadiums can be awfully loud, of course.

During the 2010 NFL playoffs, though, Qwest Field in Seattle literally registered a small tremor on a seismograph.

The underdog Seattle Seahawks held a 34-30 edge on the New Orleans Saints late in the fourth quarter. On second down, Marshawn Lynch took a handoff up the middle. He bounced off a tackle, escaped a swipe and moved through two diving Saints. Lynch shook another player, stiff-armed a sixth, evaded a seventh and mini-hurdled an eighth defender to score a truly jaw-dropping 67-yard touchdown.

Lynch sealed the upset and put a memorable exclamation point on his first season as a member of the Seahawks.

When: 2018 Men’s NCAA Tournament First Round

This upset felt something close to impossible.

Since the men’s NCAA tournament expanded to include 64 teams in 1985, the four No. 16 seeds had rarely even competed with any No. 1 seeds in the opening round. There had been a few scares, sure, but most matchups ended with a lopsided score.

The unthinkable finally happened in 2018 when UMBC shocked Virginia, the tournament’s top overall seed.

What stands out most, though, is UMBC thoroughly dominated the second half. The halftime score showed a 21-all deadlock, but UMBC scored six quick points and built an 11-point lead within four minutes. Virginia never had the margin with single digits the rest of the way.

UMBC won 74-54 and etched its place in history.

When: AFC Divisional Round in Jan. 2002

In all likelihood, the New England dynasty could have happened anyway. Not winning a Super Bowl during the 2001 season probably wouldn’t have derailed what became of the Tom Brady-led Patriots.

Nevertheless, it’s a fascinating question with an undeniable “what-if” moment in the Divisional Round.

On a snowy day, the Pats trailed the Oakland Raiders 13-10 with 1:50 remaining in the fourth quarter. Raiders star Charles Woodson seemed to force a fumble that linebacker Greg Biekert recovered—and, theoretically, it sealed a victory for the Raiders in Foxborough.

The problem for Oakland was that a relatively new NFL bylaw—the Tuck Rule—caused the officials to overturn the fumble. The rule stated “any intentional forward movement of [an offensive player’s] arm starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body.”

New England took advantage of the fortunate review and soon evened the score with an Adam Vinatieri field goal. He kicked another one in overtime to give the Pats a 16-13 win and advance in the playoffs, where they later stunned the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

When: Game 7 in 2019 Eastern Conference Semifinals

I can only imagine, to fans of both the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors, how long it seemed the ball bounced around the rim.

Oh, buddy, what heartbreak—and simultaneous joy.

Philly guard Jimmy Butler made a layup to create a 90-90 deadlock with 4.2 seconds left in Game 7 of the series. In the timeout, the Raptors drew up a play for Kawhi Leonard to take the last shot.

Kawhi caught the inbounds pass and turned to his favored right hand. Sixers guard Ben Simmons calmly steered Leonard away from the basket, then Philly center Joel Embiid stepped up and forced Kawhi even further toward the right corner.

It was good defense. And it didn’t matter.

Leonard released a contested shot as the final 0.4 seconds ticked off the clock. The ball clanged once, bounced on the rim three more times and fell through the net to hand the Raptors a dramatic 92-90 win.

Toronto moved onto the next round, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks before taking out the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

When: Gold Medal Game in 2024 Paris Olympics

Basketball fans have watched Stephen Curry dazzle on the perimeter for nearly two decades, so this was nothing new. However, he’d never done it on this particular stage.

At the 2024 Summer Games, he traded his Warriors jersey for the red, white and blue of Team USA.

Curry helped the United States reach the gold-medal game, where host France awaited for an epic showdown. With three minutes left, the U.S. squad was clinging to an 82-79 edge.

And that’s when Curry took control.

The four-time NBA champion drained four threes, including an absurd fadeaway triple over two French defenders. The final shot—the dagger—gave Team USA an insurmountable nine-point lead with 34.5 seconds to play.

Curry tallied a team-high 24 points in the 98-87 triumph, which marked the USA’s fifth straight men’s basketball Olympic gold.

When: Game 7 of 2016 World Series

Few organizations are more recognizable than the Chicago Cubs, but had been a long-tortured franchise.

They just couldn’t win it all. After celebrating back-to-back World Series in 1907 and 1908, the Cubs entered a drought. They reached MLB’s championship round in 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938 and 1945 but lost every time. They struggled to make the postseason for 25-plus years even despite the 1994 expansion and collapsed in the 2003 NLCS during one of those rare playoff appearances.

Finally, a mere 108 years later, the Cubs snapped the streak

In a rain-delayed Game 7, Chicago and Cleveland went to extra innings. Ben Zobrist and Miguel Montero delivered clutch hits in the 10th to break a 6-6 tie, then Kris Bryant fielded a two-out grounder and fired the ball to first baseman Anthony Rizzo to finalize an 8-7 victory.

And one heck of a long-awaited celebration.

When: The Masters Tournament in April 2005

There are 72 holes in a typical golf tournament, and professionals play in dozens of events each calendar year.

But if someone says “Tiger’s chip-in on 16,” we know.

This reference to the 2005 Masters—where history’s most influential golfer won a fourth Green Jacket—is truly iconic.

On the par-three 16th, Woods’ tee shot drifted to the edge of the fringe and rough. The fast-moving, sloped green at Augusta National forced him into playing a delicate pitch toward a ridge. But he executed it perfectly, and the ball slowly trickled to the hole—intelligently paused for dramatic effect—and dropped in for a sensational birdie.

Interestingly enough, it didn’t actually wrap up the tournament for Woods. Back-to-back bogeys on the 17th and 18th holes forced him into a playoff with Chris DiMarco, although Woods won anyway.

When: Week 12 of 2014 NFL Regular Season

Odell Beckham Jr., similarly, made a one-handed catch that hardly needs an explanation. We know OBJ’s grab.

Unlike most of these moments, the stakes here—beyond it being a rivalry game—were not important. This was simply a regular-season clash between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys in November 2014.

Thanks to Beckham, it’s also unforgettable.

On the opening snap of the second quarter, Giants quarterback Eli Manning launched a pass to OBJ on the right sideline. Dallas cornerback Brandon Carr pulled on Beckham’s jersey, which drew a penalty for pass interference that apparently did not matter at all.

Beckham, incredibly, reached behind his back and snatched an utterly absurd, one-handed, 43-yard touchdown.

Dallas won 31-28, sure, but OBJ became a highlight. Forever.

When: 2008 Beijing Olympics

The overlooked part of Michael Phelps’ historic 2008 Olympics is that he didn’t simply swim in the final rounds.

Sure, the United States didn’t need him to participate in preliminary rounds for relays. Phelps had to navigate the heats and semifinals of each individual event, though, and that created a packed schedule for him.

Phelps navigated it perfectly.

Not only did Team USA’s superstar become the first athlete to win eight gold medals at a single Olympics, he set world records in four individual swims—and an Olympic mark in the fifth. Phelps also helped the United States establish world records in all three relays.

Beijing is remembered as the pinnacle of Phelps’ decorated career, one that includes 23 Olympic golds. Nobody else—whether a summer or winter athlete—has ever won 10.

When: Preliminary Round in 2000 Sydney Olympics

Phelps made his Olympic debut in the same Summer Games that Vince Carter threw down one of history’s unfriendliest dunks.

When I say Vinsanity jumped over a human, I mean it literally.

During the second half of this preliminary round matchup with France, Carter stole an outlet pass in the backcourt. In a four-on-one situation, he could’ve made an easy pass to a teammate for a layup or simple dunk.

Instead, he chose violence. Carter skied directly over 7’2″ center Frederic Weis for the definition of a posterization.

Team USA rolled to a 106-94 win and eventually a gold medal.

When: Game 6 of 2013 NBA Finals

Without this shot, the Miami Heat do not win another championship.

Miami entered Game 6 facing a 3-2 series deficit opposite the San Antonio Spurs. Late in the fourth quarter—only 19.4 seconds left—the Heat had possession but trailed 95-92.

LeBron James launched a three-pointer with 11 seconds to play, but it clanged off the rim. Chris Bosh managed to snatch the rebound and tossed the ball to Ray Allen, who retreated to the corner and buried an off-balanced triple to even the score with 5.2 seconds on the clock.

Miami pulled out a 103-100 overtime win, kept the series alive and ultimately beat San Antonio 95-88 in Game 7.

When: 2005 BCS National Championship Game in Jan. 2006

The echo of Keith Jackson is still crystal-clear in my brain.

“Fourth-and-five, the national championship on the line right here. He’s going for the corner… he’s got it!”

In a clash dubbed the “Game of the Century,” the No. 1 USC Trojans took on the No. 2 Texas Longhorns at the Rose Bowl. The battle of unbeatens would decide the champion of the 2005 college season.

And it lived up to the hype. The back-and-forth contest in Pasadena included four lead changes and a 12-point fourth-quarter comeback by Texas that Vince Young capped with his iconic touchdown run. He scampered for an eight-yard score with 19 seconds left.

Young passed for 267 yards, rushed for 200 and totaled three touchdowns in the 41-38 Texas victory.

If it’s not the greatest game ever played, it’s certainly close.

When: NBA Regular-Season Game in Jan. 2006

On a normal January night, Kobe Bryant did the extraordinary.

However, it wasn’t immediately clear that something special was brewing for the Lakers star. Kobe scored 14 points in the first quarter, but he missed a handful of shots as the Raptors built a 36-29 lead. He added 12 more as Toronto extended the margin to 14 by halftime.

And then, the Black Mamba squeezed the Raptors—specifically Jalen Rose—with an unrelenting barrage.

Kobe racked up 27 points in the third quarter, during which the Lakers outscored the Raptors 42-22. The flurry continued in the closing frame with him tallying 28 points, carrying LA to a 122-104 victory.

Bryant finished with a staggering 28-of-46 line, hitting seven of his 13 three-point attempts and 18-of-20 free throws.

When: Super Bowl XLIX in February 2015

One fanbase remembers this as Malcolm Butler’s interception, and the other side cannot forget Marshawn Lynch not getting the ball.

How cruel, the juxtaposition of sports memories.

New England held a 28-24 edge as the clock ticked below 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIX. Seattle, though, had a 2nd-and-goal at the 1-yard line with a timeout in the bag.

Most viewers anticipated a handoff to Lynch—who, as discussed earlier, had a penchant for powerful runs. However, the Seahawks called a pass instead. Russell Wilson took the snap and fired a slant to Ricardo Lockette, but the Patriots played it perfectly. Butler undercut Wilson’s throw for a championship-sealing interception.

New England pulled out an unlikely 28-24 triumph for the fourth Super Bowl win of the dynasty’s six titles.

When: 2004 American League Championship Series

On the path to breaking the franchise’s 86-year championship drought, the Boston Red Sox made a bit of MLB history.

Never before had a team recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win a postseason series. Not only did Boston accomplish that in 2004, the Sox achieved it against their bitter rival, the Yankees.

Boston trailed 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 4, but Dave Roberts’ legendary steal changed the series. Bill Mueller drove him in with a single, then David Ortiz belted a walk-off homer in the 12th inning to help the Red Sox avoid elimination.

Ortiz provided the heroics again in Game 5, smacking a walk-off RBI single to score Johnny Damon in the 14th inning.

Game 6 featured the bloody sock of Boston pitcher Curt Schilling, who yielded a single run in seven innings while pitching through a torn tendon in his right ankle. That performance set the stage for Boston’s rout in Game 7 as Damon collected six RBI in a 10-3 victory.

It remains the only 3-0 series comeback in MLB history.

When: Week 14 of 2013 CFB Regular Season

Two days after Thanksgiving in 2013, I can assure you Alabama was not grateful for the Iron Bowl.

Fourth-ranked Auburn hosted No. 1 Bama in a showdown to decide which team would be headed to the SEC Championship Game. By extension, a potential trip to the national title was at stake.

Alabama pulled ahead 28-21 early in the fourth quarter when A.J. McCarron and Amari Cooper linked up for a 99-yard touchdown. Auburn finally answered with 32 seconds left in regulation thanks to a 39-yard connection from Nick Marshall to Sammie Coates.

And that was simply the appetizer.

Following two T.J. Yeldon runs—the latter of which involved a video review to confirm the clock had not expired—Alabama sent out Adam Griffith for a potential game-winning 57-yard field goal.

As it turns out, it morphed into a game-losing kick. Griffith’s effort fell short, and Auburn’s Chris Davis caught the ball at the back of the end zone. He sprinted down the left sideline, barely stayed inbounds and outran the Crimson Tide for an absurd 109-yard touchdown.

Auburn won 34-28 and beat Missouri in the SEC Championship Game before falling to Florida State for the national title.

When: Super Bowl LI in Feb. 2017

Two seasons after Butler’s goal-line interception, New England was back in the Super Bowl. For about 40 minutes, however, it hardly could’ve gone worse for the Patriots.

Midway through the third quarter, the Atlanta Falcons took a 28-3 lead. The franchise’s first-ever championship was in sight.

But slowly, steadily, the Pats chipped away.

Tom Brady hit James White for a short touchdown late in the third quarter, then Stephen Gostkowski buried a 33-yard field goal. Brady connected with Danny Amendola for a score, and White scampered in for a two-point conversion. Suddenly, it was 28-20.

Atlanta drove into field-goal range, but a sack and a field goal forced the Falcons to punt. Brady steered New England down the field—a drive that included an incredible catch from Julian Edelman after a near-interception—to set up White’s touchdown run. Then Brady and Amendola came through with a game-tying two-point completion to force overtime.

New England won the coin toss, took possession and never even faced a third down on the way to White’s touchdown run to finalize the Patriots’ shocking 34-28 triumph.

When: Game 7 of 2016 NBA Finals

Only adding to the legacy of the 2016 NBA Finals is the context that surrounded the series.

Golden State, the reigning champions, had just established an NBA record with 73 regular-season wins and climbed out of a 3-1 hole against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers had fired head coach David Blatt in the middle of the campaign. The organization had never won an NBA title—and the city of Cleveland hadn’t won a championship in major professional sports since the NFL’s Browns in 1964. Plus, the Cavs trailed 3-1 in this series before capitalizing on Draymond Green’s absence in Game 5 and winning at home in Game 6.

So, finally, Game 7.

With the score locked at 89 apiece in the last two minutes, it seemed Andre Iguodala would give Golden State the lead. LeBron James, however, chased him down and blocked the layup off the backboard.

One minute later, Kyrie Irving drained a go-ahead triple that stood as the winning shot in the Cavs’ 93-89 victory.

The city’s drought snapped, LeBron had fulfilled his mission of leaving Miami to win a championship in Cleveland.

When: Super Bowl XLII in Feb. 2008

Although the Patriots found themselves on the desired side of several moments, they endured heartbreak here.

The most incredible play of the last quarter century is something you simply could not repeat. It belongs to former New York Giants receiver David Tyree, who saved the G-Men in Super Bowl XLII.

You could hardly find an unlikelier hero, too.

Largely a core member of the Giants’ special teams, Tyree caught four passes all season. However, he trotted onto the field for a pivotal 3rd-and-5 snap as New York faced a 14-10 deficit to the Patriots—their 18-0 overall record on the line—with 1:15 left in the fourth quarter.

New England’s pass rush pressured Eli Manning, but he escaped a couple of defenders and heaved a prayer down the middle of the field. Tyree outjumped All-Pro safety Rodney Harrison, caught the pass and somehow pinned the ball against his helmet while falling to the turf.

After a 3rd-and-11 conversion, Manning lofted a 13-yard touchdown to Plaxico Burress that put the Giants in front 17-14 and ultimately sealed an upset for the double-digit underdogs.