Black Athletes Who Turned Their Lives Around

Professional sports are something almost everyone in the country can get behind. Not only because it’s entertainment, but it’s the closest thing we have to a meritocracy.

Sports has a way of finding the most talented and gifted athletes in the world no matter their backgrounds and struggles. As we prepare to watch the 2024 Super Bowl, the biggest sporting event of the year, we should remember that some of these athletes have gone through some difficult times to achieve tremendous success in their careers.

These are the Black athletes who turned their lives around.

Michael Oher

The storytelling behind Michael Oher’s life has been extremely controversial, but there is still no doubt that he overcame some difficult situations to become an NFL player. He grew up in an impoverished household where his mother was a drug addict and his father was rarely there due to being in prison.

Darren Waller

Darren Waller has been extremely open about his struggles with drug and alcohol abuse. But after getting sober in 2017, he became one of the best tight ends in the NFL and signed a 3-year, $51 million contract a year ago.

Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson is one of the most iconic players in NBA history. The crossover, the braids, the clothes, the tattoos. He was the epitome of cool. But almost none of that came to fruition. While he was in high school, he was arrested and charged with maiming by a mob, despite video showing him leaving the incident when a fight broke out at a local Virginia bowling alley. After spending four months in a correctional facility, he attended Georgetown University and the rest is history.

LeBron James

We all know LeBron James as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and one of the most popular athletes in sports. But the odds were stacked against him as a young man growing up in Akron, Ohio. His mother, Gloria James, had him when she was 16 years old, and would often move from apartment to apartment every couple of months. He didn’t even live with his mother while he was in high school. But because of his tremendous talents as a hooper, he helped improve his entire community.

C.C. Sabathia

C.C. Sabathia has openly admitted that he had an alcohol problem. He openly wrote in this incredible piece in The Players’ Tribune that it was something that truly hampered him. But he still went on to have a fantastic career as an MLB pitcher and has even adopted a healthier lifestyle since he retired.

Dwight Gooden

Sandy Koufax, one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history once said, “I’d trade my past for his future.” when talking about Dwight “Doc “Gooden.” His first two years in the majors were magical, helping the New York Mets get a World Series victory in 1986. He struggled with an addiction to cocaine during his career and it eventually led to him getting kicked out of the league. But he has since been open about his story and used it as a tool to help others.

Darryl Strawberry

Gooden’s teammate, Darryl Strawberry, also had an addiction to drugs and alcohol. He was a talented left-handed swinger for most of his career, but his substance abuse issues made his career shorter than it should’ve been. He’s since sobered up and has been open about his battles with drugs and alcohol.

Lawrence Taylor

He’s the greatest defensive player in NFL history. But during the prime of his career, he was addicted to cocaine. While it didn’t affect his play in the field, it affected his life off of it. He was jailed multiple times because of his addiction. While he’s far from perfect, he’s reportedly been sober since 1998.

Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler is one of the toughest and hard-nosed players in the NFL. But it’s the upbringing that made him that way. Growing up in Tomball, Texas, Butler was kicked out of his family home and homeless for a while. His journey to a Division I college wasn’t smooth either, having to attend a Junior College in Tyler, Texas before going to Marquette University, where he starred for three years.

Michael Vick

Michael Vick was the first Black quarterback to be taken with the first overall pick in an NFL Draft in history. He was electric as a quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, but due to his role in a dog fighting ring, he was arrested and spent more than a year in prison. He learned from his mistakes and had a resurgence with the Philadelphia Eagles where he was just as good (if not better).

Francis Ngannou

Born and raised in Cameroon, Francis knew that he wanted to be a pro-MMA fighter. However due to the strict border laws, it was difficult for him to flee the country. After a year of running from police, he was able to go to France where he grew into one of the premier names in the sport.

Caron Butler

Caron Butler was a drug dealer growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Reportedly, he was arrested more than 15 times before it was legal for him to drive a car. But after serving time in prison, he took his talent for sports and used it as a way to save his own life.

Ricky Williams

Ricky Williams was an extremely talented player, who struggled with mental health and marijuana. While the stigma around weed has softened since it wasn’t like that during the early 2000s. He was suspended multiple times due to failed drug tests and was no longer a great player by the time he was 26 years old. Thankfully, he’s doing much better today and often speaks about the benefits of marijuana and how it’s improved his mental health.

Najee Harris

Najee Harris plays for one of the most historical franchises in the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Growing up in the Bay Area, he and his family experienced homelessness, living out of motels and sometimes in the family car. But despite his circumstances, he used his skills on the field to become one of the premier players in high school football and become a first-round pick in the NFL.

Dick Lane

Dick “Night Train” Lane is one of the most underrated and best players in NFL history. But his journey was anything but easy. Growing up in Texas, he lived in an orphanage and was homeless at times, living in a ditch near a junior college.