NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Sports Illustrated (SI) revealed four-time NBA Champion and two-time MVP Stephen Curry as the 2022 Sportsperson of the Year. On and off the court, Curry accomplished it all in 2022; his stellar performance in the NBA Finals capped a personal two-year comeback from injury and earned him a fourth ring and his first Finals MVP award, cementing the Golden State Warriors as a modern dynasty. Curry extended his reach off the court this year as well: his Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation continues to fight food insecurity, promote early childhood literacy and create safe places for kids to play and be active throughout Oakland and the Bay Area. Additionally, he worked to make golf more inclusive by supporting the Howard University golf team and launched the UNDERRATED Golf Tour for underrepresented junior players. As SI senior writer Michael Rosenberg explains in today’s Daily Cover feature, the greatest accomplishment of our Sportsperson of the Year was reminding the world that his superpower is making everyone around him better.
The annual Sportsperson of the Year Issue goes on sale Thursday, December 8th. That same evening, SI will celebrate Curry with an awards gala presented by Chase at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, with Steve Kerr and Klay Thompson among those paying tribute to Curry. Event sponsors include Under Armour and Grand Coramino with The Reebok Human Rights Award winner celebrated during the show. Sports Illustrated will also honor Allyson Felix, Jocelyn Alo, Brian Robinson Jr., and SI Kids SportsKid of the Year Carter Bonas, with other notable athletes and stars presenting and attending including Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Jennifer King, Deebo Samuel, Joe Manganiello, and more. Rob Riggle hosts the event with live coverage on SI.com and SI social channels, starting on the red carpet at 6:00 pm PST.
Sportsperson of the Year is an honor for athletes, coaches and teams who best represent the spirit and ideals of sportsmanship, character and performance, given annually since the inception of Sports Illustrated. The event is co-produced by Authentic Brands Group (Authentic), Sports Illustrated, The Arena Group, and TIME Studios.
Other Sportsperson of the Year Issue Features
- Muhammad Ali Legacy Award, Allyson Felix: The most decorated U.S. track athlete in history retired this year, but her post-competition legacy as an entrepreneur and activist on behalf of working mothers ensures that her impact will continue. Felix leaves track and field with thirty-one total medals at the World Championships and Olympics, and her lifestyle and shoe brand Saysh continues to create an encouraging and supportive community for women. She left the track world better than she found it, and she’s not done yet, by Maggie Mertens.
- SportsKid of the Year: Introducing 11-year-old Carter Bonas, an elite golfer who is already charting a path of activism and entrepreneurism. He inspires everyone – especially those who, like him, live with autism. By Mark Bechtel.
- Goodbye, GOATS: The year began with a bit of a false alarm, but even without Tom Brady’s retirement, the class of GOATS who said goodbye this year is peerless. SI gives one last salute to Albert Pujols, Rob Gronkowski, Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Mike Krzyzewski, Sylvia Fowles, Sue Bird and Jimmie Johnson.
- Talk About Tyler: College sports face a mental health crisis and addressing the problem head-on are Mark and Kym Hlinski, whose son Tyler quarterbacked Washington State before his 2018 suicide. Greg Bishop details how the Hlinskis are shaping the future of college sports and mental health, even as their work comes at a steep cost.
Also in this issue:
- Hail to the Champs: A gallery of the year’s biggest victories and most memorable victors, from Georgia in the college football championship, to the Astros in the World Series.
- The Year in Sports Media: The best sports shows, movies and books of 2022.
- Steve Rushin recaps the year’s lowlights, dubious moments and memories that are funny for all of the wrong reasons.
- Mattress Mack’s extremely profitable World Series wager, by Mark Bechtel.
- The odd trend of food-related NCAA NIL deals.
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About Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated (SI) is an unparalleled and influential leader recognized for shaping modern culture and uniting athletes, teams and fans worldwide. At the intersection of sports, lifestyle and entertainment, Sports Illustrated is a 360-degree enterprise that delivers immersive content, innovative digital experiences, unforgettable events, and original products. Its award-winning media arm brings powerful storytelling to life through probing profiles and up-to-date news on SI.com, across social media platforms and through the monthly print magazine. The most trusted name in sports transcends media through SI Tickets, a fan-first ticketing platform, SI Sportsbook, a digital sports betting platform, SI Studios, the brand’s home for film, TV, and long form audio adaptations of SI’s thought-provoking storytelling, and more. SI brings its unique and authentic perspective to marquee events and captivating brand activations including The Sportsperson of the Year Awards, “The Party”, SI Swimsuit Launch Weekend and the SI Circuit Series. For more information, visit SI.com.
About The Arena Group
The Arena Group creates robust digital destinations that delight consumers with powerful journalism and news about the things they love – their favorite sports teams, advice on investing, the inside scoop on personal finance, and the latest on lifestyle essentials. With powerful technology, editorial expertise, data management and marketing savvy, the transformative company enables brands like Sports Illustrated, TheStreet and Parade to deliver highly relevant content and experiences that consumers love. To learn more, visit www.thearenagroup.net.
About Authentic Brands Group
Authentic Brands Group (Authentic) is a global brand development, marketing and entertainment platform, which owns a portfolio of more than 40 iconic and world-renowned Lifestyle, Entertainment and Media brands. Headquartered in New York City, with offices around the world, Authentic connects strong brands with best-in-class partners and a global network of operators, distributors and retailers to build long-term value in the marketplace. Its brands have an expansive retail footprint, including more than 9,100-plus freestanding stores and shop-in-shops in more than 150 countries and generate approximately $24 billion in global annual retail sales.
Authentic is committed to transforming brands by delivering powerful storytelling, compelling content, innovative business models and immersive experiences. It creates and activates original marketing strategies to drive the success of its brands across all consumer touchpoints, platforms and emerging media. Authentic’s brand portfolio includes Marilyn Monroe®, Elvis Presley®, Muhammad Ali®, Shaquille O'Neal®, David Beckham®, Dr. J®, Greg Norman®, Neil Lane®, Thalia®, Sports Illustrated®, Reebok®, Eddie Bauer®, Spyder®, Volcom®, Airwalk®, Nautica®, Izod®, Brooks Brothers®, Barneys New York®, Judith Leiber®, Ted Baker®, Hervé Léger®, Frye®, Juicy Couture®, Vince Camuto®, Lucky Brand®, Aéropostale®, Forever 21®, Nine West®, Jones New York®, Tretorn®, Prince®, Van Heusen®, Arrow®, Hickey Freeman®, Hart Schaffner Marx® and Thomasville®.
For more information, visit authentic.com.
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About TIME Studios
From one of the most globally iconic brands, TIME Studios is an Emmy Award®-winning television, film and immersive studio focusing on the development, production and distribution of truth-based premium unscripted and scripted storytelling that moves the world. With technical innovation and a brand defining visual language that dates back 99 years, TIME Studios aims to impact communities and the world at large with ideas that forge true progress. Combining the industry’s leading creators with TIME, one of the most trusted brands that reaches an audience of over 100 million people globally, TIME Studios is uniquely positioned to bring massive audiences to the world’s most impactful stories. Recent projects include: Jeen-Yuhs (Netflix), Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space (Netflix), Katrina Babies (HBO), Black Gold (Paramount+), Big Vape (Netflix), John Lewis: Good Trouble (CNN Films), Amazing Grace (Neon), Right to Offend (A&E), Ricky Powell: The Individualist (Showtime), Mass Effect: The Story of YouTube, Kid of the Year (Nickelodeon/CBS), TIME 100 (ABC), The ESPYS (ABC) and the first scripted project for TIME Studios, Women of the Year (Amazon).
