The 20 Most Humble Athletes of All Time

By Jacob Kornhauser

The 20 Most Humble Athletes In Sports

Derek Jeter — With all of the egos that are in the sporting world, it's refreshing when there's an athlete who isn't completely self-consumed. There are some athletes out there who have great talent, but are humble nonetheless. These are the 20 athletes in sports who brag the least about their incredible talents.

20. J.J. Watt

Denver Broncos v Houston Texans

20. J.J. Watt

Denver Broncos v Houston Texans — The star defensive end for the Texans has a great sense of humor and doesn't go tooting his own horn all the time. Even though he's one of the greatest defensive players in the game today, he doesn't feel the need to remind people of that and instead he just has fun on the field.

19. Mike Trout

Cleveland Indians v Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

19. Mike Trout

Cleveland Indians v Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — He's baseball's next great thing, but Trout has stayed down to earth. It must be incredibly hard to stay humble when he's certainly well aware of his God-given talent, but like Derek Jeter before him, Trout has stayed humble to this point.

18. Matt Kemp

Los Angeles Dodgers Photo Day

18. Matt Kemp

Los Angeles Dodgers Photo Day — Kemp's career has been slipping lately as he constantly gets injured, but even in his prime, he always stayed true to himself. There was a time when he was an MVP candidate and through it all, he remained the same quiet and humble player he's been throughout his big-league career.

17. Eli Manning

Washington Redskins v New York Giants

17. Eli Manning

Washington Redskins v New York Giants — It was a lot easier for Manning to be humble last year when he threw a league-high 27 interceptions, but even through two Super Bowl titles, he hasn't changed. While he sometimes will fold under pressure, Manning has proven to be a winner in the past and hasn't let that success go to his head.

16. Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin Attends Fan Meeting In Guangzhou

16. Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin Attends Fan Meeting In Guangzhou — Part of the reason Lin might be so humble is that he never thought he would be in the limelight this much. However, once he showed off his talents in New York, he was thrust into the eye of the national media. Through that, he's continued to be one of the most humble athletes in sports.

15. Derek Fisher

2014 USA Basketball Men's National Team Practice

15. Derek Fisher

2014 USA Basketball Men's National Team Practice — The five-time NBA champion and current New York Knicks head coach has always been known as one of the good guys in basketball. He's earned that reputation by being humble and not letting success get to his head. Now his job will be making sure the players on his team are the same way.

14. David Beckham

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports Awards 2014 - Show

14. David Beckham

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports Awards 2014 - Show — One of the best soccer players of the past generation, David Beckham has experienced great success on and off the field. However, he's never been known to run his mouth about his own talent and always seems to be friendly and down to earth, which is something uncommon in modern athletic stars.

13. Josh Hamilton

Texas Rangers v Baltimore Orioles - Game One

13. Josh Hamilton

Texas Rangers v Baltimore Orioles - Game One — After recovering from substance abuse, Hamilton knows he could've easily never made it in major league baseball. Due to that appreciation for the game he's earned, he always stays humble. Even after he put on the greatest hitting display in Home Run Derby history, Hamilton remains as humble as ever.

12. Albert Pujols

Albert Pujols

12. Albert Pujols

Albert Pujols — As the best pure hitter of this generation, it would be easy for Pujols to be extremely cocky. Even though he got a mega contract from the Angels, Pujols' personality hasn't seemed to change much. He's one of baseball's good guys and most of that is because of his warm personality.

11. Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao v Timothy Bradley

11. Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao v Timothy Bradley — It's not everyday that you see a humble boxer, but that's exactly what champion Manny Pacquiao is. He might be the greatest boxer on the planet right now, but other than his fancy sports cars, you likely wouldn't know it if you met him.

10. Peyton Manning

AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am - Round Two

10. Peyton Manning

AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am - Round Two — He's arguably the best quarterback of all time, but Peyton Manning has remained humble throughout his entire career. Since he has such a high football IQ, he has a respect for what it takes to succeed in the NFL. That knowledge, along with his hilarious personality, has helped endear him to fans across the country.

9. Mariano Rivera

Baltimore Orioles v New York Yankees

9. Mariano Rivera

Baltimore Orioles v New York Yankees — You would think the all-time saves leader in major league baseball would enjoy running his mouth about it, but Mariano Rivera has never been that way. By remaining humble and maintaining his dominant cutter for almost two decades, he was able to put together what is a Hall-of-Fame career.

8. Tim Duncan

San Antonio Spurs Victory Parade And Rally

8. Tim Duncan

San Antonio Spurs Victory Parade And Rally — Known as one of the most boring star athletes on the planet, Duncan really does do everything the right way. He plays fundamentally-sound basketball, says all the right things to the media and remains humble. Those are just a few of the reasons he's now a five-time NBA champion.

7. Tim Tebow

100th Annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner - Arrivals

7. Tim Tebow

100th Annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner - Arrivals — At times, Tebow is almost too humble. It seems like he knows he has some talent, but doesn't want to admit it. For that reason, his humility can seem somewhat fake sometimes, but he really does believe he's lucky to be in the position he's in and doesn't take anything for granted.

6. Dirk Nowitzki

Dallas Mavericks v San Antonio Spurs - Game Seven

6. Dirk Nowitzki

Dallas Mavericks v San Antonio Spurs - Game Seven — By turning down two maximum contract offers in favor of returning to the Mavericks this past offseason, Nowitzki showed how loyal he is. That's just one demonstration of how humble he is. He doesn't think he's bigger than the game and just wants to be the go-to guy on a team he loves playing for.

5. Derrick Rose

Chicago Bulls v Dallas Mavericks

5. Derrick Rose

Chicago Bulls v Dallas Mavericks — While he's unfortunately been out of the spotlight for almost two seasons, Derrick Rose remains one of the good guys in sports. Even after winning the MVP award, he credited his mother with helping him get to that point and routinely defers to the accomplishments of his teammates rather than his own.

4. Kevin Durant

Oklahoma City Thunder v Memphis Grizzlies - Game Six

4. Kevin Durant

Oklahoma City Thunder v Memphis Grizzlies - Game Six — Just like Rose, Durant gave all the credit to his mother at his MVP acceptance speech this past season. While he's yet to win a championship, Durant has stayed humble through all of his success and that will only help in his drive to lock down that elusive title.

3. Phil Mickelson

143rd Open Championship - Round Four

3. Phil Mickelson

143rd Open Championship - Round Four — A fan favorite on the PGA tour, Mickelson is one of sports' best people. He's never been one to talk about his game like Tiger Woods does and stays humble through his success. Since he has the image as more of a family man, he makes it seem easier to be humble than it truly is.

2. Drew Brees

PepsiCo Honors Bob Woodruff Foundation With Blake Shelton Concert from #PEPCITY

2. Drew Brees

PepsiCo Honors Bob Woodruff Foundation With Blake Shelton Concert from #PEPCITY — Brees' entire career path is actually one of the better feel-good stories in the NFL. He wasn't always this good. Now that he's one of the elite quarterbacks in the league, he's shown his ability to be humble as well. He's won a Super Bowl, but didn't seem larger than life in doing so. That's the essence of Brees, one of sports' most humble athletes.

1. Derek Jeter

The Last Season At Yankee Stadium

1. Derek Jeter

The Last Season At Yankee Stadium — Sometimes it's hard to comprehend Jeter's greatness in a historical context because of how humble he is. He seems so down to earth that it's almost like he can't be as good as he is. However, he just moved into seventh on MLB's all-time hits list and continued his push as one of the greatest to ever play the game. Even with his amazing talent, if it weren't for his personality, he wouldn't have been the face of baseball for over a decade.

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