Athletes Who Stole The Show In 2015

By Jacob Kornhauser

Every year, there are a handful of athletes who take the sporting world by storm through individual moments or sustained success. These 15 athletes stole the show this season and left us with moments and seasons we will never forget.

Athletes Who Stole The Show In 2015

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Frank Kaminsky — Kaminsky was one of the best players in college basketball, and he was a huge part of the biggest upset in the sport last season. Of course, Wisconsin was a great team in their own right, but they upended Kentucky in the Final Four in a game that nobody saw coming. Kaminsky's energy and skill helped create one of the best moments of the year in sports.

Carli Lloyd — She wasn't the best known player on USWNT going into the World Cup, but with Abby Wambach walking away from the game, she might be the most well known going forward. In this year's World Cup, she scored six goals in seven games and was key in helping the team win its third World Cup title, a record.

Tom Brady — Brady took the nation by storm in a number of ways this year. First, he was at the center of the Deflategate scandal, which never seemed to go away. Then, when he got his suspension overturned, he came out with a vengeance. He played with a vendetta against Roger Goodell and the NFL and took down everyone in his path. Injuries on offense have the potential to derail the Patriots' season, but Brady is going to do everything he can to win them their fifth Super Bowl in the last decade and a half.

Derrick Henry — This year's Heisman trophy winner was the definition of a workhorse. In his last two games, he's rushed the ball 90 times, a staggering number for an Alabama running back, since head coach Nick Saban generally tries to keep his backs fresh. He put the team on his back, though, and helped lead him to the College Football Playoff while taking home some hardware of his own.

Jose Bautista — Bautista is a great player, but his most memorable moment of 2015 came when he threw his bat as high as he could after a momentous three-run homer in Game 5 of the ALDS. This image will forever be burned into our brains and it will be one of the key moments we look back on from the 2015 year of sports.

Patrick Kane — In the middle of the year, Kane helped the Blackhawks win their third Stanley Cup in six seasons. Already in the first half of this season, he recorded a 26-game points streak, the longest streak by a U.S.-born player in NHL history. Certainly, he appears on his way to being the league's MVP this season. One can only hope that the rape allegation, which was later dropped because of ambiguous evidence, was false.

Floyd Mayweather — Love him or hate him (and you probably hate him), Mayweather was at the center of the sporting world this year. Of course, his megafight with Manny Pacquiao helped him stay in the spotlight. He remained undefeated and it looks like his career is going to end that way. One has to imagine that someone with that big an ego, though, is going to go for 50-0 to end his career.

Max Scherzer — This season, Scherzer did something nobody has done since Nolan Ryan. He threw two no-hitters in the same season and flirted with a couple others. In fact, after his first no-hitter, which was a perfect game until he hit Jose Tabata with two outs in the ninth inning, he took a perfect game into the sixth inning of the next game. He was dominant at times this season and had an extremely memorable 2015.

Malcolm Butler — Before the Super Bowl, few outside of New England probably knew who Malcolm Butler was. After the Super Bowl, which Butler helped win with his goal line interception of Russell Wilson in the final minute of the game, everyone knew his name. He provided one of the greatest Super Bowl moments in recent memory and for that reason, he will always be associated with the 2015 year in sports.

Christian McCaffrey — McCaffrey, who should've won the Heisman trophy, may be the best dual threat in college football history. He makes plays in a number of ways, including kick and punt returns, in the running game and the passing game. He's not just a receiver, either. McCaffrey has also thrown for two touchdowns this year. When looking for big-play ability, look no further than McCaffrey, who burst onto the scene this season.

Holly Holm — Ronda Rousey was and still is the biggest name in women's UFC, but Holly Holm is right on her tail now after knocking her out and handing her the first defeat of her career. Their fight was the topic of conversation for days after and it was all because Holm pulled off the huge upset. It sure would be nice if this rivalry could turn into an ongoing series of fights.

Jake Arrieta — There has never been a more dominant second-half pitcher in MLB history than Jake Arrieta. After the All-Star break, he went 16-1 with a 0.86 ERA. His only loss? That came when the Cubs were no hit by Cole Hamels in July. He was downright dominant and continued that dominance into the playoffs when he shut down the Pirates in the NL Wild Card playoff. He faltered in the playoffs after that, but Cubs fans and baseball fans everywhere will never forget his historic season.

Todd Gurley — Gurley was a huge question mark going into the NFL Draft after tearing his ACL toward the end of his senior season at Georgia, but the Rams took a chance on him with the No. 10 overall pick. That risk paid off big time. He didn't play in the first couple games, but once he was cleared to play, he took off. On less than 200 attempts, he almost has 1,000 yards rushing already. He sure looks like he's ready to be one of the top backs in the league for years to come.

Bryce Harper — Harper, at the ripe old age of 23 (he was 22 during the season), won his first MVP award this season and it was well deserved. He batted .330 with 42 homers and 99 RBIs while reaching base at an incredible .460 clip. It seems like he's just getting started and could be the best player of his generation, unless Mike Trout has something to say about it.

Steph Curry — There was nobody more dominant in their respective sport than Steph Curry in the NBA this year. In the NBA Finals, he led the Warriors to a title over LeBron James' Cavaliers team. Then, he started this season by seemingly scoring 40 points every night. His three-point shooting percentage is nearly 50 percent, which is absolutely staggering. Perhaps best of all, he seems like a good and genuine guy, which are both rare qualities in a superstar player.

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