Sports Illustrated's Where Are They Now? Stories

Sports Illustrated's annual Where Are They Now issue catches up with the stars and prominent figures from yesteryear.

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Jun 28, 2019

Sports Illustrated’s annual "Where Are They Now?" issue catches up with the stars and prominent figures from yesteryear—past features have included Sammy Sosa, Brett Favre, Dennis Rodman, Tony Hawk and Don King. The 2019 issue features an inside look into the new life of Alex Rodriguez, Yao Ming’s mission for Chinese basketball and more. Find all of this year’s trips down memory lane below as SI rolls them out, and scroll on to read the best stories from the ’18, ’17 and ’16 issues.

From the 2019 Where Are They Now? issue

Alex in Wonderland

Yes, Alex Rodriguez is engaged to Jennifer Lopez. Yes, they spend their days frolicking across the celebrity landscape, from the Oscars to the Met Gala. But here’s the really crazy part: He’s popular now. Ready to go through the looking glass? Written by Ben Reiter

Crafting a New Path

Kevin Youkilis is a legend in Boston, but you wouldn't know it by visiting his award-winning brewery in California. The former Red Sox star was adamant that his second chapter stand completely on its own. Written by Mark Bechtel

Mining the Miracle

A year after their dramatic rescue from a flooded cave in Thailand, the Wild Boars youth soccer players have seen their world reshaped by disaster tourism, an image-conscious military junta and the war to tell their story. Written by Max Marshall

One Big Dream: Yao Ming Wants to Make Chinese Basketball Global

As his nation's first (and still only) NBA star, Yao Ming made basketball relevant in China. Now, as chairman of the CBA, he wants to make Chinese basketball relevant across the world and ensure that he's not the country's last export. Written by Alex Prewitt

Genders Game

Long before Caitlyn Jenner, Renée Richards raised questions of gender identity by suing to play at the 1977 U.S. Open after undergoing sex-reassignment surgery. As for the intersection of sports and men and women today? She'd rather talk about anything else. Written by Jon Wertheim

How Do You Say "Cheesecake Factory" In Mandarin?

Where are they now? For these once-famous ballers, the answers are found halfway around the globe, in the smoky arenas, street markets and slipper factories of China. Written by Alex Prewitt.

Jon Peters and the Pain of Being 'SUPERKID'

As he hurled his way toward a historic streak in high school, Jon Peters became a national phenomenon. That brush with stardom 30 years ago was the biggest moment of his life—and the worst. Written by Tim Layden.

The Best Athlete-Turned-Rapper? It’s Arian Foster. (Just Ask Him.)

Countless players have tried their hand at music, but the eclectic former All-Pro back has been putting in the work for years. As Bobby Feeno, he’s out with his latest EP. Is it a cut above? Give a listen and decide. Written by Ben Baskin.

Parks and Wreck

For almost 20 summers Action Park was Jackass-meets-Disneyland for East Coasters—booze, bare butts and broken bones. Nostalgia, though, is a complicated thing. Written by Jack McCallum.

Mo'ne Davis Is Ready for Her Next Journey

Five years after setting the Little League World Series ablaze, Mo'ne Davis is college-bound to play softball and chase her TV-host dreams. Written by Shemar Woods.

Western Union

Shaq and Penny. Bobby Knight and Dickie V. The Sexiest Man Alive and the guy behind The Exorcist. Twenty-five years ago they all combined—or collided, really—to create the definitive college-hoops-scandal movie. This is the inside story. Written by Tim Rohan.

From the 2018 Where Are They Now? issue

Sammy Sosa's Next Act

Twenty years ago he and Mark McGwire juiced baseball with their home run chase—now he’s mostly absent from the public eye and is persona non grata at Wrigley Field. We went to Dubai to check in on Slammin’ Sammy, who’s enjoying a lavish life everywhere but Chicago. Written by Jason Buckland and Ben Reiter

About Those Togas...

What started as an iconic cover for SI’s 1998 Sportsmen of the Year issue lives on as the object of ridicule, now that the shadow of PEDs hangs over every one of Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire’s heroics. A brief oral history of one of the strangest covers in the magazine’s history, as told by the editors and photographers who put it together. Written by Ben Baskin

Sports Movie Memorabilia Heaven

With a 20,000-square-foot facility, featuring approximately 135,000 uniforms, 5,000 pairs of footwear, and 3,500 helmets, the “world’s largest locker room” is able to re-create items from any period, and ensure that they look as accurate as possible. Written by Jeremy Fuchs

Johnny Bench Looks for Something New

Famed for his precocious achievements behind the plate five decades ago, the 70-year-old former leader of the Big Red Machine is now devoting himself to molding children—his own. Written by Jon Wertheim

Million Dollar Moves

With a relentless work ethic and an unimaginable journey, Rinku Singh is trying to make it big in WWE after his Major League Baseball career bottomed out. Written by Jon Tayler

Last of the Straight-On Kickers

The only pure placekicker ever to be NFL MVP, Mark Moseley was also the last of his toe-kicking breed. An integral member of a colorful Redskins Super Bowl winner, he’s now kicking back as a fast food exec. Written by Michael Farber

An Aging Action Sports Superstar

How does a skateboarding rebel do middle age? Tony Hawk just turned 50—50!—and after decades defying gravity, he's learned that a more down-to-earth lifestyle is an adrenaline rush. Written by Jacob Feldman

Martina Navratilova Is Still Active

Martina Navratilova was one of the first athletes who refused to stick to sports. More than a decade after her retirement, she's as outspoken as ever. Written by Jon Wertheim

Percy Harvin’s Long Road Home

Eight years after he started torching NFL defenses, the retired receiver–return man addresses his mental health and how he thinks it shaped his life and reputation as he takes on an unfamiliar role back at Florida: mentor. Written by Michael McKnight

Ahmad Rashad's Celebrity Circle Remains (Mostly) Intact

After a stellar career as an NFL receiver, he was a ubiquitous TV sportscaster in the 1990s, often trading on his access as a friend to the stars. But while many of his relationships endure (Cosby and O.J. excluded), it's his famous daughter who puts the Rashad name on marquees today. Written by Tim Rohan

GUTS: An Oral History

Crew members, on-air talent and contestants relive what made the show special, and how a mountain with a mind of its own captured the imaginations of children everywhere, 26 years after its premiere on Nickelodeon. Written by Jeremy Fuchs

The Greatest Team to Never Make It

Twenty years ago, the Vikings caught lightning in a bottle with a reborn QB and a jaw-dropping rookie receiver named Randy Moss. They piled up points like no other team in history and seemed destined for greatness. The psychic toll of their heartbreak still lingers in Minnesota. Written by Connor Orr

Run TMC's Special Place in Warriors Lore

Nearly 30 years before the Splash Brothers came along, three scoring sensations gave Golden State a revolutionary, wide-open offense with a catchy name. Written by Greg Bishop

From the 2017 Where Are They Now? issue

Clinton Portis's public bankruptcy and private rage

For the elite running back who once pulled on colored wigs and novelty glasses to embody playful alter egos, life after football turned serious—and nearly compelled him to do the unthinkable. Written by Brian Burnsed

Vince Young's quest to rewrite his football ending

"I didn’t stop because I wanted to. Now, I can’t blame anyone but me.” Vince Young won a national title and Rookie of the Year, but he’s remembered more for flaming out and financial snafus. At 34, he decided to play again—and quickly learned how hard that is. Written by Greg Bishop

The Answer finds his way home

As Allen Iverson returns to the court for the first time in seven years, the NBA's best player calls him "a god" and the man he immortalized with a ruthless crossover wants him on his coaching staff. But what The Answer really wants to talk about is the winding journey back to his family, which could be his most important (and most surprising) victory. Written by Lee Jenkins

Away from the Olympic spotlight, Sasha Cohen adjusts to a new normal

After a childhood spent chasing Olympic glory, the 2006 silver medalist explains why learning how to be an adult in the real world out of the spotlight—and how to be vulnerable—was a different challenge entirely. Written by Sasha Cohen

Marcus Lattimore launches a new football career

Five years after he played his last down, Marcus Lattimore has returned to Columbia and set up a new career in football that suits him just as well as his old labels of Gamecocks hero and surefire first-rounder once did. Written by Jonathan Jones

Justin Leonard left the course to find his peak

The former Ryder Cup hero couches his Rocky Mountain makeover as a mid-life opportunity. Written by John Garrity

Gatorade Players of the Year who didn't become household names

Joe Robbins/Getty Images; Joe Raymond; Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The list of Gatorade High School Players of the Year includes LeBron James, Clayton Kershaw … and these other athletes who went on to flourish elsewhere once their playing careers wound down. Written by Jeremy Fuchs

Garry Kasparov tries to stay a move ahead of Putin

Perhaps the greatest chess player ever, the former world champion has become a fierce critic of his homeland and an advocate for freedom around the world. Written by Jack Dickey

How MJ taught B.J. to be an NBA agent

For B.J. Armstrong, being Michael Jordan's sidekick had its perks, like three rings and an inside look at the NBA world that offered him preparation for his second career as an agent like no other player could have. Written by Matt Dollinger

Meet the stars of TBT (again)

The Basketball Tournament deals in nostalgia for former stars of college basketball and the NBA. Catch up with Ohio State's Aaron Craft, UConn's Josh Boone and Missouri's Kareem Rush. Written by the Crossover staff

Boomshakalaka: The oral history of NBA Jam

Nearly a quarter century ago, the mischievous developers at Midway created NBA Jam, marrying video games and sports in a way never seen before. SI gathered those involved—behind the scenes and on the screen—to reminisce about the iconic coin-gobbling arcade game. Written by Alex Abnos and Dan Greene

Generation Shaq: The kids named after larger-than-life star

shaq-shaquille-oneal-baby-name-popularity-kids-where-are-they-now.jpg — John McDonough

They are clarinetists and youth pastors and rappers and aerospace engineers, NFL players and valedictorians. But they all have one thing in common: the instantly recognizable first name of one of sports' most magnetic stars. Written by Alex Prewitt

Inside the life of the modern pro athlete in retirement

A gathering in Florida provides a telling glimpse into the (golf-heavy, yarn-filled, still-aspirant) life of the modern professional athlete after hanging up the uniform. Written by Jon Wertheim

One Nation, Under Dog: An ode to the hot dog

Let's take a moment to appreciate the food that's emblematic of the United States of America: the hot dog. It doesn't just contain connective tissue. It is the connective tissue. Written by Steve Rushin

Midnight basketball, two decades later

Community leaders across the country, using hoops as a hook for social programming, started leagues modeled after a tiny operation that began in Glenarden, Md. But what made Chicago’s league memorable was its prominence and its promise—even if its impact remains hard to measure. Written by Joan Niesen