SeaTown Sports Top 100 (#20-#11)
Brian and Kevin count down the top 100 professional Seattle sports athletes of all time.
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In celebration of surpassing 100 subscribers, SeaTown Sports is counting down the top 100 professional Seattle sports athletes of all-time. This list will not include individual athletes like Apolo Ohno or Michael Chang and it does not include any college stars who did not play in Seattle professionally (think Steve Emtman or Kelsey Plum). Also, you won’t see any Seattle Kraken athletes on the list. We just haven’t seen any individual performers at a high enough level in the past three seasons in the deep. Kevin and Brian hope this list provides an opportunity for fun discussion as our readers keep engaging with us moving forward.
#20 - Spencer Haywood, Sonics
Key Accomplishments: 4x All-Star, 2x 1st team All-NBA, 2x 2nd team All-NBA, ranks 1st in points per game and 1st in rebounds per game in Sonics history
Spencer Haywood has a fascinating back story which includes breaking barriers and breaking records. As a college sophomore, Haywood wanted to turn pro but NBA rules prohibited him from entering the league.
The rival ABA league had similar rules, but made a hardship exemption for Haywood that allowed him to join, as he was one of 10 kids with a mother working as a sharecropper (earning low wages). Haywood set the ABA on fire and later joined the Sonics of the NBA. The only problem was that he was still ineligible to join the NBA.
So Haywood and the Sonics sued and the case went to the Supreme Court, the Court allowed Haywood to play in the NBA while the litigation proceeded. The parties eventually settled, with the NBA modifying its rules to allow Haywood to play.
Following the Supreme Court victory, Haywood dominated on the court. In his first season as a Sonic, Haywood averaged 20.6 points and 12 rebounds per game. His numbers only went up from there. Check these out:
1971-72 - 26.2 points, 12.7 rebounds
1972-73 - 29.2 points, 12.9 rebounds
1973-74 - 23.5 points, 13.4 rebounds
1974-75 - 22.4 points, 9.3 rebounds
There is a case to be made that Haywood had the most dominant stretch of years in Seattle sports history. His 29.2 points are a Sonics franchise high and his 13.4 rebounds are also a club record.
#19 - Shawn Kemp, Sonics
Key Accomplishments: 5x All-Star, 3x All-NBA 2nd Team, ranks 5th in points, 2nd in rebounds, 6th in steals and 1st in blocks in Sonics history
The transition from Shawn Kemp the athlete to Shawn Kemp the complete basketball player was remarkable to watch. We all loved Shawn Kemp for his dunks, but when he found a 17-foot jumper, it all changed. After one All-Star appearance and a good start to his career, Kemp’s two-point percentage took off in 1993-94. With three straight years over 54%, Kemp could score around the hoop and from outside.
He was an unstoppable force.
Amazingly, Kemp only averaged over 20 points per game once and it was in Cleveland. But in Seattle, Shawn Kemp finished in the top 10 in MVP voting three different times and averaged a double-double for six consecutive seasons.
Who are we kidding? We love Kemp for his dunks most of all. Who cares that he got a jumper? Just watch this and enjoy.
#18 - Jess Fishlock, Reign
Key Accomplishments: 2021 NWSL MVP, 5x NWSL Best XI, 2nd all-time in appearances and goals in Reign history
This ranking may surprise some people who haven’t watched Reign soccer much. Clearly, Megan Rapinoe is more famous and more accomplished on the international stage but Fishlock’s resume speaks for itself.1
Being in the top 20 in Seattle sports history means you have something that separates you from others or puts you in a top tier and Fishlock has that. She has FIVE - yes FIVE - NWSL Best XI tallies to her name to go along with the 2021 league MVP. The only player in NWSL history with more accomplishments is defender Becky Sauerbrunn. That’s right - no one else has the resume that Fishlock has including Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Julie Ertz, and Carli Lloyd.
She’s a Seattle legend and should be revered as such moving forward. When you speak of the Seattle greats, make sure to mention Jess Fishlock.
#17 - Richard Sherman, Seahawks
Key Accomplishments: Super Bowl XLVIII champion, 4x Pro Bowls, 3x First Team All-Pro, ranks 4th in interceptions in Seahawks history
A sampling of Richard Sherman quotes:
I'm the best corner in the game. When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that is the result you are going to get. Don't you ever talk about me.
A lot of people are like, 'Don't read your news clippings.' I read them every day. Anything negative somebody said about me, I find it and use it as fuel.
And my personal favorite :
I’m better at life than you.
Sherman is one of those rare athletes that indisputably backed up his trash talk. He may be No. 1 on the list of “I’d hate him if he was on another team” Seattle athlete. During the prime Legion of Boom years, it was a given that Sherman would lock up the opposing team’s No. 1 receiver. Without Sherman, there is no Super Bowl championship in Seattle.
#16 - Kenny Easley, Seahawks
Key Accomplishments: 1984 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, 5x Pro Bowls, 3x First Team All-Pro, ranks 5th in interceptions in Seahawks history
If you are too young to remember Kenny Easley, I am so sorry. Imagine Kam Chancellor, Bobby Wagner and Earl Thomas wrapped into one physical specimen. The only thing that held Easley back was that his career was so short and the Seahawks weren’t very good in the 80s.
Easley played seven years in the NFL (all for the Hawks) and was a first team All-Pro in three of those seasons. Sadly, Easley’s career ended because of a kidney ailment that he actually attributed to being worse due to the 20-25 Advil he was consuming per day. When I have three, I feel like I am living on the edge.
Easley’s nickname was “The Enforcer” which is everything you need to know about how he played the game. His nickname also allows me to talk about the posters of the 80s and 90s. Just look at this beauty.
I would do anything to go back and watch Easley play. I would do anything to make these posters available again.
#15 - Earl Thomas, Seahawks
Key Accomplishments: Super Bowl XLVIII champion, 6x Pro Bowls, 3x First Team All-Pro
NFL Draft “experts” sometimes hit on their projections and sometimes miss on their projections. Mike Mayock nailed his projection on Thomas back in 2010:
"I've probably watched 300-400 snaps apiece and in my opinion, Earl Thomas is the most instinctive free safety I've seen on tape in five or six years," said NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock. "He's a playmaker, he's got loose hips, and he's got the best range of any centerfielder I've seen coming out of college football in a long time."
Thomas and Kam Chancellor formed one of the best safety duos in NFL history, providing the foundation for a historically dominant Seahawks defense in the 2010s. The 2013 season was perhaps Thomas’ most impressive. He earned first-team all-pro honors, finished third in defensive player of the year voting, and helped lead Seattle to a Super Bowl championship.
#14 - Randy Johnson, Mariners
Key Accomplishments: Hall of Fame, 5x All-Star, 1995 Cy Young, No-hitter (1990)
Though Randy Johnson’s Baseball Hall of Fame plaque has him wearing an Arizona Diamondbacks hat, the Big Unit’s accomplishments in Seattle are enough to rank him as one of the city’s best ever professional athletes.
One of those “accomplishments” isn’t listed above, but is a close second to Edgar’s “Double” when thinking of the key performances during the 1995 American League Divisional Series against the New York Yankees.
Down 2-0 in the series, Johnson pitched and earned the win in game three in Seattle, striking out 10 Yankees and holding them to two runs.
Then, in game five, operating on one day of rest, Johnson entered a 4-4 game in the 9th inning, and went on to pitch the 10th and 11th innings, striking out six Yankees and holding them again, to one run.
His relief appearance helped set the table for The Double, and is one of the most important playoff performances in Seattle sports history.2
#13 - Breanna Stewart, Storm
Key Accomplishments: 2x WNBA champ, 2018 MVP, 2x WNBA Finals MVP, 4x All-Star, 4x First Team All-WNBA, WNBA Rookie of the Year.
Bringing two championships to Seattle puts you in rare territory. Though it hurt when Stewart signed with the New York Liberty in 2023, it was more of a “good luck at your next stop” type of departure from Seattle.
In her six seasons in Seattle, perhaps her best season was in 2018, when she averaged a career-best (at the time) 21.8 points per game to go along with averages of 8.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists while also shooting three-pointers at a career-high 41.5%. She took home MVP honors and Finals MVP honors that season, becoming only the sixth player in league history to pull off the feat. Who else is part of that club? I’ll give you a hint. She’s ranked above Stewie on this list.
#12 - Cortez Kennedy, Seahawks
Key Accomplishments: Pro Football Hall of Fame, Seahawks Ring of Honor, 1992 Defensive Player of the Year, 3x 1st team All-Pro, 2x 2nd-team All-Pro, 8x Pro Bowl, ranks 4th in sacks in Seahawks history, jersey retired by Seahawks
Do you know how hard it is to be named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year on a team that has a 2-14 record? That is how good Cortez Kennedy was for the Seahawks. At the young age of 24 years old, “Tez” dominated offensive lines to the tune of 14 sacks and four forced fumbles as a defensive tackle. While that season stands out as his best, Cortez Kennedy was good for years and years in Seattle. Three times named first team All-Pro and eight Pro Bowls were enough to make him the 7th best defensive tackle of all time according to Gil Brandt at NFL.com.
#11 - Steve Largent, Seahawks
Key Accomplishments: Pro Football Hall of Fame, Seahawks Ring of Honor, 7x Pro Bowl, 1x 1st team All-Pro, 4x 2nd team All-Pro, ranks 1st in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and catches in Seahawks history, jersey retired by Seahawks
For those who grew up in the 70s or 80s, Steve Largent was THE guy in Seattle sports. Part of Largent’s lore is honestly that he doesn’t look the part of an elite wide receiver. Largent ran a 4.76 40 yard dash time. He was 5’11, 176 pounds and was cut by the Houston Oilers after being drafted in the fourth round out of Tulsa. Largent almost quit football before the Seahawks game him another chance. And then Largent simply dominated through precision, toughness and perseverance for 14 years.
After two solid seasons in the league, Largent took off in his third year with 71 catches for 1168 yards and eight touchdowns. Largent then posted seven 1000+ yards seasons out of eight (injured for one year). He finished his career as the NFL receiving leader in every major category before Jerry Rice broke them all.
Largent had tremendous plays over the course of his career, but his revenge hit on Broncos DB Mike Harden might be the coolest story.
In fairness, Fishlock plays for Wales so her international stage opportunities were limited and is the all-time leading Welsh goal scorer.
Side note: Brian was at this game and has chills when thinking about Randy coming in to “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses.
Your last comment on Largent, that at the time of his retirement, he was the all-time leader in every major career receiving category, carries a lot of weight with me. His consecutive games with a reception were also a big deal at the time. Maybe that indicates how much the NFL has changed, that it wasn't quite a given that a receiver would catch a pass in a game. White receiver or no, Largent was doing big-boy work -- an averge of 16 yards a reception over his career, and he was over that every year from '77-'81.
Spencer Haywood was a great athlete and very deserving of his spot on this list for his on court accomplishments. However, his most important contribution to sports was his legal battle to play in the NBA. In many ways it broke the iron fist of sports owners and opened the door to modern free agency. All professional athletes owe him a big thank you!