SI’s Favorite Stories of 2024

From cover stories to on-the-ground reporting and everything in between, we’re taking a look back at the must-read and most memorable features of the year.

Illustration by Michael Byers

As 2024 comes to a close, we’re looking back at the memorable moments, top performers and best stories of the year. Writers and editors shared their favorite and most impactful SI stories from the last 12 months. Here are their choices.

Clay Patrick McBride/Sports Illustrated

Shohei Ohtani Is an Icon Among Us

By Tom Verducci

First, the new Dodgers star shattered expectations for what a baseball player can be. Then he did the same to the sport’s star-driven economics. All he wants now: a chance to bend October to his will.

Crime Ring: The Story of the Sports World’s Most Infamous Thief

By Jon Wertheim

Tommy Trotta Jr. was a career small-time criminal who made the jump to the big leagues by stealing sports memorabilia. What his crew did with their haul was just as audacious as the thefts.

This Is What the American Section of a Fancy French Grocery Store Looks Like

By Stephanie Apstein

Everyone knows hauling grocery bags can be an Olympic sport. In between competitions in Paris, we paid a visit to the aisle that stocks what France considers to be the U.S.’s national delicacies.

New York Liberty

How Do You Dress an Elephant? One Fit at a Time

By Emma Baccellieri

Custom looks. Matching sets. Accessories. Liberty mascot Ellie the Elephant has become a cultural icon for her distinctly New York looks that embrace her femininity.

Made in America: How the U.S. Forged the Olympic Swimmers Competing Against Them in Paris

By Pat Forde

Attracted by world-class facilities and coaching in the U.S., Léon Marchand and Summer McIntosh will turn that training against Team USA at the Summer Games.

Illustration by Andrew DeGraff

Have We Reached Our Athletic Limits?

By Michael Rosenberg

The theme runs through the entire 70-year history of SI: athletes redefining the standards of human potential. But now, records are standing longer and there are fewer magic numbers to chase. So what frontiers will we pursue in the future? 

The Celtics Define Greatness in Any Era

By Chris Mannix

Following in the Converse-clad footsteps of 1956 SI cover subject Bob Cousy, Boston’s Jayson Tatum led the Celtics to their 18th NBA title, making them the most successful team of the magazine’s seven decades. 

Illustration by Michael Byers

Ice? Ice, Baby! Welcome to the World of Cold-Water Immersion

By Chris Ballard

For an increasing number of elite athletes looking to recover from injury, weekend warriors trying to defy time and everyday folks (and celebrities) looking for exhilaration, the solution is simple: Just chill out.

The NFL’s Most Influential Teams: Counting Down From 50

By Matt Verderame 

More than 2,300 teams have competed in the 104-year history of professional football, yielding a list filled with dynasties, upstarts, historymakers and innovators.

Clay Patrick McBride/Sports Illustrated

Pedal to the Medal: Lions Franchise Speeding Toward First Super Bowl Appearance

By Conor Orr and Greg Bishop

Like the city they call home, the Lions know what it’s like to struggle—and how satisfying a self-engineered renaissance can be.

After Amen: Sam Bennett Has Learned in the Last Year That Life, and Golf, Are Never Simple

By Brian Burnsed

Sam Bennett became a star at the 2023 Masters while trying to overcome his father's death. His journey continues.

Cameron and Cayden Boozer Will Continue Their Brotherly Bond at Duke

By Kevin Sweeney

The pair of five-star recruits have been looking out for their older sibling—and each other—since birth.

Jeffery A. Salter/Sports Illustrated

How the Nimble Behemoths of the Offensive Line Became the NFL’s Best Athletes

By Conor Orr

Counterintuitive to their size, these 300-pounders embody a special type of big-man athleticism that rivals the fitness of the best of the best in sports.

Breanna Stewart Is Bridging the Gap in Women’s Basketball

By Greg Bishop 

The boom that the WNBA, and women’s sports in general, are enjoying is thanks in large part to Stewie and others like her who have bridged the generational gap between old-school pioneers and the rising stars of the future. 

Caeleb Dressel Is Back for Paris, But as a Changed Swimmer

By Pat Forde

A months-long hiatus from the sport has given the seven-time Olympic gold medalist a new perspective. Now he is peaking for Paris, but admits that he is still struggling while swimming fast.

Noah Lyles Doesn’t Care What You Think About Him

By Greg Bishop

Track and field’s biggest showman is bringing his vibrant personality to the Paris Olympics as he looks to back up his bold claim of being the world’s fastest man.

Taylor Ballantyne/Sports Illustrated

The Power Moves—and Supercharged Rookie Class—That Fueled the WNBA’s Boom

By Emma Baccellieri

Player empowerment is more than a buzzword—especially in the W, where a generation of dazzling stars have brought the league tons of cultural cachet. The question now: How to use this newfound clout?

Rookie Starters Have Kept Injury-Stricken Dodgers on Course

By Nick Selbe

With Los Angeles in World Series-or-bust mode, the team has relied upon rookie pitchers more than any other club. Says manager Dave Roberts: "Collectively, they’ve been a godsend for our ball club."

A Haiku for Every MLB Team

By Will Laws

The playoffs are around the corner, which means it’s time for SI’s tradition of wrapping up the regular season with a haiku to describe each team.

WNBA’s Connection With Queer Fans Goes Deeper Than Annual Pride Games

By Clare Brennan

The Liberty held their yearly Pride game in Brooklyn on Saturday, but the league long ago established itself as a welcoming place for people of all backgrounds—every day of the season.

Bill Belichick’s Unparalleled Legacy in New England

By Greg Bishop

Deeply curious, a scholar of history and a cutter of sleeves. How do you capture the impact of his 24 years leading the Patriots?

Do You Know the Olympics’ Muffin Man?

By Stephanie Apstein

Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen has become the Games’ breakout social media star by making videos about a delicious delicacy from the Olympic Village: a chocolate muffin.

Scheffler Arrest, Fatal Accident Are an Embarrassing Culmination of a Tragedy That Could Have Been Avoided

By Pat Forde

The potential for tragedy was always there outside Valhalla, writes Louisville resident Pat Forde. On Friday it all came to fruition, and now we're focused on the wrong thing.

Erick Rasco/Sports Illustrated

How One Man Became Baseball’s Go-To Glove Doctor

By Emma Baccellieri 

Players from MLB down to Little League send their gloves to Chris Petroff, and, inside his backyard work shed, he re-laces, restores and repairs them.

How Baseball’s Long Courting of London Once Captured the King’s Attention

By Tom Verducci

MLB has been trying to attract fans from across the pond for over a century, and returns to London to try again this weekend. It’ll be tough to top an exhibition that took place in 1914.

A’s Fans Hold Onto Old Memories, New Keepsakes in Team’s Farewell to Oakland

By Stephanie Apstein

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum hosted the A’s final game in the Bay Area on Thursday. Fans mourned and commemorated the team by keeping what they could from the send-off.

MLB Should Look to the Art of Pitching to Solve Its Injury Crisis

By Tom Verducci

Greg Maddux built a 5,000-inning Hall of Fame career on command, location and movement—and he never injured his arm. It’s time baseball experts started listening to him.