Attempting to name the biggest sports stars from a single state is tricky and causes much debate. That’s the beauty of sport;everyone can have a different opinion. We have researched and narrowed down the list of contenders and believe the following people to be Arizona’s biggest sporting icons.
Larry Fitzgerald
We begin in the National Football League and Larry Fitzgerald enjoyed a 17-year career in the NFL with Arizona Cardinals. Having been selected by the Cardinals as a third overall draft pick in 2004, Fitzgerald became one of the greatest wide receivers in the history of the sport. Selected for the Pro Bowl 11 times, he is currently second in the all-time NFL career receiving yards. Fitzgerald was named in the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team and has continued to work in Arizona having become a minority owner of the NBA team Phoenix Suns. When the Cardinals were playing, prop betting always included Fitzgerald in the receiving yards market. If you are new to the NFL or want to improve your NFL betting, we recommend reading an NFL betting guide to give yourself the best chance of success.
Diana Taurasi
Another athlete who spent her entire career playing for one team in Arizona is Diana Taurasi. She joined Women’s National Basketball Association team Phoenix Mercury in 2004 and remained a Mercury player until 2024. Taurasi is regarded by many as one of the greatest basketball players of all time and she won three WNBA championships during her time in Arizona. In fact, in 2021 Taurasi was named by fans as the WNBA’s best player of all time and she also has an incredible six Olympic gold medals to her name. Her first gold was won in Athens in 2004 and Taurasi won gold again at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Phil Mickelson
During his time at Arizona State University, Mickelson won three NCAA individual championships and took the Sun Devils to an NCAA team title. In his four years at college, ‘Lefty’ was awarded first-team All-American honours, and it was clear Mickelson was going to become one of the world’s greatest golfers. He won 16 tournaments during his college years and Mickelson has since won three of the four majors and has a total of 45 PGA Tour wins to his name. Thanks to his college years in Arizona, Mickelson always receives a warm welcome at the raucous WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, a tournament he has won three times.
Brock Purdy
Brock Purdy differs from the sports stars above because he was born in Arizona but has made his name outside the state. Currently playing in the NFL as a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Purdy started by playing high school football for Perry High School in Gilbert and was named Gatorade’s Football Player of the Year. Purdy committed to Iowa State University in 2018 and was named in the All-Big 12 second team as a sophomore in 2019 and the First-team All-Big 12 in the following two years. Purdy broke multiple records at Iowa State and was the final pick of the 2022 NFL draft, joining the 49ers. The fact so many teams overlooked Purdy in the draft was the 49ers gain and he helped San Francisco to the Super Bowl in 2024.
There are many other fantastic athletes who were either born in Arizona or played their way into the hearts of Arizona sports fans. Auston Matthews, Cody Bellinger, Randy Johnson, Charles Barkley, Steve Nash, Devin Booker, and Pat Tillman are all fine examples of Arizona sporting icons who deserve a mention.
