Top 10 Athletes Who Were Freaks of Nature

Top 10 Athletes Who Were Freaks of Nature

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were counting down our picks for the biggest genetic freaks in sports history.

#10: Wilt Chamberlain

The NBAs biggest freak - no pun intended - has to be Wilt Chamberlain. This dude was literally born to play basketball, standing 71 and weighing 300 pounds, with a nearly eight-foot wingspan and a vertical leap of fifty inches, which is just bonkers. Teammates and opponents have also said that Chamberlain could bench over 500 pounds, and he allegedly outlifted professional bodybuilders. Maybe its an exaggeration, but it speaks to Wilts mythical status as a freak athlete. Speaking of, he also holds some stats that just straight up dont seem real, like averaging 50 points per game in a season and being the only player - ever - to score 100 points in a game, which he did on March 2, 1962.

#9: Wayne Gretzky

Hockey isnt the most popular sport in the world, but everyone still knows the name Wayne Gretzky. His greatness wasnt about raw physicality - it was an almost supernatural instinct for hockey that nobody else had. He had a hockey IQ that was almost telepathic, and even as a kid he played at a level far above his peers, indicating the insane natural talent within. Gretzky had unbelievable vision and foresight on the ice. In fact, even if he never scored a single goal, hed still be the NHLs all-time points leader just on assists alone. Thats mental. He also holds dozens upon dozens of NHL records and scored over 200 points in four different seasons. Nobody else has even done that once.

#8: Brock Lesnar

You have to be a pretty big deal to headline UFC 100. Brock Lesnar was that big deal. This dude hit the genetic jackpot, with the ability to swiftly move like a lightweight despite being 63 and weighing 300 pounds. His raw strength is also unbelievable, throwing around 300 pound men like a dad playing with his kids. But hes also a multi-sport beast. Lesnar was once the best collegiate heavyweight wrestler in the country, later made himself a legend in the WWE, nearly made the Minnesota Vikings, and won the UFC heavyweight title in just his fourth fight. Thats unheard of. Lesnar was physically overwhelming to even the greatest veteran fighters, and hes the blueprint for what a once-in-a-generation combat sports phenom looks like.

#7: Michael Phelps

Some call P.T. Barnum - or, you know, the modern equivalent - because we may just have the worlds first half-man, half-fish. This guys body was basically lab-engineered for swimming. Hes 64 and has natural paddles in the form of his 67 wingspan. He also has a long torso that gives him a larger surface for buoyancy and powerful dolphin kicks with his long legs and size fourteen flippers. Sorry, feet. He also has insane physiology, with double the lung capacity of the average male and a resting heart rate of 38 bpm, signaling elite - almost superhuman - endurance. And after setting 39 world records and winning 23 Olympic golds, the results speak for themselves. No one even comes close to matching Phelpss physicality in the water.

#6: Shohei Ohtani[a]

Once in a while, a player will come along and redefine what is possible in a sport. This is what Shohei Ohtani did for baseball. Typically, players specialize in either offense or defense, so its very rare - unheard of, even - to see a starting pitcher also be an elite hitter. In 2023, Ohtani crushed 44 homers while notching ten wins as a starting pitcher - a mind-boggling effort that resulted in the Dodgers signing him for $700 million, which was the largest sports contract ever. And in 2024, Ohtani was unable to pitch owing to an elbow injury - so he became the first player in history to hit fifty home runs and steal fifty bases in a single season instead.

#5: Cristiano Ronaldo

Soccer is such an insanely popular sport, with so many historic and prospective players from around the world, that you have to be a genetic freak to stand out as the GOAT. Cristiano Ronaldo is a physical specimen that belongs in a lab. He has been clocked at speeds over 33 km/h, has a thirty-inch vertical leap, and at one time had a body fat percentage of just 7%. In one game, he scored a header with a 2.93 meter jump, which is legit NBA territory. This dude is a track athlete who just happens to play soccer. Of course, this athleticism has translated into on-field results, with his 900+ goals making him the most prolific goalscorer in the history of the sport.

#4: Usain[b] Bolt

When the fastest human being in history has the given name Usain Bolt, you have to start wondering about things like divine intervention. Bolt has a ridiculous combination of size and speed, standing 65 and owning some insanely long legs that allow him to take fewer strides than his competitors. He also accomplishes unreal acceleration and top speeds, even reaching 44.7 km/h in 2009 - the fastest that a human being has ever been clocked running. Bolt was so dominant that he often coasted at the end of races, like casually jogging the last few meters and still leaving his competition in the dust. Bolt didnt just win races - he won by margins that made the worlds most elite sprinters look slow.

#3: Mike Tyson

For a long time, this guy was the final boss of boxing. Literally! He had his own video game and everything. Prime Mike Tyson was in a world all his own, with an unreal combination of power and speed, not to mention reflexes that made him look like Neo. This guy could dodge bullets if he wanted to. Of course, most people remember Tyson for his monstrous punch, generating elite knockout power with mere inches of arm movement. In fact, scientists once analyzed Tysons punch and measured 1,800 PSI, which is like getting hit in the face with a sledgehammer. Tyson often had elite heavyweights on the canvas in the first round, and watching him work was simply magical.

#2: Jim Brown

Some people are just naturally good at everything they try. Like Jim Brown. He was an athletic monster at Syracuse, playing varsity baseball and becoming the second-leading scorer on the schools basketball team. He placed fifth in the National Championship decathlon. Oh, and underrated flex - hes also possibly the greatest lacrosse player of all time. They literally changed the rules of the game because of him. Brown cradled the ball so well that defenders physically couldnt knock it loose, so the rule was changed requiring the stick to be in constant motion. Oh yeah, and then theres his legendary NFL career, and he still holds the record for the highest average rushing yards per game, with 104.3. So yeah, the guy was pretty talented.

#1: Bo Jackson

To this day, Bo Jackson is the only athlete to be named an All Star in two different sports. Jackson was a freak on the football field, and despite only playing four seasons, he still left an undeniable mark. He was a one man army, bulldozing through linebackers, outrunning defensive backs, and in one game rushing for 221 yards and three touchdowns. And hed do all this after baseball season! You know in video games when you make a character and crank every stat up to 100? That was Jackson, hitting 450-foot bombs, throwing out players from the warning track, and climbing the walls like Spider Man. Jackson just had an aura to him that no other athlete before or since has captured.

What other freaks of nature do you know? Let us know in the comments below!

[a]SHOW-hay oh-TAW-nee https://youtu.be/Z22c-co-w_o?si=LFMp-0KB5wMplBOw&t=18

[b]yoo-sane