The Ultimate List of New Jersey’s Best Athletes by Sport

New Jersey has produced a lot of great athletes. Let's take a look at the best player from New Jersey in every major sport.

The Best Athletes Ever From New Jersey

In every major sport in America, you will find a world-class athlete from New Jersey who has made a major impact on that sport.

We'll check in with each sport to highlight the athlete from New Jersey who changed that sport forever.

Here are the New Jersey athletes we have chosen to be the top representatives in each sport. Let's see if you agree with our choices.

The Top New Jersey Sports Figures In Each Sport

Basketball - Shaquille O'Neal - Shaq is one of the most recognizable sports figures in the world. He dominated the basketball world and was a Newark native, born on March 6, 1972.

Read More: These Baseball Legends Are From New Jersey

Football - We're going to take the easy road here and call it a tie between legendary running back Franco Harris and the amazing quarterback Joe Theismann, both from the Garden State.

Hockey - This honor belongs to the late Johnny Gaudreau, who, along with his brother Matthew, died in a tragic accident in 2024. His nickname was Johnny Hockey, and that says it all.

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Baseball - This one gets a little sticky. There are three legends from the Garden State. Yogi Berra, Mike Trout, and Derek Jeter all have roots in the Garden State. Jeter was born here, Trout was born and grew up here, and Yogi lived here for 60 years. We're deciding three-way tie on this one.