- We didn't use a formula this list is completely subjective based on both the gravity of the moment and the athletic brilliance of the play.
- Check out the 50 greatest sports plays of 2019 below.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
We ranked the greatest plays in all of sports over the past year.
ADVERTISEMENT
50. LeBron James delivers a no-look between-the-legs pass to Dwight Howard for the easy bucket.
49. Carli Lloyd drills a 55-yard field goal while visiting the Philadelphia Eagles training camp.
ADVERTISEMENT
48. Fran Belibi throws one down en route to becoming the second woman to win the McDonalds All American dunk contest.
47. Tiger Woods tees himself up for a two-foot birdie shot and puts himself within one stroke of the lead in the final round of the 2019 Masters.
ADVERTISEMENT
46. Coco Gauff lofts a drop shot over Venus Williams en route to her breakout win over the star at Wimbledon.
45. Zlatan Ibrahimovi tees up his own volley and scores an astounding bicycle-kick goal.
44. Eleven days after the untimely death of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs and the same night as the teams tribute to its former star, Taylor Cole and Felix Pea combined to throw a no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners.
ADVERTISEMENT
43. Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jonathan Davis flies through the air to make a stunning, multiple run-saving grab against the Tampa Bay Rays.
42. Lucas Moura scores a miracle goal in the final seconds of stoppage time in Tottenhams matchup with Ajax to send his Hotspurs through to Champions League final.
ADVERTISEMENT
41. The San Francisco 49ers trick the Saints with an Emmanuel Sanders touchdown pass.
40. Cristiano Ronaldo rose eight feet in the air and stayed airborne seemingly forever to net a sensational header for Juventus.
39. Roger Federer caps a brilliant rally at the net with a lofting shot over Kevin Anderson at the 2019 Miami Open.
ADVERTISEMENT
38. Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson recovers to throw a game-winning touchdown after taking a cleat to the eye.
37. Murray State star Ja Morant leaps over his defender for the monster slam.
ADVERTISEMENT
36. Libertys Gandy Golden reels in an Odell Beckham Jr.-esque one-handed grab for the touchdown through double coverage against Rutgers.
35. The Miami Dolphins special teams unit fools the Philadelphia Eagles defense to score a game-tying touchdown with a shovel pass from punter Matt Haack to kicker Jason Sanders.
34. Chilean goalie Christiane Endler makes a diving save on a US Womens National Team striker Christen Press during the 2019 World Cup group stage.
ADVERTISEMENT
33. With two Chiefs defenders pressuring him out of the pocket, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers flips a touchdown pass to running back Jamaal Williams in the back corner of the end zone.
32. Jeff Maggert wins the Charles Schwab Cup Championship by holing out a 123-yard approach shot.
ADVERTISEMENT
31. Boston Bruins Charlie McAvoy forces Game 7 in the Stanley cup by swatting the puck out of the air and off the goal line after it deflects off goalie Tuukka Rask.
30. English keeper Karen Bardsley bats a free kick out of the upper 90 to keep things even in Englands group stage match against Japan.
29. NFL MVP frontrunner Lamar Jackson breaks through the Bengals defensive line before deploying a devastating spin move and cruising into the end zone to extend the Ravens lead.
ADVERTISEMENT
28. Dukes Ella Stevens bends a corner kick into the back of the net.
27. Naomi Osaka ends a long rally against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova with an impressive sprint to the net and a narrow-angle cross-court shot during the 2019 Osaka Final.
26. Lionel Messi bends a free kick past the Liverpool keeper from 30 meters to net his 600th goal in a Barcelona kit.
ADVERTISEMENT
25. Pablo Cuevas teases opponent Stefanos Tsitsipas with a smash before hitting a no-look tweener to win the point at the Estoril Open.
24. Connecticut Huskies commit Paige Bueckers goes behind the back and crosses a defender out of her shoes before dishing a no-look dime to her teammate.
ADVERTISEMENT
23. Tobin Heath nets a stunning backward heel shot for the Portland Thorns.
22. Kamaru Usman, a Nigerian immigrant, breaks Colby Covingtons jaw during his UFC 245 bout against the outspoken Trump supporter.
21. Jeremy Lamb stuns the Toronto Raptors with a game-winning buzzer-beater from beyond half court.
ADVERTISEMENT
20. Jozy Altidore gives Toronto FC an early lead over his former team with a glorious backheel goal.
19. Mamadi Diakite hits a buzzer-beater to send his future national champion Virginia Cavaliers to overtime in their Elite Eight matchup with the Purdue Boilermakers.
ADVERTISEMENT
18. Dearica Hamby picks off Courtney Vandersloot and drains a 38-foot game-winner for the Los Vegas Aces.
17. Bryce Harper blasts a walk-off grand slam to give the Phillies a 7-5 win over the Chicago Cubs.
16. Andy Ruiz Jr. scores two knockdowns against Anthony Joshua moments after the Brit landed an uppercut hook combo on him in the third round of their first bout.
ADVERTISEMENT
15. Alex Morgan puts the US Womens National Team up 2-1 with a beautiful header in the 2019 World Cup semifinal against England and "sips tea" to celebrate.
14. UCLAs Kaitlyn Ohashi earns a perfect 10 for her upbeat, Jackson-5 inspired floor routine.
ADVERTISEMENT
13. Tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios hits a running tweener to end a gorgeous rally against Borna Coric in the 2019 Miami Open round of 16.
12. Wayne Rooney hits a one-touch beauty from well beyond midfield to put D.C. United up by one against Orlando City.
11. Reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes weaves through traffic and evades Indianapolis Colts defenders before throwing a bullet to Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Byron Pringle for the touchdown.
ADVERTISEMENT
10. Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross makes an acrobatic one-handed catch near the sideline to help bolster the Tigers 2019 national championship victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide.
9. Georgetown freshman goalkeeper Tomas Romero makes a clutch PK save against Virginias Axel Gunnarsson to clinch the Hoyas first national championship in mens soccer.
ADVERTISEMENT
8. Rose Lavelle seals the US Womens National Teams 2019 World Cup victory with a beautiful solo effort in the 69th minute of the final.
7. Dukes Zion Williamson sprints across the court and rises to swat DeAndre Hunters shot into the stands.
6. Stevie Wilkerson of the Baltimore Orioles flips over the right-field wall to rob Boston Red Sox star Jackie Bradley Jr. at Fenway Park and get revenge for teammate Trey Mancini.
ADVERTISEMENT
5. Boston Red Sox star Jackie Bradley Jr. leaps well above the center-field wall to rob Baltimore Orioles outfielder Trey Mancini of a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 11th at Camden Yards.
4. Damian Lillard hits a buzzer-beating long-range three over Paul George to end the Portland Trail Blazers opening-round playoffs series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
ADVERTISEMENT
3. Gael Monfils hits a wild jump shot past Marton Fucsovics during the 2019 Madrid Open.
2. Simone Biles stuns in her floor exercise at the gymnastics world championships in Stuttgart, Germany, nailing signature moves named in her honor en route to earning a full point more than any other competitor and winning her record 25th world medal.
1. Kawhi Leonard sends the Raptors to the Eastern Conference finals on a buzzer-beating jumper from the corner during Game 7 of Torontos series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
ADVERTISEMENT
Now check out which stars have dominated the past decade:
BusinessInsider USA Images
Ben Curtis/AP; Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images; Michael Dwyer/AP; Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe via Getty Images; Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images; Ruobing Su/Business Insider
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also:
- Cristiano Ronaldo scored an incredible NBA-style header, making contact 8 feet off the ground and hanging in the air for 1.5 seconds, to give Juventus a much-needed Serie A win
- 2019 was a historic year in women's sports here are the 50 best images from some of the top photographers
- It took 2 months for the feel-good team of the NBA offseason to fall apart