SI’s Favorite Stories of 2024

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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? 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

By Brian Burnsed

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

By Kevin Sweeney

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

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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?

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.”

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.