Every year, the sporting world remembers the passing of present celebrity athletes and long-retired legends, every of whom impacted their respective sport in distinctive methods.
Al Jazeera chronicles the sporting life of 5 of the highest-profile names who departed in 2024:
Franz Beckenbauer (September 11, 1945 – January 7, 2024)
Germany’s soccer nice who received World Cups for his nation as each participant and supervisor, died at 78.
Born in Munich simply 4 months after World Warfare II, Beckenbauer is extensively considered Germany’s best footballer of all time.
On the sphere, he reworked the sport in Europe. Whereas nonetheless a young person with Bayern Munich, he pioneered a extremely revolutionary taking part in type which is now extensively known as “complete soccer”.
On the worldwide degree, he captained West Germany to a memorable residence World Cup win in 1974.
Beckenbauer is one in every of solely 9 gamers to have received the FIFA World Cup, the European Champions Cup, and the Ballon d’Or.
As a supervisor, he loved comparable success, taking Germany to 2 consecutive World Cup finals in 1986 and 1990, profitable the cup for his nation on the second try in Rome.
In his latter years, Beckenbauer is fondly remembered as one of many recreation’s best world ambassadors.
Kelvin Kiptum (December 2, 1999 – February 11, 2024)
Kenya’s marathon world report holder died at 24.
Kiptum exploded onto the marathon scene in October 2023 when he ran a scintillating two hours and 35 seconds in Chicago, taking 34 seconds off fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge’s earlier world report.
The demise of the 24-year-old, who was driving in western Kenya in February when his automotive rolled over, left the athletics world in shock. Kiptum was anticipated to be one of many observe superstars of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Kiptum was born in Chepkorio, a village within the Rift Valley that’s the heartland of Kenyan distance working; in a wierd coincidence, it additionally occurred to be the place the place his tragic demise occurred.
His funeral service was attended by 1000’s of mates, kinfolk and followers. Kenya’s President William Ruto was amongst those that paid tribute to one of the crucial gifted working abilities of all time.
OJ Simpson (July 9, 1947 – April 10, 2024)
The previous Corridor of Fame NFL soccer star and actor turned movie star homicide defendant, died at 76.
Nicknamed “The Juice”, Simpson was top-of-the-line and hottest American athletes of the late Sixties and 70s.
Throughout 9 seasons for the Buffalo Payments and two for the San Francisco 49ers, Simpson grew to become one of many best ball carriers in NFL historical past. In 1973, he grew to become the primary NFL participant to hurry for greater than 2,000 yards in a season. He retired in 1979.
Simpson parlayed his soccer stardom right into a profession as a sportscaster, promoting pitchman and Hollywood actor in movies together with The Bare Gun sequence.
All that modified after his former spouse Nicole Brown Simpson and her good friend, Ronald Goldman, have been discovered fatally slashed in a bloody double homicide scene exterior her Los Angeles residence on June 12, 1994.
Simpson shortly emerged as a suspect. He was ordered to give up to police however 5 days after the killings, he fled in his white Ford Bronco with a former teammate – carrying his passport and a disguise. A slow-speed chase by way of the Los Angeles space ended at Simpson’s mansion and he was later charged with the murders.
What ensued was one of the crucial infamous trials within the Twentieth-century US and a media circus. Prosecutors dedicated a memorable blunder after they directed Simpson to strive on a pair of blood-stained gloves discovered on the homicide scene, assured they’d match completely and present he was the killer. In a extremely theatrical demonstration, Simpson struggled to placed on the gloves and indicated to the jury they didn’t match.
Simpson was later acquitted of the murders on October 3, 1995.
On October 3, 2008 – precisely 13 years after his acquittal within the homicide trial – he was convicted by a Las Vegas jury on felony costs, together with kidnapping and armed theft associated to a 2007 incident at a on line casino lodge.
Simpson was launched on parole in 2017 and moved right into a gated group in Las Vegas. He was granted early launch from parole in 2021 resulting from good behaviour at age 74. Three years later, he died after a battle with most cancers.
Jerry West (Might 28, 1930 – June 12, 2024)
The enduring American basketball participant and government died at 86.
It’s not troublesome to make the case for Jerry West being a very powerful basketball participant ever:
- West, who performed within the NBA from 1960 to 1974, and received an NBA title in 1972, was the primary particular person to be enshrined within the Basketball Corridor of Fame as a participant.
- The official NBA brand, designed in 1969, bears his silhouette.
- West reinvented how the taking pictures guard place was performed; his picture-perfect leap shot, trendy strikes and immaculate footwork enormously influenced celebrity basketballers who adopted him into the NBA for many years to come back, from Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant.
Very similar to Beckenbauer, he loved a spectacular second wave of success after his taking part in profession ended, profitable eight NBA championships as an government with the crew he performed for his whole profession, the Los Angeles Lakers.
West might by no means let go of the sport he cherished, working as an NBA guide proper up till the yr he handed and forging pleasant relationships with lots of right this moment’s basketball greats.
Willie Mays (Might 6, 1931 – June 18, 2024)
The American baseball legend with elegant all-around abilities died at 93.
Mays was a beloved African-American skilled baseball participant and is taken into account by many to be the best all-around participant within the historical past of the sport.
Nicknamed “the Say Hey Child”, Mays was an exceptional centre fielder who performed 23 seasons in Main League Baseball (MLB) from 1951 to 1973.
His lengthy taking part in profession spanned the nice and unhealthy instances of US baseball historical past. He was born into the Nice Melancholy and endured segregation and racism for a lot of his profession; he was additionally a part of the early participant empowerment motion that finally led to the granting of free company for MLB gamers in 1976, a legacy that exists to this present day.
His most notable profession achievements included 4 MLB residence run titles, 4 stolen base titles and one batting title. He was the seventh participant to hit 50 residence runs in a single MLB season, attaining the feat whereas taking part in for the New York Giants in 1955.
