8 famous athletes that once called Louisville home

From baseball to golf, Louisville has had significant representation in some of the biggest sports in the country.

Athletes such as D'Angelo Russell and Nate Hobbs have worn their hometown with pride and have even returned home to give back to the place where they started.

Here are some Louisville-native athletes:

Muhammad Ali

Sport: Boxing

Cassius Marcellus Clay. Muhammad Ali. "The Greatest."

A 20th century sports icon with countless awards to his name, Ali died in 2016, but his name and his legacy are still alive around Louisville — from the Muhammad Ali Center, 144 N. Sixth St., to the "Boxing Gloves" sculpture in Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood built to honor athletes, including Ali, The Courier Journal previously reported.

Brandon Pfaadt

Sport: Baseball

Team: Arizona Diamondbacks

The pitcher is a Louisville native who attended Trinity High School and went to Bellarmine University, The Courier Journal previously reported. He was drafted to his current team in 2020.

D'Angelo Russell

Sport: Basketball

Team: Los Angeles Lakers

According to his NBA profile, Russell was the second overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. He plays in the guard position.

Aside from sports, he has a foundation, the D’Angelo Russell Foundation, with which he recently donated $100,000 to help improve Algonquin Park.

Darrell Griffith

Sport: Basketball

Team: Utah Jazz

After leading the University of Louisville to an NCAA Championship, Darrell "Dr. Dunkenstein" Griffith was the No. 2 pick in the first round of the 1980 NBA Draft and by 1981, he was named Rookie of the Year, The Courier Journal previously reported.

Griffith retired after the 1990-91 campaign and his former team retired the No. 35 in his honor two years after leaving the league.

Justin Thomas

Sport: Golf

Justin Thomas is a Louisville native and two-time PGA champion, but before competing in the big leagues, he used to play for the Saint Xavier High School golf team.

He was recently honored with a Hometown Hero banner placed at the Watterson City Park Towers on Bishop Lane in the Bashford Manor neighborhood, according to WDRB-TV.

Mary T. Meagher

Sport: Swimming

A multi-Olympic medalist and record-setter, Mary T. Meagher is one of best athletes to ever represent the state in the Summer Games, The Courier Journal previously reported. She was known as "Madame Butterfly," after Puccini's opera.

She has been honored in Louisville in several ways. The Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center, 201 Reservoir Road, is an indoor swimming pool in Crescent Hill Park and was honored with a Hometown Hero banner in the Norton Suburban Hospital Building in St. Matthews.

Nate Hobbs

Sports: Football

Team: Las Vegas Raiders

Nate Hobbs is a cornerback for the Las Vegas Raiders after he was selected for the team in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, according to the Raiders website.

For the past four years, Hobbs has hosted a summer camp for Louisville children. The most recent camp on July 13 at Waggener High School had more than 80 participants and included activities like team stretches, drills and one-on-one competitions.

"I want them to not forget where they come from," Hobbs told reporters after the camp. "And wherever they go, remember who they are."

Rajon Rondo

Sport: Basketball

Teams: Several including the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers

Rajon Rondo is a common name in the sports scene and his start was right here in Kentucky. He is a Louisville native and was a UK Wildcat when he played for the team in the mid-2000s.

He was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.