The 14 Greatest Athletes From California

Public courts in Compton, a Pasadena high school, a Riverside dojo — the state turns out a particular kind of career.

1

Serena Williams

Born in Michigan but made in Compton, where she and Venus learned the game on public courts.

2

Tiger Woods

Born in Cypress and won three straight US Amateurs before turning twenty-one.

3

Jackie Robinson

Raised in Pasadena and a four-sport athlete at UCLA before he ever played pro baseball.

4

Ronda Rousey

Born in Riverside, trained in Southern California and won her Olympic judo medal out of it.

5

Ted Williams

San Diego born, the last man to hit .400 in a Major League season.

6

Barry Bonds

Riverside born, played most of his career in San Francisco and holds the home-run record.

7

Cheryl Miller

Riverside's other great, who scored 105 points in a single high-school game.

8

Venus Williams

The other half of the Compton pair, with five Wimbledon singles titles.

9

Bill Russell

Moved to Oakland as a boy and won two college titles at San Francisco before the Celtics.

10

Marion Jones

Los Angeles born and a five-medal sprinter in Sydney, all later returned.

11

Tony Gwynn

Los Angeles born, spent twenty seasons with San Diego and won eight batting titles.

12

Lisa Fernandez

Long Beach born softball pitcher with three Olympic golds.

13

Kerri Walsh Jennings

Santa Clara born and the most decorated beach volleyball player in Olympic history.

14

Klay Thompson

Los Angeles born, and half of the shooting pair that changed how the Warriors played.