Did you know it requires a minimum age of 35 to become President of the United States?
Like so many before me, I am willing to fade the rules when it comes to identifying three current or recently retired athletes with the potential to be President someday.
That’s good news for 28-year-old multilingual basketball MVP Jaylen Brown, 27-year-old PhD-bound track star Gabby Thomas and 20-year-old D.M. Jefferson (no relation to Thomas), who cited POTUS as his goal in life on his Little League World Series questionnaire eight years ago.
They won’t make the cut, however. And neither will real-life politicians like Bill Bradley, Herschel Walker and Caitlyn Jenner.
Only current and recently retired athletes need apply.
And that knocks out many other would-be candidates. Like Steve Kerr, Kevin Johnson and Gavin Newsom. And even some—like Megan Rapinoe, Steve Garvey and Arnold Schwarzenegger—who might get a few write-in votes.
Harvard’s Ryan Fitzpatrick holds the all-time Wonderlic Test record. He’s obviously very smart. But he’s out, as are former Ivy Leaguers Ron Darling of Yale and Brad Ausmus of Dartmouth.
To become President, you’re going to have to win an election. So that’s a factor here as well.
Welcome to the game. Travis Kelce, whose famous girlfriend has to be worth about 10 million votes; the Cavinder twins, because they know now to win the social media game; and Caitlin Clark, just because everyone except Diana Taurasi loves Caitlin Clark.
They might be able to pull it off. But I’m looking for Presidents here, not votes.
So that gets me down to four, including a tie for third that I’m going to break the tried-and-true method—alphabetical order.
Here are the three athletes I’d like to nominate for President of the United States… possibly as early as 2028, depending upon how Tuesday’s election plays out:
STEPHEN CURRY
As we witnessed once again in Paris, everything Curry touches turns to gold. He’s the most sense-making voice of the NBA, an icon for every kid who can draw an arc in chalk, a generous supporter of everything female, a global ambassador, and everybody’s dream son, brother, uncle and father.
The Warriors won’t let him retire in anything other than blue and gold because he owns the San Francisco Bay Area. Heck, he could be its first-ever emperor someday. Yes, he could pull it off. And bet on this: The A’s, Raiders, Golden Seals and even Elon Musk would all come crawling back.
SERENA WILLIAMS
Jul 11, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Former tennis star Serena Williams arrives on the red carpet before hosting the 2024 ESPYS at Dolby Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images The Queen of England has the perennial Wimbledon champion on speed dial. How’s that for diplomatic relations?
She’s part Tiger Woods. Part Michelle Obama. Part Beyonce. The ultimate champion with or without bright lights. She’s even part Kamala Harris. Or, as Harris would be wise to remind people on her big day: She’s part Serena Williams.
RICHARD SHERMAN
Richard Sherman is a former NFL cornerback. credits: Brian Westerholt | source: AP Speaking of Woods, the modern-day Muhammad Ali has got to be considered as well. A man who still makes opponents quiver… kinda like fellow Stanford alum Sherman.
The nod here goes to Sherman, in large part because he’s already taken on a taller task than replacing Joe Biden—becoming the next Charles Barkley. If you remember, Chuck once tested the political waters in Alabama. Sherman has the power to conquer a whole lot more than that.
