18 AAPI Athletes Who Changed Professional Sports Forever

From the past and present.

1. Hideki Matsuyama

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This past April, Hideki Matsuyama won his first major and donned the famous green jacket, making him the first Japanese golfer to ever win a men's major championship.

It was only a matter of time, because Matsuyama has 15 professional wins and has finished in the top-10 of all 4 majors.

2. Vicki Manalo Draves

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Vicki Manalo Draves was an extraordinary diver.

In the 1948 London Summer Olympics, she won gold medals for the United States in platform and springboard diving. She was not only the first Asian American to win gold at the Olympics, but also the first American woman to win two gold medals in diving.

Growing up Filipino, Vicki changed her name in school after facing racial discrimination. After her success in diving, she became an advocate for the Filipino Education Center for Filipino immigrants in the 1960s.

3. Apolo Ohno

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Ohno — who's Japanese American — is a US Olympic Hall of Fame short track speed skater who's won eight medals in the Winter Olympics, including two gold.

In 2007, he was inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame.

4. Ichiro Suzuki

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Ichiro is the first Japanese position player to sign with an MLB club (Seattle Mariners). He retired in 2019 and is no doubt a Hall of Famer.

In his career, he has had 3,089 hits, 509 stolen bases, 10 All-Star appearances, and an American League MVP. He also set the record for most hits in a single season (262), a record he still holds today.

5. Manny Pacquiao

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Pacquiao (PacMan), a Filipino boxer, has accumulated 62 wins in his long career. Over the years, Pacquiao has become one of the most recognizable names in boxing.

He was the 2000s "Fighter of the Decade" for Boxer Writers Association of America, World Boxing Council, and World Boxing Organization. He also serves as a senator in the Philippines.

6. Jeremy Lin

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Jeremy Lin is one of the few Asian American players in the NBA. The Harvard graduate and Taiwanese American has spent the past decade bouncing from team to team in the NBA.

His high-point was his time spent with the New York Knicks, when his scoring ability produced the fan movement called "Linsanity." He was on the Toronto Raptors in 2019, winning his first championship with the team.

7. Li Na

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Li is a two-time women's tennis Grand Slam champion (winning both the 2011 French Open and the 2014 Australian Open). The Chinese WTA star ranked as high as No. 2 in the world in her career.

Her singles record is an incredible 503–188, and she's earned more than $16.7 million in prize money throughout her 15-year career.

8. Inbee Park

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Have you ever heard of this South Korean pro golfer? Well, you should know her. She's won seven LPGA major championships and isn't slowing down after finishing third overall in the World Rankings for 2020. She is currently second in the 2021 World Ranking.

Park is only one of seven women in history to complete the career Grand Slam.

9. Michelle Kwan

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Kwan's figure skating career goes beyond the Olympics. Daughter of Chinese immigrants, she is a five-time...I repeat, FIVE-TIME World Champion in figure skating. She also won nine US Championships.

She is considered by most as the greatest figure skater of all-time.

10. Yao Ming

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There are big men in the NBA, and then there is 7-foot 5-inch Yao Ming.

Yao really paved the way for Chinese basketball players, and the skills for a big man that he brought to the court made him an instant fan favorite. His career was cut short due to injuries, but he left his mark. As an eight-time All-Star, Yao averaged 19 points per game over his NBA career.

11. Tiger Woods

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Who? Oh, yeah. Woods is one of the biggest names in sports...ever.

Woods — who's one-fourth Chinese American, one-fourth Thai American, one-fourth Black, one-eighth Native American, and one-eighth white — has 82 professional wins and 15 major championships. According to Forbes, he is the highest-paid Asian athlete in sports. He is also one of the highest-paid Black athletes in the world.

12. Troy Polamalu

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Polamalu's 12-year NFL career was nothing short of brilliant. He was a staple in the Pittsburgh Steelers defense and helped the team win two Super Bowls.

Polamalu, of American Samoan descent, was the 2010 defensive player of the year and was a part of the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 2000s. On top of his 32 interceptions, he recorded 770 tackles in his career.

13. Sammy Lee

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The first Asian American to win Olympic gold, Lee won back-to-back platform diving Olympic competitions — becoming the first to ever win back-to-back gold medals.

Lee, the son of Korean immigrants, managed to find success in diving while facing discrimination and racism throughout his career.

14. Kristi Yamaguchi

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As a two-time World Champion figure skater, Yamaguchi won Olympic gold in 1992. As a third-generation descendent of Japanese immigrants, Yamaguchi's mother was born in an internment camp, where Yamaguchi's grandparents were sent during World War II.

Yamaguchi, who was born with clubfeet, initially began skating as a child as a form of physical therapy.

15. Jim Paek

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Paek broke through barriers in one of the least diverse sports in the world: hockey. The Korean-born Canadian defenseman won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in back-to-back seasons (1991 and 1992).

Because he is the first player of Korean descent to win a Cup, his Penguins sweater is on display in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

16. Michael Chang

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With 34 singles titles, Taiwanese American Michael Chang left his mark on the men's tennis world. His single major win was the French Open in 1989, making him the first American to win the French Open in 34 years.

He also served as Chairman of the ATP Tour Charities in 1994 as well as received several awards for being an inspiration to Asian American youth.

17. Bruce Lee

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Lee, who was Chinese American but raised in Hong Kong, was a martial artist who faced racism and combatted stereotypes in Hollywood, and who would go on to be one of the most iconic and influential martial artists of all time.

Besides being a star in the film industry, Lee's career as a martial arts instructor has influenced modern combat sports. He really mainstreamed martial arts and even paved the way for (MMA) mixed martial arts, according to UFC president Dana White.

18. Asuka

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So, pro wrestling isn't, strictly speaking, a sport (it's technically sports entertainment), but pro wrestlers are definitely athletes, and there is no denying that Japanese WWE star Asuka, Kanako Urai, is a trailblazing competitor in the ring. WWE has gone on to sign numerous Japanese superstars, which reflects Asuka's success since the day she signed.

At 39-years-old, she continues to be one of the best women's pro wrestlers on the planet.

There are many of other great Asian/Pacific Islander athletes past and present. Comment below with any names that deserve major recognition!

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BuzzFeed / Kathy Hoang