Name: Top 20 Best Decisions In Sports History
Uploaded: 2026-01-11T16:54:40.000Z
Duration: 17 min 16 s
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Welcome to watchmojo and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 most inspired decisions to have ever been made in the world of sports.

It is because I understood the impact of sport.

Wayne Gretzky traded to the LA Kings trading Wayne Gretzky was a controversial move to say the least.

When they traded him from Edmonton to Los Angeles, a whole nation got caught up in this and people still haven't forgiven Peter Pocklington for doing that deed.

Say what you want about the decision making process for letting him go, but

Los Angeles absolutely knocked it out of the park with their decision.

Signing Gretzky changed the perception of hockey in the United States, opening doors that some fans believed to be forever shut.

He was an icon in Canada, of course, but he also brought the sport increased attention globally.

Wayne Gretzky, the Great One transcended accolades achieved on the ice to become a cultural icon with an immeasurable impact on hockey.

Sure, there were more than a few Canadians who were upset upset to see their national hero depart, but

it certainly did a lot of good in the long run.

Lester Hire Claudio Ranieri There were quite a few people who raised eyebrows at the appointment of Claudio Ranieri at Leicester City.

Little did they know that this team were going to use their momentum from surviving relegation to do the unthinkable the following year.

With the former Chelsea boss Ranieri at the helm, Lester went on a rampage, somehow finding the consistency across 38 games to win the Premier League.

It was the type of sporting miracle that still baffles people to this day.

Outliers can win leagues in any sport, of course, but

a team at 50001 odds who seemed infinitely more likely to finish last than first?

Number 18 Dean Smith calls Michael Jordan Shot There are a lot of people who claim to have known that Michael Jordan would eventually be great.

Throughout the 1982 season, the team led by James Worthy, Sam Perkins and a freshman guard named Michael Jordan had but one to lift the final burden of criticism from their coaches shoulders.

However, suspecting it and genuinely putting your money where your mouth is are two very different things.

Legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith could have opted for proven stars in the making like James Worthy and Sam Perkins.

When it came to a crucial play to win the NCAA championship in 1982, he decided to go against the grain and made sure that the ball ended up in the hands of the freshman Michael Jordan.

I don't even know whether you heard me, but he sure did.

He made the shot, won the game and set himself on the path for NBA glory.

George Foreman changes to a patient counterpuncher Age is a killer when it comes to sports.

Sure, your experience grows and you understand how to approach the game more and more with each passing year.

I knew I wouldn't be able to take up where I'd left off 10 years ago.

I was not as fast anymore because of the extra weight.

Once your body starts to go downhill, though, it's time to adapt or call it quits.

In boxing, the consequences for getting this balance wrong can be truly brutal.

However, after a period of retirement and soul searching, George Foreman returned to the ring and quietly found a new way to fight.

Instead of aggressively hunting the ko, he trusted in his power and let it come to him.

Then, two decades after getting embarrassed by Muhammad Ali and Zaire, Big George won the heavyweight title at the age of 45 with a patiently hunted 10th round KO.

And once again heavyweight champion of the world, Chance Foreman Number 16.

Clive Lloyd chooses pace Traditional ideas of how a sport should be played are always there to be broken, usually by renegades who notice the cracks that are there to be exploited.

The bowling attack that he put together, this kind of war machine that he put together after they were beaten in Australia in 74, 5, he made them into the cricketing force they were.

He used his fast bowlers, he used them ruthlessly.

When West Indies cricket superstar Clive Lloyd did away with traditional spin heavy and went for a fast bowling attack, it changed everything.

This decision managed to set in motion a change of events that led to one of the most dominant cricket dynasties ever.

There are very few sporting figures who can actively claim to have irreparably changed the landscape of their game.

But make no mistake, Live Lloyd is certainly one of I don't think I've ever seen.

Even today I've seen anybody hit the ball harder than Clive Lloyd.

It was John Arnold who described Clive Lloyd as a great gangling, begoggled super cat.

The difference between pro wrestling and mixed martial arts are plentiful, mainly due to one having a premeditated outcome and the other being a legit fight.

Five years ago he was labeled the next big thing.

But in the make believe world of world wrestling entertainment, I was a white guy that looked like he was chiseled out of concrete Brock Lesnar was and is one of the biggest wrestling stars of his time, but

he also had a stellar collegiate wrestling background.

In other words, he's an athlete and a truly giant human being.

When Dana White and the UFC decided to sign Lesnar to a fight contract, there were more than a few people who rolled their eyes.

It wouldn't have been the first time the UFC went for the easy money, however.

When Brock improved his all around game and won the heavyweight title before defending it twice, all the doubters were proven wrong.

Lesnar's career transition is now complete from fake fighter to feared fighter.

His explosive performance during and after his first title defense proves that Lesnar is the face of the UFC and its first villain.

Number 14, Devin Hester's missed field goal return.

You can see the split second decision making process in real time when Devin Hester decided to try and make a push for glory.

And now Hest, after hesitating, he's going to run it out and Hester is going to run it out past the 40 in the Giants territory.

After catching a missed field goal, he briefly thought about playing it safe.

However, in a moment of sheer inspiration, he decided to charge at the Giants head on, running a frankly ridiculous 108 yards for the touchdown.

It just goes to show how easily legendary players can slip away.

Thankfully, Hester liked his chances and when all was said and done, we ended up with one of the most riveting moments and imaginable right now.

He has turned this into an 11 point advantage.

Number 13, Freddie Roach, has Manny Pacquiao jump three weight divisions.

Sometimes boxing coaches see things that other people can't.

You know what stood out about Manny is that I never saw somebody that had power in speed.

I saw guys with speed before, but I never saw a fighter that had both like him.

When it came to Freddie Roach's protege, Manny Pacquiao, the veteran trainer believed that his skills and natural power could carry him further than any fighter had dared to tread outside of their natural weight class.

With his coach's blessing, Manny moved up to welterweight and achieved some of the greatest boxing feats in history.

By the time the dust had settled, Pacquiao had earned belts in eight different divisions, an accomplishment that is staggering under any circumstances.

If he didn't get that push to test his limits, who knows, maybe he would not be held in the same regard as he is today.

I was always waiting for the next Muhammad Ali to walk through my doors.

Number 12, Magic Johnson starts at center.

Asking a rookie point guard to fill in at center for the legendary Kareem Abdul jabbar in Game 6 of the 1981 NBA Finals is the type of decision that ended in disaster.

A young man by the name of Magic Johnson is going to start at center.

Thankfully, that player was the great Magic Johnson and he was very clearly up to the challenge.

Johnson stepped up to the plate, putting on a flash 42 point masterpiece that allowed him to lead the LA Lakers to a stunning win over the 76ers.

The Lakers had won the first title of the Showtime era, positioning Magic Johnson as their latest major superstar.

The rookie had become a master and he had the championship to prove it.

He would go on to carry them to five NBA championships before his retirement.

Handing a two year old Tiger Woods a putter as a parental decision holds the same weight as Jimi Hendrix being handed a guitar or Picasso a paintbrush.

Tiger was only six months old when Earl introduced his son to the game of golf.