Who is the Best Late Bloomer in Their Sport?

I recently watched the 1981 film Arthur on Amazon Prime. The film is about a rich drunk named Arthur Bach who refuses to grow up. But Arthur is really a late bloomer; he finds love and throughout the movie, he realizes what he really wants. I won’t spoil the rest of the film for you but I highly recommend you watch it. Watching Arthur got me thinking of late bloomers in sports. There is a myriad of reasons why these athletes became a ‘late bloomer’ in their sport.

Perhaps the athlete refused to grow up or they were stuck in a situation where they weren’t able to grow. Maybe it was other extenuating circumstances, like being on a terrible team or struggling with issues outside their sport.

Who are (or were) the best late bloomers in their sport?

The Arthur of the NFL: Steve Young

Steve Young definitely qualifies as a late bloomer in his sport. But before he was an NFL star, he was one of a plethora of college stars that signed with the USFL. After the league folded, Young was claimed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1986 supplemental draft. Young had a miserable two years in Tampa Bay, managing only 3 wins in 19 starts. Considered a bust, he was traded to San Francisco in April 1987 prior to the Buccaneers drafting Vinny Testaverde. (You could also argue Testaverde is one of the great late bloomers of the NFL). He would be Joe Montana’s backup for the next four seasons and was a part of two Super Bowl-winning teams.

Young won the starting job in 1991, but the 1992 season was his breakout season. He led the 49ers to a 14-2 record and played a full season for the first time in his career. He led the league in passing touchdowns and QB rating on his way to his first league MVP. Young’s best season was in 1994, where he led the league in passing TDs, completion percentage, and QB rating. He won league MVP honors on his way to the Super Bowl, where he would also earn the MVP in a blowout against San Diego.

Young remained one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks and led the 49ers to the playoffs for the next four seasons. After multiple concussions during the season, he was forced to retire at the end of 1999. Young servers as an NFL analyst with ESPN and is a managing director at Huntsman Gay Global Capital.

The Arthur of MLB: Josh Hamilton

If there ever was a late bloomer in the sport of baseball, Josh Hamilton is it. Hamilton was drafted number one overall in the 1999 MLB Draft by Tampa Bay. But his struggles with injuries and drug addiction often derailed his attempts at making the Major Leagues. Hamilton was out of baseball for three years before resuming his career in 2006. He was selected in the Rule 5 Draft in 2006 by the Chicago Cubs and was traded to Cincinnati.

It was in Cincinnati that Hamilton finally made his MLB debut on April 2, 2007. He finished the season with the Reds, playing in 90 games and hit 19 home runs. The Reds traded him to Texas in December 2007 and his career skyrocketed. Hamilton led the majors with 132 RBIs in 2008. He won the batting title in 2010 with a .359 average as well as league MVP. Hamilton continued to be one of the leaders in the clubhouse as the Rangers won AL pennants in 2010 and 2011.

Hamilton signed with Los Angeles California Anaheim the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2013 and struggled to stay healthy (and incidentally, sober). He was traded back to Texas in 2015 where he appeared in 50 games. He was released in April 2017. Unfortunately, Hamilton has continued to struggle with his demons after baseball and relapsed several times which has led to several ugly incidents. I hope and pray he can remain clean.

The Arthur of the NHL: Robin Lehner

One recent late bloomer in their sport is Robin Lehner. Lehner was selected 46^th overall in the 2009 NHL Draft by the Ottawa Senators. He was considered Ottawa’s future franchise goaltender after achieving success in the team’s AHL affiliate in Binghamton. Lehner won AHL playoff MVP honors, going 14-4 in the playoffs as Ottawa’s affiliate won the Calder Cup. He finally reached the NHL on a full-time basis during the 2013-14 season. Lehner appeared in 36 games, posting a 12-15-6 record with one shutout. He signed a three-year contract extension in 2014 but was traded nearly a year later to their division rival Buffalo Sabres.

Lehner played only 21 games in 2014-15 but emerged as the Sabres’ starting goaltender the next season. He was not retained after the 2017-18 season and it was revealed that he had entered a drug and alcohol rehab program. Lehner also revealed his mental health struggles with bipolar disorder, ADHD, and PTSD. He signed a one-year deal with the New York Islanders in 2018-19, a season where he shared William Jennings Trophy honors with teammate Thomas Greiss. Lehner was also awarded the Bill Masterson Trophy.

Lehner signed with Chicago in the 2019 offseason but was struggled with a 16-10-5 record. He was traded to Vegas on February 24 and posted a 3-0 record before the league halted in March due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Arthur of the NBA: Dennis Rodman

Considering his story, Rodman is the best late bloomer in the sport of basketball. He was a 5’6” high school freshman who quit his basketball team and his growth spurt happened after he graduated high school. Rodman started playing basketball again and later enrolled as a 23-year old at Southeastern Oklahoma State. He evolved into an athletic freak and became an NAIA All-American. Then-Detroit Pistons GM Jack McCloskey gambled and traded center, Steve Hayes for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ second-round draft pick. That pick became Rodman in the 1986 NBA Draft.

The gamble worked as Rodman would become a key component of the ‘Bad Boys’ Pistons of the late 1980s. Rodman’s hustle, determination, and never-ending energy made him the best rebounder in the NBA. He was a two-time NBA All-Star, made the NBA All-Defensive Team seven times, a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and was a member of five NBA championship teams with Detroit and Chicago.

Rodman spent time with the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas before retiring in 2000. He remains as polarizing of a figure off the court today as he was back in the 1990s. But there’s no denying that Rodman’s story of a late bloomer making it big is as compelling as any other.

Did I miss anyone? Let me know by commenting below or hit me up on Twitter, @WhoIsRyanMcC. And if you’re looking for baseball, check out some articles by one of our newest writers, Manzares de la Rosa!