Sometimes, sports really have a way of tugging at our heartstrings — and 2024 had more than its share of special moments.
In baseball, Freddie Freeman, the World Series MVP, returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers to a standing ovation after leaving the team to look after his son in the ICU, while New York Mets pitcher Sean Manaea pitched one of the best games of his career just hours after learning of his aunt’s death.
Meanwhile in basketball, broadcasting legend Dick Vitale got great news about his health and LeBron and Bronny James made NBA history.
In Paris, the 2024 Summer Olympics brought tears on and off the field, beginning with Celine Dion’s triumphant return to performing in a moment that left Kelly Clarkson speechless.
As the calendar flips to 2025, here were the sports moments that transcended the box score and left us all wanting more.
The NHL Honors the Late Johnny Gaudreau
NHL left wing Johnny Gaudreau was supposed to enter his third season with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2024-25 before he and his brother, Matthew, were killed by a motorist while riding their bikes. Johnny was 31 and Matthew was 29.
The two were in New Jersey to celebrate their sister Katie’s wedding, and while the news wasn’t public at the time, Johnny’s wife, Meredith, was pregnant with the couple’s third child. (She gave birth in December.) They also shared daughter Noa, now 2, and son Johnny, now 9 months.
Johnny’s unexpected death sent shockwaves through the hockey community, leading to an outpouring of support, particularly from his former teams, the Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames. Both honored him when their seasons started.
In addition to the teams’ tributes and vigils at the arena, more than a dozen Columbus players attended Noa’s birthday.
The entire Gaudreau family also returned to Calgary, where Johnny played nine seasons, on December 3, when the team played a video tribute to their former player before the game.
Freddie Freeman Cries After Dodgers Honor His Son
The Dodgers’ first baseman Freeman missed two weeks of action in the regular season while his 3-year-old son, Maximus, spent eight days in the ICU battling Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.
With Max home and recovering, Freddie returned to work on August 5 in a home game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Dodgers fans gave him a standing ovation when he stepped up to the plate for the first time. Weeks later, Max attended his first game since his hospitalization as Freddie’s teammates wore #MAXSTRONG t-shirts in his honor.
“It was an amazing night,” Freddie said after the game.
Cowboys Cheerleader Dances Without Wig After Alopecia Diagnosis
Armani Latimer took the field at AT&T Stadium for Monday Night Football on November 9 without a wig after revealing her alopecia diagnosis on Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
Latimer was diagnosed at age 12 and had been performing with a wig, but explained that she now felt motivated to take it off.
“I figure that if I can overcome my negative self-talk and self-defeating mindset, I can help change the experience for the next 12-year-old who gets diagnosed,” she said. “She can start healing early instead of waiting until she’s 23, like me. There’s so much societal pressure that comes with being a woman — we don’t need more.”
“We can be empowered by so many things, and you don’t need your hair to feel that,” she added.
Dick Vitale is Cancer Free
Vitale, an ESPN college basketball analyst, is known for two things: his never-ending enthusiasm for hoops and his work to raise money for cancer research. He’s dealt with several cancer battles of his own, but announced on December 12 that he is now cancer-free.
“SANTA CLAUS came early as Dr Rick Brown called & said that my PET SCAN at 7 AM came back CLEAN OF CANCER !” Vitale wrote. “OMG thanks so much to ALL of YOU for your [prayers.] Yes I’m cutting the nets down baby it’s my National Championship!”
Fittingly, his announcement came two days after the Jimmy V Classic, the annual men’s college basketball doubleheader at Madison Square Garden, benefitting the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Vitale was close friends with Valvano, even introducing him before the late NC State coach’s legendary 1993 ESPYS speech.
Celine Dion Performs at 2024 Paris Olympics
Dion performed publicly for the first time since her stiff person syndrome diagnosis on the biggest stage imaginable, closing out the opening ceremony at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Performing at the base of the Eiffel Tower, Dion, sang in French, performing Edith Piaf‘s “L’hymne à l’amour.”
The song brought Clarkson, an NBC Olympic correspondent, to tears.
“I actually can’t talk,” Clarkson managed to say while her cohosts Mike Tirico and Peyton Manning shared their amazement as well.
Diana Taurasi’s Dad
Taurasi’s parents, Mario and Liliana, were courtside as arguably the greatest women’s basketball player ever won her sixth Olympic gold medal. Mario, a former pro soccer player himself, was seen wiping away tears after Team USA’s 67-66 win over France in the gold medal game.
Competing in her final Olympic games, Diana gave her dad a kiss on the forehead after the game as the family posed for photos together.
Bronny and LeBron James Suit Up
Bronny’s unconventional road to the NBA included a health scare before his only collegiate season at USC and controversy, as he declared for the NBA Draft despite a lackluster season. Drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round, Bronny suited up with his father, LeBron, for the first time on October 23.
They became the first-ever father-son duo to play in an NBA game together, quieting the critics momentarily as the two shared the court together.
“That moment, us being at the scorer’s table together and checking in together, something I will never forget,” LeBron said after the game. “No matter how old I get, no matter how my memory may fade as I get older or whatever, I will never forget that moment.”
Sean Manaea Dedicates Game to Late Aunt
Manaea pitched the game of his life in the New York Mets’ 7-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on October 8 in Game 3 of the 2024 National League Division Series just hours after learning his Aunt Mabel had died.
Manaea pitched into the eighth inning that night, allowing one run on three hits. When Mets manager Carlos Mendoza removed him from the game, Fox cameras caught Manaea blowing a kiss toward the sky.
“That was for my aunt,” he explained after the game. “Just got a message that she passed away early this morning. That game was for her.”
yHe continued, “Everyone back home I love you so much. I know what’s going on is tough, but we’ll pull through. I love you guys.”
