Baseball - Luis Gonzalez - Luis knocked in the game-winning run for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series. He also hit 57 homers and drove in 142 runs during the regular season and did hours of community work in Phoenix. He worked for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and set up the Going Gonzo for School program.
Hockey - Joe Sakic - Joe was named NHL MVP and led the Colorado Avalanche to the Stanley Cup. He scored 54 goals during the regular season and 118 points. He was also named to Canada's Olympic Team.
Basketball - Allen Iverson and Lisa Leslie - The Answer won the league and all-star MVP awards and was the NBA'S leading scorer. He also led Philly to the Championship Finals before running into Shaq, Kobe and the Lakers. Allen played with injuries for many parts of the season and made a smart decision by deciding not to release his rap album.
Lisa was one of the WNBA's top scorers and rebounders and led the LA Sparks to their first WNBA title. She became the first player in WNBA history to win the league MVP, all-star MVP and championship series MVP in the same season.
Tennis - Venus Williams - Venus kicked butt on everyone that tried to play her in 2001. She won Wimbledon in July then defeated her sister to win the US Open in September. Along the way, she laid a beating on Martina Hingis that made everyone forget about the Swiss Miss.
Football - Marshall Faulk - Marshall's combination of speed, power and the ability to dodge tacklers has made him a nightmare for opposing defenses. Marshall has racked up more than 1,000 yards rushing for a fifth straight season and has been one of the biggest pistons in the St. Louis Rams' powerhouse offense.
Soccer - David Beckham and Mia Hamm - David's long crosses and end-to-end runs helped Manchester United win yet another English Premiership title in 2001. David also helped England qualify for the 2002 World Cup with the historic 5 - 0 win over Germany. Too bad David wasn't able to do much for his wife's (Posh Spice) singing career.
Mia helped launch the first season of the Women's United Soccer Association and scored two big goals for the USA in a 4 -1 win over Germany at the Nike US Women's Cup.
Golf - Ty Tryon - Yeah, Tiger had a pretty good year, but Try is just 17 and he qualifed for the PGA tour. How cool is that? He became the youngest player to qualify for the tour and was an inspiration to kids everywhere who don't want to get real jobs.
Who was your favorite athlete in 2001? to Kidzworld.
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