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South African captain Temba Bavuma was one of only two cricketers named in Time Magazine’s 100 “most influential people in sport in 2026”.Bavuma, who led the Proteas to the World Test Championship title at Lord’s last year, was named among a list that included Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Rory McIlroy, Aryna Sabalenka, Kimi Antonelli and Carlos Alcaraz.Jalen Brunson, the point guard of the newly crowned NBA champions, the New York Knicks, was another notable inclusion. LeBron James was named “athlete of the century” by the publication. “My proudest achievement? Being a present father.”Already the leading scorer in NBA history, basketball star LeBron James once again produced at an All-Star level in 2025–26, his 23rd NBA season. When we asked James how much longer he wants to keep playing, the question many… pic.twitter.com/yCbYRWoN9t— TIME (@TIME) June 9, 2026
Indian opening batter Smriti Mandhana, part of the country’s victorious World Cup-winning squad — which defeated South Africa in the final in Mumbai last year — was the other cricketer on the list. In a citation by Time’s editor-at-large, Charlie Campbell, Bavuma is described as always carrying “more than the weight of his shirt”.“As one of just a handful of black South African cricketers, his successes were lauded as a turning point for the sport. But any setbacks were never merely his own. Fortunately, Bavuma has enjoyed many more successes than setbacks,” Campbell wrote.“In 2016, he became the first black South African to hit a century [scoring 100 or more runs in an innings], and five years later he was his nation’s first black captain. Last year, Bavuma led South Africa to a historic Test series win in India as well as victory in the World Test Championship, besting a heavily favoured Australia in the final and emerging from the tournament undefeated. It was South Africa’s first international title since 1998 and owed much to Bavuma’s heroic 66 runs in the final despite his being hobbled by a hamstring strain.”Bavuma’s 147-run second innings partnership with Aiden Markram put the seal on a momentous victory for the Proteas. Bavuma was lauded across the cricket world and celebrated at home. He had played an influential role in getting South Africa to the final too, scoring crucial centuries against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the lead-up.On Sunday, Bavuma led the Ghent Gladiators to victory in the inaugural EUT20 League title in Belgium.Springbok rugby captain Siya Kolisi was included in the Time list in 2024.
