Time picked the 100 most influential people in sports. These LGBTQ stars made the cut.
Outsports Award winner Becky Hammon, Nikki Hiltz among those honored on the magazine's first ever list for sports.
Mark
A global group of successful and notable out LGBTQ athletes were selected for one of the most important yearly lists in the world — The Time Magazine 100.
This year the magazine released their inaugural list for sports. At least six publicly out LGBTQ athletes were among this historic first group of 100 figures deemed to be the most influential in sports, and the business of sports, in 2026.
No out men were included on the list.
Two selections are among the best-ever athletes in their sports and are leaving the stages that made their names.
USA hockey star and recently traded Seattle Torrent player Hilary Knight was selected in a year were she announced she would be retiring from international competition after helping the USA win Olympic gold in Milan in February.
Get off the sidelines and into the game
Our weekly playbook is packed with everything from locker room chatter to pressing LGBTQ sports issues.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today
She plans on continuing in the PWHL however. She is expected to be a part of the league’s new expansion team in Detroit.
Now-retired New Zealand women’s rugby icon Portia Woodman-Wickcliffe made the cut. She was cited for her return to play in the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup where she broke New Zealand’s all-time record for try as the Black Fern ended up with a third-place finish.
Canadian hockey icon Marie-Philip Poulin was also among the list. Last month, she turned Olympic disappointment in the gold medal final to the United States into a dominant effort in leading the Montréal Victoire to a PWHL championship in a sweep of the Ottawa Charge.
Poulin had four goals and four assists in the series and was named PWHL Playoff MVP. During the Olympic tournament in Milan, she setthe career record for goals scored in Olympic play with 20.
Photo credit: Seth Harrison/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
American track and field star Nikki Hiltz, the nation’s first trans nonbinary national champion, was noticed for their continued success over the last three years and their strident, public support of LGBTQ rights, especially against the anti-trans political push over the last year.
The 2026 indoor season saw them win a 4th straight indoor 1500-meter title, a Wanamaker Mile win, and bronze in the 1500 at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in March.
Las Vegas Aces head coach, and 2025 Outsports Coach of the Year, Becky Hammon was one of three coaches selected for the 100 and the only professional-team coach selected. Last season, she led the Aces to their third WNBA Championship in the last four years.
Brazilian skateboarder and 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Rayssa Leal, at 18, is among the youngest to make the 100. She’s also newly out as bisexual, according to a report in Outsports on June 8.
Congratulations to all of the deserving honorees.
Subscribe to the Outsports newsletter to keep up with your favorite out athletes, inspiring LGBTQ sports stories, and more.
