WASHINGTON — What makes a top highlight? The beauty of any particular moment lies in the eye of the beholder, to be certain. Does it require unforeseen athleticism? Must it come in the crucial moment of a contest? Does it need to happen on the biggest stage? Does it have to seem impossible, right up until it’s achieved?
This list dips into all of the above, with some surprises built in. We’ve almost certainly missed some of your favorites, but hopefully we found a few worthy entries you’ve never seen before, too. Enjoy.
50. Purdue flea-flicker reverse
Trick plays are the best, when they pay off. This one took a long time to come together, but it was worth it.
49. Neymar chip shot
Chip shots live in their own world of soccer goals. This Neymar effort was a clinic in using the chip to freeze the keeper.
48. Connor McDavid spin, assist
Patrick Maroon may never score an easier goal in the NHL, thanks to this incredible controlled spin-and-dish from McDavid.
47. Machado falling away, across his body
We’re in a golden age of third basemen in MLB. But nobody makes the impossible look as easy as Manny Machado.
46. Giannis dunks from the free throw line
It’s easy to take the Greek Freak for granted, especially when he pulls stunt dunks normally reserved for exhibitions right in the middle of NBA games.
45. Marshon Lattimore butt interception
The most recent addition to the list and one of the most fun, Marshon Lattimore’s butt interception worked out a lot better than Mark Sanchez’s butt fumble.
44. Khalil Tate torches UCLA
It’s hard to pick between Khalil Tate highlights. But this one — where he avoids a sack twice on a broken play, then scampers 71 yards for a touchdown — is as representative as any of his incredible year.
43. Ben Gamel crashes into wall, leaves hat
It’s always a testy proposition charging toward a wall, especially in a road ballpark. Ben Gamel didn’t hesitate, leaving his mark on the game and in the wall, and his hat on top of it.
42. Memphis Depay catches keeper sleeping from distance
It’s one thing to try to catch a keeper off his line. It’s another when you only get the ball off a handful of back-and-forth volleys with no chance to even square yourself up.
41. Beasley makes the catch off the back of his neck
It’s no David Tyree catch, but this Cole Beasley effort after several bobbles, pinning the ball one-handed to his nameplate, was pretty impressive.
40. Kendall Graveman unconventional, unassisted double play
You don’t get a lot of double plays scored 1 unassisted, especially not with both runners getting tagged out at third base.
39. On replay, Godwin got it
The officials needed another look to believe that Terry Godwin actually hauled this ball in one-handed for a crucial touchdown that ended up shaping the College Football Playoff race.
38. Del Potro hits impossible tweener through the legs
It was a great comeback year for Juan Martin del Potro, and great for all of us to be able to enjoy wizardry like this point at Indian Wells.
37. Lehner saves it, Buffalo wins it
Robin Lehner made this absolutely absurd, diving save in overtime, and his teammates paid off his hard work just seconds later.
36. Yelich slams into the wall, holds on
This Christian Yelich catch is impressive enough on its own, but when you look a little closer and realize the ball was actually sitting out of his mitt, on his wrist, when he slams into the wall, you understand why it’s on this list.
35. Jordan Spieth holes bunker shot for the win
Most golfers are happy just to get out of a bunker. Jordan Spieth did a lot more than that at the Travelers Championship, holing this sand shot out in a sudden death playoff to win the tournament.
34. Adrian Amos pick-six vs. Flacco
The Bears have had a rough year, but you wouldn’t know it from this pick-six, which had a bit of everything — a great catch off the deflection, the body control to stay in bounds, then an array of moves to weave through defenders 90 yards for the score.
33. Belgium goalazo vs. Netherlands
Was this high-arcing shot intentional? We’re not going to question it, and there’s no doubting the result, an incredible international goal.
32. Josh Bailey goes between his legs to score
This is one you have to watch a couple times to catch everything, especially the finish, backwards between his own legs before he tucks it home.
31. Kyle Schwarber goes into the stands
Baseball’s favorite large adult son is hardly known for his defense, but this effort by Kyle Schwarber is even more impressive at Wrigley Field, where he had to navigate the sloping brick and stone side wall to make the play.
30. Ray-Ray McCloud punt return touchdown
The fan reaction at :19 says everything. Fun fact: You can actually watch NC State’s dreams of winning this game die with that final cutback to the sideline.
29. Quick save and a beauty
Goalies make kick saves routinely enough. But Jonathan Quick’s reaction here can only be called a karate kick save, improvising well up off the ice to prevent a sure goal.
28. Suns score 5 points in final 4 seconds to beat Celtics
It’s been lean times for the Phoenix Suns. But last March, they managed to tie the game with four seconds to play, then turn the Boston Celtics over and beat them on Tyler Ulis’s three at the buzzer.
27. Mannarino drop shot so heavy it comes back across net
Meet Adrian Mannarino, professional tennis player and manipulator of the physical world. I didn’t know this was possible, but it’s the greatest drop shot I’ve ever seen.
26. Buxton smashes into wall vs. Indians
Lest anyone attempt to devalue wall-crashing catches with the “but there’s padding” argument, enter Byron Buxton. He hits the wall in Cleveland so hard his hat and sunglasses go flying off. But he holds on for the catch.
25. Brook Lopez erases McGruder
Big shots are great, but there’s no basketball play that elicits quite the reaction of a wipeout block. I’m not sure what Rodney McGruder was thinking, but he probably won’t ever do it again.
24. Lucas Acosta saves a 4-on-0 chance
Sometimes, great plays require a boneheaded play by the opponent. But don’t take anything away from this incredible save off the line from the Primera Division of Argentinian soccer.
23. Maurice Harris one-handed TD catch
The second overturned-on-replay spectacular catch on this list, Maurice Harris’s one-handed touchdown grab was literally too good to believe until replay showed that it was, in fact, good.
22. Tavares manhandles Flyers to set up game-win
Sometimes, you just have to take the game into your own hands. That’s what John Tavares did in overtime against Philly, masterfully controlling the puck before feeding it to Josh Bailey for the game-winner.
21. Embiid stuffs Zeller’s dunk attempts twice
Joel Embiid denied Cody Zeller once at the rim. Zeller thought he could atone for the block later in the game. Zeller was sorely mistaken.
20. Christos FC scores against D.C. United
One of the best local stories of the year was local amateur side Christos FC getting a shot at D.C. United. But when they scored brilliant goal to take the lead, the crowd at the Maryland SoccerPlex erupted.
19. Pillar dive onto warning track
Kevin Pillar has made himself into one of the premier defensive center fielders in baseball over the last few years. But this diving attempt was special even for him, going headlong onto the warning track to save two runs.
18. Bears fake punt vs. Vikings
Few football plays are more fun than a well-executed fake punt. But this one featured not just trickery, but a great throw from the punter and a pair of broken tackles en route to the end zone.
17. Lucas Maye beats Kentucky to send UNC to the Final Four
When Kentucky tied the game on a desperation three, you could forgive the Tar Heels for thinking, “oh no, not again.” But this time, UNC had the answer, with Lucas Maye canning the 18-footer to send Carolina to the Final Four.
16. Ross Bowers front flip into end zone
If you don’t stay up for #Pac12AfterDark, you never know what you might miss. In this case, it was Cal quarterback Ross Bowers going full acrobat and nearly sticking the landing to put the icing on the Bears’ stunning upset of Washington State.
15. Fan wins new car with impossible shot
We see fans can halfcourt basketball shots with some regularity. But this hockey shot looks pretty much impossible. Our stoic hero’s approach and everyone’s reaction to what happens makes this one of the year’s best sports moments.
14. Olivier Giroud scorpion goal magic
Maybe the back heel pass earlier on the break gave him the idea. Whatever it was, when the ball comes in behind Geroud, he somehow torques his leg back just enough to deliver this stunner, off the underside of the crossbar and in.
13. Antonio Brown TD catch off defender
This might have been the moment that broke the Chiefs. It’s hard enough to cover Antonio Brown, but when you get both hands on the ball and have help over the top, you don’t expect to find #84 sprinting to the end zone to put the game away.
12. A.J. Dillon throws defender to ground, outruns everyone
You can be a physical running back, or you can be a speed back. Or, I suppose, you can be both, to the extreme, on the same play, if you’re Boston College’s A.J. Dillon, who left the Louisville in the dust with this incredible run.
11. Radulov one-handed playoff goal vs. Rangers
There’s a takeaway and a pass, then there’s everything Alexander Radulov does next, all with one hand. All while fending off a defender, he skates his way to the crease, dekes Henrik Lundqvist, and reaches far enough back to tuck the shot home.
10. Dee Gordon homers for Jose Fernandez
Sentimentality is often overplayed in sports. But there was nothing fake about the emotion that poured out of Dee Gordon after leading off the Jose Fernandez memorial game with a home run. Already bursting into tears by the time he reached home plate, it was the biggest, most meaningful home run of the baseball season.
9. Incredible volleyball save defies logic
One of the great wonders of the internet is that when incredible high school sports moments happen, they are no longer available only to those present when they happened. Thankfully, the world got to see this Georgia high school volleyball squad’s mindblowing save.
8. Emre Can one-time bicycle goal
I mean, c’mon. As impressive as the goals are out of the Premier League, this one takes the cake. An in-rhythm, leaping bicycle volley off a looping pass, into the top corner? Sure, why not?
7. DeAndre Hopkins one-hand-to-the-other TD
This insane DeAndre Hopkins grab may have flown under the radar in Houston’s blowout loss, but it shouldn’t have. All while fighting off the defender, he tips the ball with one hand, twists mid-air, reels it in with the other, then gets both feet down in bounds, successfully navigating the NFL’s byzantine catch rules for the score.
6. Florida beats Tennessee on Hail Mary as clock expires
Sure, these were two bad football teams this year. But they’re also two rivals, tied, with the clock running out on the final play. And that’s a college quarterback heaving the ball 65+ yards on a line into the waiting hands of his receiver to win the game. That’s college football at its best.
5. LeBron at the buzzer vs. Wizards
I was at this game. I saw this happen in person. I watched LeBron fade out of bounds, heaving up a desperation prayer. I still can’t believe it went in. There were more meaningful buzzer-beaters in the NBA this calendar year, but none more spectacular.
4. Nolan Arenado dives, somehow throws runner out
When I show this play to baseball fans, the reaction is near universal: “That might be the best play I’ve ever seen.” It’s hard to fathom anyone doing more than Arenado does with this dive, recovery on his belly, roll, and throw, from the seat of his pants, somehow in time to get the runner. It’s mindblowing.
3. Florida goes to Elite 8 with OT buzzer-beater 3 over Wisconsin
March Madness is the best. After Wisconsin drills a one-footed, off-balance three to force overtime, Florida looks dead in the water, needing to go the length of the court, down 2, with just four seconds left. And then, just when you need it most, the madness strikes again.
2. Mississippi State ends UConn’s streak with OT buzzer beater
Nobody was supposed to beat UConn and, for 111 games, nobody had. Mississippi State looked like it had squandered its chance, blowing a 16-point lead and seeing Morgan William’s potential game-winner in regulation blocked. But Williams got her shot at redemption — and history — and didn’t miss.
1. Edelman’s catch drives historic Super Bowl comeback
There are a million things that had to happen for the Patriots to pull off their unprecedented Super Bowl comeback, but none were as incredible as Julian Edelman’s catch on the game-tying drive. Off a deflection, the ball was falling to the turf into a mess of bodies when Edelman somehow collected, then recollected it just inches above the Houston turf. It was symbolic of every last little thing New England needed to pull it off.
