Top 10 Rejected Athletes That Became Successful
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- čas přidán 31. 12. 2021
- You’ll be surprised by some of the famous athletes who were cut from teams, faced adversity, or told they wouldn’t amount to much. For this list, we’ll be looking at athletes who overcame the odds despite being doubted. Our countdown includes Tom Brady, Dennis Rodman, Muhammad Ali, and more! Which famous athlete is the most inspirational to you? Be sure to share with us in the comments below.
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Which famous athlete is the most inspirational to you? Be sure to share with us in the comments below.
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Michael Jordan
Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo didn't inspire me
Jimmie johnson, a pretty unknown driver from motocross and super trucks when he went to the nascar xfinity series. Only got 2 wins in xfinity over two years but jeff Gordon and Rick Hendrick took a chance. After 18 years in nascar he got 7 championships, 5 of which were in a row, and 83 wins
Tom Brady
*Rudy!*
Messi, Jordan, and Carmelo were KIDS when they were "rejected." Rodman, Warner & others should be higher because of how late it took them to blossom.
How about brady he was almost undrafted and turns into one of the greatest players in any sport
Totally agree with you in every other facet too
@@ThePh4ntomHammer Brady definitely should have been number 1 and Kurt Warner 2nd or maybe Rodman. Mike was the 3rd overall pick, he wasn't rejected.
Kurt Warner was literally bagging groceries in a supermarket before he got into the AFL
Why is Jordan number 1!? Dude went #3 overall in his draft class. Smh
It’s cause he got cut from varsity basketball team as a freshman 😂
@@kyleschmitt283 oh wow. Being cut from varsity team means he was a complete underdog and unwanted in the NBA. Wow.
Yeah they starting the new year with some BS 🤦🏾♂️
Yeah it goes to show that the best dont become the best overnight. Many people just quit after the first setback they encounter. Man put the work in and made himself a legend.
@@PeanutButterAndJellyBros why are you telling me this? I didn’t make the video, nor did I say I agree with the list….I just told you that’s why they put him on the list.
I wouldn’t consider MJ not getting on varsity when he was a freshman as being rejected.
Facts, and what if he Actaully wasn’t good at ball yet at that age to make varsity
So tired of this myth that he got cut
Right! Even in his documentary, he mentioned he hadn't hit a growth spurt yet.
Ben Wallace should've made this list. Dude went from being undrafted to one of the greatest defensive players of all time. 3 DPOYs said it for itself, not to mention he's an NBA champion with a team without All-Stars.
Yup and HOF. What a career!
So true, Big Ben is also a world champion. Definitely should’ve been on this list.
4 DPOYs! (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006) but yes, absolutely should be on this list…Only undrafted player EVER in the Pro basketball hall of fame. Watchmojo definitely twisted the definition of “underdog”, both Carmelo and MJ were incredibly hyped up entering the league, being NCAA champions and drafted #3 overall, and obviously they had better overall careers… but neither had to overcome the incredibly long odds Ben Wallace did.
@@shredderhector9261 it's players that were rejected pretty sure big Ben had a smooth ride to the NFL including his rookie year which was the greatest rookie season ever got a qb
The saying is "speaks for itself" not said lol
Tom Brady was passed over by the New England Patriots 5 times before they drafted him
And he was the 6th QB taken that draft and is the only one that has done anything
Not making varsity as a freshman isn’t rejection.
right melo had suchhhhhh a hard road to success lmao
Right tom brady didn't even start every game his senior year in college and was almost undrafted
I agree... Smith, Jordan and Melo shouldn't be on this list.
Especially as a freshman
Forgot Jamie Vardy. I mean seriously .. Vardy is made for this list.
Since this is an "American" channel they make videos about their people sadly....
@@phoenixrayne_yt3432 if only they knew about Vardy bro.
@@phoenixrayne_yt3432 _North_ American channel
Your right jaime vardy should’ve made this list
Legit surprised Brady didn’t get #1
He should be.
Same
Mike Piazza needs to be on this list. Drafted as a 62nd round pick as a favor. Went on to become one of the greatest hitting Catchers of all time and a 1st ballot Hall of Famer.
Not only that, he was only drafted as a favor because Tommy Lasorda was buds with his dad, I think he may have even been Piazza's godfather. So he may not have been drafted at all otherwise.
He also had one of the greatest rookie seasons in MLB history, as documented in the MLB TV series, Prime 9
Melo was the 3rd pick in the draft so having him on this list doesn't make sense.
Martin St. Louis should have made this list. Everyone told him that he was too small to make it, not only in the NHL but even for junior hockey. After his NCAA career ended, he signed with the Calgary Flames but they also seemed to have no faith in him. He then went to the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a career year in 2003-04, leading the NHL in scoring, being named MVP, and winning the Stanley Cup (over Calgary). In the years following, he was a perennial All-Star, and despite finishing his career with the New York Rangers, the Lightning retired his #26 jersey. To put a cherry on top of it all, he is now in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Yea but no one cares about hockey
@@mecube9148 Maybe you don't, but a lot of people do.
@@mecube9148 It’s still a professional sport, Jordan & Melo shouldn’t even be on this list. But you don’t know shit about sports so it’s not something u would understand
Mike Piazza, Dodgers (Round 62, 1988) - Piazza is arguably the most valuable selection in draft history. The Hall of Fame catcher was drafted with the 1,390th pick
Josh Allen didn’t receive a single division 1 scholarship. He went to junior college where he sent out 1000 recruiting letters to teams and he ended up only getting two offers. When the Buffalo Bills took him everyone thought he was gonna be the worst qb from that draft. Now he’s one of the best in the league and almost won mvp in 2020
If he was black, people would say he was rejected because of racism.
Best? He's good but his accuracy kills him. Will never be like the greats. Have to shave accuracy.
@@mrhumble2937 he broke the Bills single season completion percentage last year. Sure it looks shakey, but I think people think accuracy is a gift and not something to work at.
Jordan being 1 is a stretch lol. He was drafted 3rd.
watchmojo don't know sports. Can't blame them because they're jordan d-riders.
Melo as well
Love your content!! Everyone be safe out there ❤️👑💛❤️
The Michael Jordan thing always makes me laugh cuz he was never an underdog or rejected he didn’t play varsity as a freshman in high school at an extremely good program and then played varsity the next year and was highly recruited it’s not like he straight up got cut which a lot of people like to say
You forgot Darren Sharper. Multiple women rejected him, but he kept pushing til he got what he wanted.
lmao
Oof
If you're going to mention MJ's freshman year in high school (btw, he was 5'8" not 5'11") then I'll be damned if your not going to mention the doubts Brady faced in both high school and college. His 0-8 JV team didn't trust him to start at QB, and only got to play when the starter was hurt. He had two great last years of high school before going to Michigan. He struggled to move up the depth chart. He didn't start until his Junior year at Michigan, and had to battle constantly with a true freshman qb for 2 years, despite never slipping up or being anything less than reliable. He was disregarded by most teams before the combine, something that was reinforced by his horrendous performance there. Selected 199 overall, he was on the practice squad in his rookie year. Then he rose to backup behind Drew Bledsoe...you know the rest. Now tell me, how does this compare to one of the greatest NBA and college basketball players getting cut as a freshman in high school because he was, in fact, too short. He overcame this one obstacle before even getting his high school diploma
Ali is the most inspirational imo - “I’ll show you how great I am”. Gives me goose bumps
Yeeeeeeeeeeah WatchMojo! Another list we agree! It's getting good kkkk
A 2nd round draft pick literally just won the NBA MVP award for the 1st time ever. Most of these guys were underrated before they hit the professional level
Trivia fact: Len Dawson and Johnny Unitas were both with the Pittsburgh Steelers at the same time and both were cut- imagine what could have been...
Getting cut from your HS team vs the league you end up having success in are two different categories. They completely got the list wrong.
How can you be "rejected" when you're literally the 3rd overall pick in a stacked draft class
Jordan played in one of the best program in North Carolina, and only slided to the 3rd pick because of Hakeem and Blazers needing a center
Tom Brady was picked 199th, and went on to win 7 superbowls
Brady alone win more rings than any other franchises in NFL
Plus, winning the Superbowl is arguably harder than winning the NBA finals
In NBA, teamming up works half of the time, only 4-6 teams have real shot of winning
In NFL, a team-up won't gurantee anything, that's the beauty of the football
Datsyuk should be on the list. He went from 200th overall to 4 times cup champion
Good idea for a top 10
The MJ being rejected story is so overblown it’s ridiculous lol. Not making varsity as a freshman is not surprising at all
This is a bad list to start off the year because most of them ended up getting picked in higher rounds in their drafts and Messi Tom Brady and Kurt Warner are the only ones basically told they never succeed
Carmelo doesn’t seem like he fits on this list. He literally just got cut once in high school but then got a growth spurt and played again in high school and then went to college and then nba immediately. Everyone else on this list struggled way more to get recognition
It’s absolutely criminal that steph curry isn’t mentioned at all in this video.
Love your vids
ty
Now this is what I wanted to see.
Great video, Watchmojo
Thanks!
Sorry Carmelo Anthony getting cut as a freshman doesn't cut this list. Freshmen in high school are awkward in general I bet a lot of other athletes have that same story.
Wow that's amazing
Nigga you ain’t even watch the video yet
Jackie Robinson should be #1.
You forgot Denver nuggets center Nikola jokic. Another athlete many thought would not be successful but has proved all them wrong. He is a three times all star, first Mvp to be drafted 41 overall. And he was sleeping the day he got drafted.
That sleeping part got my attention. He rather tend to his horses more than playing basketball, and still winning in life.
That says a lot.
Don't you hate it when people who don’t know sports, end up making a sports list? Such a mess.
I don't think not making varsity as a freshman is a real rejection. That's the norm.
Why is carmerlo in there? Where is steve nash??
There isn't a single hockey player on this list. Meanwhile there are tons of nhl all stars who came in undrafted or very late.
Joe Burrow always talked about how he was over looked. Dude was a four star recruit with 20 D1 offers coming out of high school and went to one of the best college football teams in the country. Then when he transferred he goes to a really good team in the SEC. Doesn’t really seem like he was overlooked
yea brady should of definitely been first, the guy was always the last pick from high school to college to NFL. he was a backup in high school, then a backup in college, won and then got picked nearly last in the NFL draft. and then he was still a backup to a backup and worked his way to started, until he is now the undisputed GOAT of the NFL. dude is first
you can make a case for messi but Jordan!!! come on Jordan was a college phenom he won championships in college and went to the olympics in college and won gold, then he got picked top 3 in the draft!! and then just dominated in the NBA!! how is he in this list?
No Steph Curry?
Brady should top this list without question. Highschool and lower doesn't matter as much as later. Brady and Warner over Jordan and Messi. I mean Jordan in middle school and Messi at 11 vs Warner undrafted and Brady being the worst reviewed QB that year and going 199? In the words of some great sportscasters COM'ON MAAAAN
I hate when people who don’t know sports makes a sports list. Also, being “rejected” when you’re 14 isn’t a thing or setback. It’s called, haven’t-gone-through-puberty-yet. Lastly, MJ going third in the draft makes him number one on this list but Tom going 199, still playing at age 43 and having more rings than MJ makes him 3rd on this list?!
Preach
Dam you had Steph in the intro video ANF not on the kist? Wow...
No Martin St Louis?
You forgot about midfielder Tim Kelly at the West Coast Eagle's!!! 🤨..heheee
That is a real story of a journey
I know he's short but I didn't know that caused him to be rejected initially. Fascinating
happy new year watch mojo
Happy new year
What about Russell Willson? During the 2008 Draft all but one of the NFL teams didn’t want him because he was too small, then got drafted by the Seahawks and took them to the Super Bowl
He was drafted in 2012
@@franciscoayon1130 I don’t follow the NFL much but that was a great year.
@@BuzryHaproMandalorianHunter he was 20 in 2008
I stopped watching the NFL after the 2020 season, but I continued getting highlights until Week 9 of the 2021 season.
If even put Edelman in there over messi, and jordan smh
Where is Mike Piazza drafted 62nd round as a favor to his family
How can you miss Big Ben ?! 😭
Steph Curry: Am I a joke to you?
7:59 now where have I heard that before? 🔥
Michael Jordan is about my height when he tried out for his varsity team. How that could hold him back I don't know. But that's still relatively tall. That's really dope though
Muhammad Ali? I didn't see that coming wow
Here's someone who should be on this list very soon, and that's Josh Allen. A zero star recruit out of a no-name highschool, had to go to Junior College for a year just for an opportunity to get someone to notice him. 1000 emails later, only two schools responded, and one of them rescinded their offer when they found out another school (Wyoming) was interested. He may not have a championship yet, but he will get one, and every single one of those coaches and athletic directors that rejected him will kick themselves, if they aren't already.
There must be no love for hockey players on this list! Robitaille and Datsyuk (particularly Datsyuk with his drafting/scouting story) are great hockey stories as well for this list. I think Baker Mayfield might have had some merit for it too, but his NFL career is young still.
I just don’t think this is the right channel for sports talk.
Yea hockey fucking sucks, so no love
@@mecube9148 to low IQ people sure.
Don’t agree with Baker Mayfield. If you’re drafted #1 overall, you weren’t rejected by the NFL
@@chaint1000 definitely a fair stance for his NFL career, but being a walk-on in college to winning the Heisman would give some merit for the conversation. I should have specified his college playing time with the potential to making the Browns relevant...perhaps maybe lol...but based on his pro career, oh yeah I'd most definitely agree with you.
I actually did watch the movie Ali with Will Smith with my mom sometime last year and all that time I didn't know he was rejected but we knew that he had an immeasurable confidence
The fact that the top #4 are arguably the GOAT in their respective sports 🙌🏼
Warner should be number 1. Dude almost didn’t have a chance into the league.
I knew that clickbait is deceptive. Good thing Tom Tantrum isn't number 1. I still don't think MJ the GOAT is number 1.
Number 5 and 1 for Anthony and Jordan because they got cut from their HIGH SCHOOL varsity as a FRESHMAN is a horrible take. 15 year olds playing their 1st year of highschool basketball not being rejected when you can play more experienced players.
Cafu should have been included as well because when he was young he was rejected by 12 different clubs, and went on to be brazil's all time record appearance maker as well as winning the world cup, and beeing widely regarded as one of if not the best right backs of all time
Look into the NFL’s Wes Welker and Zach Thomas. Both were doubted and way too small for their position, both will be in the PFHoF.
Brady should be #1. What he's done in his 20+ year career is a virtual impossibility for anyone to catch. Appearing in 10 SB's and winning 7 is God-Tier. Especially for a league like the NFL. Not too mention the dozens of NFL records he's obliterated. His feats will not be repeated in multiple lifetimes, if ever. Brady is hands down the Greatest Of All-Time and most definitely the most successful rejected athlete of all-time.
Do a pro wrestling one like ( Batista, tazz, stone cold Steve Austin, John Cena, CM punk etc.)
Melo???
That’s a ridiculous reach
I dont understand how carmello is on the list cuz he got cut his freshmen year of highschool. I mean the man after that basically was the greatest basketball player in highschool did 1 year of college and went straight to pros like come on. Mike Piazza could of been of this list cuz he had it way worse his story is much like Kurt Warner.
They didn’t think Brady would be anything but became a 7 time Super Bowl champion and became THE GOAT!
Brady and messi are just insane...
Jose Altuve should be on this list. He was sent home from Astros try outs numerous times for being too short and he proved them wrong by winning an MVP
You might be good in high school but that might be as high as you will ever reach. You might not be as great in high school but you might have the potential of a world beater. Just depends how much you can learn and work for it.
How about RA Dickey? He was drafted by the Rangers and then cut because of health issues in his arm and went on to be one of the best knuckle ball pitcher's in baseball and he did this while facing some very serious childhood trauma.
Dickey is Tim Wakefield 2.0
Carmelo Anthony "diaper dandy" collegete champion 🤨... Some of the people on the list don't belong here
I’m surprised Kurt Warner isn’t #1.
He should be 2. Brady number 1.
Where was russell wilson
Hamilton, Sergio Perez and Ocon should have got a callback
And Michael Schumacher and Jim Clark
Michael Jordan?! No way I didn't know that at all!
Martin St-Louis is the real underdog he’s been rejected even as a pro
Not on the list is a joke
half of them are not rejected, everyone has to work hard to become great but it doesnt mean they were rejected
I did not expect Messi on here. What?! I always rooted for him in the World Cup when he was in Argentina's side. The one time I was actually into football
The MJ story has been greatly exaggerated. A freshman not being chosen for a varsity basketball team is not unusual even for somebody who turned out to be incredible. Being 14 and not making a team with really good 16-17 year olds is not in any way an indicator that someone was rejected. He got a scholarship to one of the best schools and was a top 3 pick in the NBA draft. He was expected to be an all world athlete.
bro they were calling him the greatest basketball player of all time before he even played a single nba game 💀💀💀
Edouard Mendy - 7 years ago he had to register as a jobless, back in France, because he couldn't get a place in the squad in then 3rd league Cherbourg. Now a mainstay between Chelsea's posts, widely considered a best keeper right now.
I didn't know that about Tom Brady. Huh.🤔🤔🤔
Leo Is Number 1 Rebecca!
Not sure Melo should’ve been on this list …
LMAO Carmelo? he was famous in High School...
Dennis Rodman looks a lot like me when I was in High School. And ironically I personally love basketball and I wanted to try out for the team but I doubted myself because I thought I was too short and then I had a growth spurt and my grandmother told me that I should have tried out for it. I'm 6'0". Missed opportunity I suppose
Micheal Jordan played for 10 seasons in BASKETBALL!?! No wonder he’s the greatest basketball player of all time, nice for you to mention Muhammad Ali. Feels weird that he’s gone for almost six years now, where does the time go?
*#1 - Rudy*
I must have at least 5 pairs of Stan smith shoes
3:32 "ah Unitas ese corte de cabello si se puede ver"
Moral of the story.......hope that you hit a growth spurt
"welcome to watch mojo"
Jordan tried out for varsity as a sophomore and didn't make the cut. He was 5'9" and his friend Leroy Smith, 6'7" and also a sophomore, made varsity instead.
My Grandpa loved Johnny U and my grandpas name is Johnny lol