Most hyped up athletes of all-time

[Megahab]

Which athletes received the most media and fan hype before actually turning pro? And I'm talking abut hype relative to their sport. So, for example a top NBA prospect would recieve more attention than a top NHL prospect generally just because it's a more popular sport in North America, but just keep it to judging hype relative to other prospects in their own sport.

And how well did they do in living up to the hype?

I'm wondering if the top answer is Lebron James. I think in my lifetime it is. The Lemieux and Lindros hype is a little bit before my time. The only one I can think of coming close to Lebron is Sidney Crosby and I don't think it's even that close. Lebron was getting Jordan comparisons before his first NBA game. Crosby was getting major hype and was thought to be the next big thing in the NHL, but I don't think anyone was thinking he'd get to Gretzky or Lemieux territory. And he didn't.

Crosby lived up to the hype, maybe even one level below the hype due to injuries. Lebron somehow exceeded the hype. I don't know if anyone thought Lebron would be this good and for this long.

I know nothing about other sports so I'm looking to get answers from there too.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Lebron was the most hyped up that I can remember.

Bryce Harper was another one.

 

[Megahab]

Lebron was the most hyped up that I can remember.

Bryce Harper was another one.

How has Harper performed relative to the hype he got?

 

[Albatros]

Freddy Adu deserves to be mentioned.

 

[Mrfenn92]

Not on the same level as Harper or Lebron but tony mandarich from Michigan st

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Ralph Sampson as a high school player and collegian received an exorbitant amount of publicity and comparisons to some NBA greats. He made the Hall of Fame but the next Chamberlain, et al was tough to equate.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

How has Harper performed relative to the hype he got?

Well. He’s going to be a hall of famer, but he won’t be one of the best ever. Not a bad outcome, but could’ve been better.

 

[Fixxer]

McDavid did get a lot of attention too. Sure, the social media and all the new technologies make it possible to get to see a lot more about a player. I remember watching a scrimmage and what I noticed first was his ability to cut passes in mid-air and get scoring chances with his speed. Anyway, there were lots of McDavid's commercials leading up to the draft. LOTS. Maybe in the summer too. It got me thinking that he might be a guy who could top at 150 points, one notch above everyone. He has unreal speed and the current NHL allows him to use this ability.

He's a top talent but only with a great team could we know how much he could get done, offensively. His situation with Draisaitl isn't like Gretzky/Kurri, because they get the same amount of points. Gretzky was always way up, well over his teammates and the league (except Lemieux, when healthy, could rival Gretzky for the Art Ross). I do hope McDavid ends up winning the cup at one point during his career.

 

[JustJokinenAround]

sidd finch

 

[alko]

Andrew Luck? NFL.

But that is actually North America thing. Worldwide? I dont have any idea.

 

[Perennial]

There was lots of hype around Stephen Strasburg... certainly the most hyped pitching prospect that I can recall

 

[Perennial]

John Wall was one of the most hyped basketball players ever...

His high school mix tape on YouTube has nearly 10 million views

 

[Perennial]

Rocket Ismail

 

[alko]

How was it with Pele? As a 17 years old he pushed Brasil to gold, but he didnt played in Europe. Or Maradona?

 

[Maestro84]

It's gotta be LeBron, he was expected to be an all-time great even before he made his debut. Right now, it's Zion.

In Canada, the Wiggins hype was massive back in 2014 but he hasn't even come close to living up to that so far - good thing for him is time, he's still very young and he just got traded to one of the best organizations in pro sports.