Throughout history, many athletes have become synonymous with their signature, lush heads of hair. Whether it was Allen Iverson and his cornrows, Dr. J and his afro, or Troy Polamalu and his shaggy mane, athletes across all sports and generations have used their hair to make a statement and differentiate themselves from their peers.
But not everybody is so lucky.
According to a recent study, 30 percent of men will be affected by baldness by age 30. This statistic means that, in any given professional sport, many players will begin suffering the indignity of having their hair loss exposed on national television on a regular basis.
There has been no greater example of this phenomenon in recent years than LeBron James, whose early-stage hair loss has made him the subject of memes for the last several years. James made headlines last week when he appeared to have sprung for some sort of hair plug treatment that restored his hairline to its previous lustrous levels.
While LeBron never accepted his fate and owned his baldness (thus excluding him from this list), many athletes have had successful careers despite a lack of locks. Here’s a look at the Greatest Bald Athletes of All-Time.
Follow me on Twitter @dcsibor
15. Matt Hasselbeck
14. Tim Howard
13. Jason Kidd
12. Wayne Rooney
11. Kevin Garnett
10. Albert Pujols
9. Brian Urlacher
8. Cal Ripken Jr.
7. Terry Bradshaw
6. Andre Agassi
5. Bobby Charlton
4. Zinedine Zidane
3. Mark Messier
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
1. Michael Jordan
