Tennis legend Serena Williams, seen here waving to the crowd after losing the final match of her career to Ajla Tomljanovic 2022 U.S. Open tennis, has suffered two pulmonary embolisms — the first in 2011 and the second in 2017 after the birth of her first child. She was able to return to competition both times but has also said that she needs to be vigilant for the rest of her life when it comes to early detection of blood clots. Happy Mother’s Day to all of those great moms out there.
In the world of sports, the athletes that we’ve grown to love wouldn’t be the superstars that they are today without the women who raised them. At the same time, there have been some kickass women, who are also mothers and competitors in the world of sports.
Let’s take a look at the greatest sports mothers ever.
Serena Williams
Why not start this off with the GOAT? Williams famously won the 2017 Australian Open while eight to nine weeks pregnant with her daughter, Olympia. A fitting name for the daughter of an athlete who has four gold medals.
In the 2017 Aussie Open, Williams defeated her sister, Venus Williams, in the final and labeled this as her greatest career achievement. Williams didn’t drop a single set, making this one of the most dominant victories in her storied career.
Williams discovered she was pregnant with her first child days before the tournament. Even with that sort of pressure, she was able to dominate the competition.
American tennis might never have another phenom like Williams, so we should appreciate this story and her career whenever we get the chance.
Gloria James
Jan 13, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) wears a patch affixed to the upper right chest to celebrate his record-setting 23rd NBA season during the first half against the Atlanta Hawks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images It’s wild that because of LeBron James’ greatness on the hardwood, we forget about his tremendously humble beginnings.
Gloria had LeBron at 16 as a single mother in Akron. The pair faced unstable housing and the pressure of raising a young child at such a young age. Gloria wasn’t focused on creating arguably the greatest basketball player of all-time, she was simply trying to survive with her new son.
During LeBron’s first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Gloria was a fixture in the Cleveland market, appearing courtside at games and jawing at the other team. Now, she serves as the vice president of the LeBron James Family Foundation and is tremendously active in her son’s charitable works. She has a son still playing in the NBA, and a grandson playing with him. Pretty damn cool.
Wanda Durant
Oct 24, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) reacts after a play during the third quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images The real MVP, Kevin Durant’s mother was also a single mom that had to navigate raising a son that would eventually turn into one of the purest scorers of all-time.
Wanda rose to fame during KD’s acceptance speech for his 2014 NBA MVP award. He credited her with keeping them off the streets, providing food and clothing, and working to keep the family going.
“You went to sleep hungry,” Durant said. “You sacrificed for us.”
At the end of the day, what great mother wouldn’t?
