See how ChatGPT ranked the top 10 athletes of all time from Hampton Roads
As the capabilities of artificial intelligence grow and it becomes more mainstream, it makes perfect sense to ask for its opinions on an important subject: sports.
The Virginian-Pilot asked ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot launched late last year, to create a top 10 list of athletes who hail from the Hampton Roads area. Here’s what the AI said:
1. Allen Iverson
An NBA legend, Iverson certainly has the pedigree to be named No. 1 on this list.
He is a Hampton native and was a standout for Bethel High before heading to Georgetown for college ball. He spent just two seasons with the Hoyas, but quickly made his mark on the program.
Iverson still holds the Georgetown career record for points per game (23) and steals per game (3.2). He was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in both seasons and was named a first-team All-American in his sophomore year.
After an early departure from college, Iverson was chosen by the Philadelphia 76ers with first overall pick in the 1996 draft, and the rest is history.
He enjoyed a 14-year NBA career, highlighted by an MVP award in 2001 and 11 straight All-Star game appearances. He earned an All-NBA nod seven times and was a four-time scoring champion.
The Answer, also known as AI, was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
2. David Wright
A Norfolk native who grew up in Chesapeake, Wright was easily one of the best third basemen of the 2000s and early 2010s.
Wright was selected by the New York Mets in the first round of the 2001 MLB draft out of Hickory High.
He made his MLB debut in 2004 and kicked off a 14-year career that he spent entirely with the Mets.
Wright was a seven-time All-Star and won two Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards before retiring in 2018. He left baseball as the Mets’ all-time leader in 24 offensive categories, including hits, RBI, singles, doubles and plenty more.
3. Lawrence Taylor
You certainly can make the argument that Taylor, one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history, should be at the top of this list.
A Williamsburg native, Taylor had an illustrious 13-year career with the New York Giants.
He made an immediate impact on the league, winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards in his first season. He then followed up his rookie campaign by winning another Defensive Player of the Year award the following season.
1986 was likely the best year of Taylor’s career. That season, he led the NFL with 20.5 sacks — a record that stood for decades — was named the league’s MVP and Defensive Player of the Year and won his first Super Bowl.
Taylor won one more Super Bowl, in January 1991, and ended his Hall of Fame career in 1993 with 10 Pro Bowl and eight All-Pro nods.
4. Michael Vick
Vick’s case for being ranked No. 4 may not be as solid as others’ cases, and you can argue he probably should slide down a few spots. Regardless, there’s no doubt that the Newport News native should at least be somewhere on the list.
Despite his legal troubles, Vick’s athleticism and arm strength helped revolutionize the quarterback position and helped pave the way for other Black quarterbacks in the NFL, like Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes.
Vick was a standout in the two seasons he played for Virginia Tech and was a third-place finisher for the Heisman Trophy in his redshirt freshman year.
He played 13 seasons in the NFL, mainly with the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles. With the Falcons, Vick was named to the Pro Bowl twice and finished second in the MVP voting in 2004.
With the Eagles, he was named the Comeback Player of the Year in 2010, his first full season as a starting quarterback after missing the 2007 and 2008 seasons because of a suspension.
Vick’s final year in the NFL was 2015, and he is now an analyst on the Fox NFL Kickoff show.
5. Alonzo Mourning
Mourning, a Chesapeake native and Indian River High alum, was a dominant center during his 15-year NBA career.
Like Iverson, Mourning played for Georgetown. The Charlotte Hornets selected him with the second overall pick in the 1992 draft.
He was a two-time all-star during his three seasons in Charlotte before landing in Miami, where he would remain except for 30 games with the New Jersey Nets.
Mourning was the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons (1999 and 2000) with the Heat and was named to the all-star team five times with Miami.
His lone championship ring came in 2006 with the Heat, and he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.
6. Gabby Douglas
Douglas burst onto the world gymnastics stage in the 2012 Olympics in London as a member of the U.S. team dubbed the Fierce Five.
The Newport News native, who grew up in Virginia Beach, was the first Black gymnast to win the individual all-around gold medal at an Olympics. She was also the first U.S. gymnast to win a gold medal in the individual all-around and team competition at the same Olympics.
After her historic run in the 2012 Olympics, Douglas was named the Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press.
Douglas added another gold medal to her résumé in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where she helped the U.S. win the team competition for the second games in a row.
7. Bruce Smith
Smith was a legendary defensive end in the NFL and is a no-brainer for this list.
A Norfolk native and Booker T Washington High alum, he was a standout for Virginia Tech before being chosen by the Buffalo Bills with the first pick in the 1985 draft.
Smith played 19 seasons in the NFL, the first 15 for Buffalo and the last four for Washington. All 11 Pro Bowl and eight All-Pro awards he earned came with the Bills.
Smith was part of the Buffalo teams that went to four straight Super Bowls in the ‘90s, but were unable to get a championship ring.
He was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year (1990 and ’96) and inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
8. Percy Harvin
Harvin was one of the more electric football players of the late 2000s and early 2010s.
The Chesapeake native played high school football for Landstown, where he was a multi-sport star, before taking his talents to Florida for college.
Harvin was with the Gators for three years before he the Minnesota Vikings selected him in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft.
In his rookie season, Harvin had 760 receiving yards and 1,156 kick-return yards en route to a Pro Bowl appearance and being named the Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Some could make the argument Harvin’s pro career did not meet some of the lofty expectations surrounding it.
Those awards from his rookie season in 2009 were the only ones Harvin won during his eight-year career. He did, however, win a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in February 2014.
9. LaShawn Merritt
Merritt joins Douglas as another Olympian on this list.
The Portsmouth native was a track and field star who got his start at Wilson High, now called Manor.
Merritt’s claim to fame is his sprinting prowess, which earned him three Olympic gold medals and several world championship medals.
He earned his first two gold medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing in the 400-meter run and the 4×400 relay.
Merritt was unable to gain a medal in the 2012 Olympics, but bounced back with a gold medal in the 2016 Olympics in the 4×400 relay.
10. Aaron Brooks
Brooks is, admittedly, a surprise addition to the list. A Newport News native and Ferguson High graduate, he had a successful college career at Virginia. He was a three-year starter for the Cavaliers and is in the top 10 of a handful of career program passing categories.
The Green Bay Packers drafted him in the fourth round in 1999, and he began his NFL career as a third-string quarterback. The Packers traded Brooks to the New Orleans Saints before the 2000 season.
Brooks didn’t start until the 11th game of the 2000 season, but that one game started a string of 82 starts at quarterback for the Saints. He is tied with Drew Brees for 20th in the NFL for most consecutive starts at quarterback.
His final season came in 2006 with the Oakland Raiders. Brooks was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 2014.
Honorable mention
No top-10 list is complete without honorable mention.
The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press sports staff put their heads together to create a small list of players and coaches who all have a case to be named to the list above.
Baseball: Ryan Zimmerman, Michael Cuddyer, Justin Upton, Melvin “B.J.” Upton
Football: Kenny Easley, Ronald Curry, Dwight Stephenson, Henry Jordan, Leroy Keyes, Kam Chancellor, DJ Dozier, Ace Parker
Boxing: Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker
Basketball: Charles “Lefty” Driesell, Elizabeth Williams
Track: Grant Holloway
Michael Sauls, michael.sauls@virginiamedia.com, (757) 803-5775
