The Rising Stars of Sport

The world of sport has produced exceptional talents. Michael Phelps, in swimming, for instance. The Williams sisters in tennis. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in soccer. “Iron” Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali in boxing.

The list is endless as more and more talent enters the sporting realm, but the sports world and media will always be watching for rising stars. Fans of sports betting, especially live betting, will also be following them and seeing how their progress could affect future betting decisions. Below is a look at some of the upcoming talent to watch.

Mirra Andreeva (Tennis)

Mirra Andreeva, coached by 1994 Wimbledon winner Conchita Martinez, has been steadily climbing the rankings. In 2024, she finished 16^th and has moved up to seventh in 2025.

The right-handed player is just 17 years old and has been playing tennis since she was six. In 2023, she became the top-ranked junior and has won three International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior titles. She also has three World Tennis Association (WTA) titles under her belt. Her victory at the 2025 Dubai Open took her into the world top 10 for the first time.

Cam Thomas (NBA Basketball)

Cam Thomas was a leader on points on the 2019 Nike EYBL circuit and was the Player of the Year. He played only a season of basketball at Louisiana State University (2020-21) as a freshman before joining the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. During that one season, he became the only LSU player to hit twenty 20-point games since Shaquille O’Neal in 1992. This Division 1 twenty-two games with over 20 points were the most by a freshman in the 2020-21 season.

Thomas has been with the Nets since the 2021-22 season. In his days as a younger player, he modelled his game on the late Kobe Bryant. His time with the Brooklyn side has seen him set records in his 2022-23 season that have caught the attention of sports fans and the media as a potential star of the future. He became the youngest player in history to score 40 points more in three consecutive games. The 134 points he posted across such a stretch are the most for a player in Nets history as well.

Caitlin Clark (NCAA Basketball)

While Cam Thomas has been making a name for himself in the NBA, in the NCAA, Caitlin Clark has been attracting attention in women’s basketball. She’d already been playing in high school and in 2021, as a freshman at the University of Iowa, she led Division 1 in scoring. The following year, she became the first woman to top the division in points and assists.

In 2023, Clark drove the Hawkeyes to their first NCAA Championship final. She did the same again in 2024. March 2024 saw her overtake “Pistol” Pete Maravich as the leading scorer in NCAA history. For all her achievements, basketball is a path she might not have taken. Even though her father had played basketball, Clark tried lots of other activities, including softball, soccer, volleyball, tennis and piano, but committed to basketball around the sixth grade. She played basketball with her brothers and, since there were few opportunities for girl basketball players, joined an all-boys team in elementary school.

Lauren James (Soccer)

Chelsea and English national squad player Lauren James is a sports personality to watch in women’s soccer. In her first World Cup ever, in 2023, the London-born Lioness played out of her skin and attracted the attention and admiration of fans as a rising star. During the tournament, she notched up the lead in the squad for the most goals and assists (three of each), despite not even starting England’s first game.

Football is in the blood of the Chelsea forward. At six years old, she’d already joined the Chelsea Youth Academy and played in the U10s and U13s. She then joined Arsenal and even trained with senior women, but her skills were so good they put her in the boys’ academy.

Jones made her professional debut for Arsenal on her 16^th birthday, but she attributes a major part of her development, both as a player and a person, to moving to the North to play for Manchester United. There she lived alone and had to do more for herself, which helped her to grow. James helped Man United move from the lower league FA Women’s Championship to the Women’s Super League, where scouts for the national side spotted her and called her up for the first time. In August 2022, she received her first official England call up to the senior squad from the side’s manager, Sarina Wiegman.

Sport is seeing some phenomenal achievements and there are stars clearly beginning to emerge. Other athletes to keep your eye open for include Great Britain athlete Jacob Mills in the men’s swimming, Australian sprinter Torrie Lewis in women’s track athletics and South African sprinter Bayanda Walaza in men’s track athletics.