As AI’s capabilities grow and become more widespread, it makes perfect sense to ask for its opinions on an important topic: sports.
The Virginian-Pilot asked ChatGPT, an AI chatbot launched late last year, to create a list of the top 10 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 #1 on this list.
He is originally from Hampton and was a standout for Bethel High before heading to Georgetown for his college prom. Lui spent just two seasons with the Hoyas, but quickly made his mark on the program.
Iverson still holds Georgetown’s career highs for points per game (23) and steals per game (3.2). He was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year both seasons and was named a first-team All-American in his sophomore year.
After an early college departure, Iverson was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 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 consecutive 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 inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
2. David Wright
A Norfolk native who grew up in Chesapeake, Wright was arguably 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.
James Keivom/New York Daily News
David Wright of the New York Mets, shown in 2008, spent all 14 years of his MLB career with the New York Mets. JAMES KEIVOM/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
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 earned 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 more .
3.Lorenzo Taylor
You can certainly argue that Taylor, one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history, should be at the top of this list.
Born in Williamsburg, Taylor had an illustrious 13-year career with the New York Giants.
He made an immediate impact on the league, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards in his first season. Lui then followed up his rookie campaign by winning another Defensive Player of the Year award the following season.
1986 was arguably 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 MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, and won his first Super Bowl.
Taylor won one more Super Bowl, in January 1991, and finished his Hall of Fame career in 1993 with 10 Pro Bowls and eight All-Pros.
Steve Schaefer/Getty Images
Star quarterback Michael Vick, who played for Ferguson and Warwick High and Virginia Tech, revolutionized the position and paved the way for other black quarterbacks in the NFL. Getty Images files
4. Michael Vic
Vicks’ case for being ranked no. 4 may not be as solid as the others’ cases, and you can argue that it should probably slide down a few points. Regardless, there’s no question that the Newport News native should at least be somewhere on the list.
Despite his legal woes, Vick’s athleticism and arm strength helped revolutionize the quarterback position and helped pave the way for other black quarterbacks in the NFL, such as 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 his redshirt freshman year.
He played 13 seasons in the NFL, mostly with the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles. With the Falcons, Vick was named to the Pro Bowl twice and finished second in MVP voting in 2004.
With the Eagles, he was named Comeback Player of the Year in 2010, his first full season as a starting quarterback after missing the 2007 and 2008 seasons with suspension.
Vicks’ last year in the NFL was 2015, and he’s now an analyst on the Fox show NFL Kickoff.
5. Alonzo Mourning
Mourning, a Chesapeake native and Indian River High alumnus, 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 stay for but 30 games with the New Jersey Nets.
Mourning was the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons (1999 and 2000) with the Heat and was named to the all-star team five times with Miami.
His only championship ring came in 2006 with the Heat, and he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.
6. Gabriel Douglas
Douglas burst onto the gymnastics world stage at the 2012 Olympics in London as a member of the US 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 the Olympics. She was also the first US gymnast to win a gold medal in the individual all-around and team competition at the same Olympics.
Following her historic run at the 2012 Olympics, Douglas was named Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press.
Douglas added another gold medal to his resume at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where he helped the United States win the team competition for the second consecutive game.
7.Bruce Smith
Smith was a legendary defensive end in the NFL and is a no-brainer for this roster.
A Norfolk native and Booker T Washington High alumnus, he was a star at Virginia Tech before being drafted 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 Bowls and eight All-Pro honors he has won have come with the Bills.
Smith was among teams from Buffalo that went to four consecutive Super Bowls in the 1990s but were unable to get a championship ring.
He was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year (1990 and ’96) and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
Associated press
Seattle’s Percy Harvin outruns Denver’s David Bruton as he returns a kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014. Harvin is a former Landstown High star. AP files
8. Percy Harvin
Harvin was one of the most exciting 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 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 was named Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Some might argue that Harvin’s pro career hasn’t met some of the high expectations that surround it.
Those awards from his rookie season in 2009 were the only ones Harvin won during his eight-year career. However, he won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in February 2014.
9. Shawn Merritt
Merritt joins Douglas as another Olympian on this list.
The Portsmouth native was a track and field star who started out at Wilson High, now called Manor.
Merritt’s fame is due to his sprinting prowess, which earned him three Olympic gold medals and several world championship medals.
He won his first two gold medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing in the 400m and 4×400m relay.
Merritt failed to medal at the 2012 Olympics, but bounced back with a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in the 4×400m relay.
10. Aaron Brooks
Brooks is, admittedly, a surprise addition to the list. A native of Newport News and a graduate of Ferguson High, he had a successful college career in Virginia. He was a three-year starter for the Cavaliers and is in the top 10 of a handful of the program’s career 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 did not start until the 11th game of the 2000 season, but that game began a streak 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 an honorable mention.
Virginian-Pilot sports staff and the Daily Press have put their heads together to create a small list of players and coaches who all have a case to name in the list above.
Baseball: Ryan Zimmerman, Michael Cuddyer, Justin Upton, Melvin “BJ” Upton
Soccer: 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
Trace: Grant Holloway
Michael Sauls, michael.sauls@virginiamedia.com, (757) 803-5775
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