AAPI Month runs from May 1st to May 31st. The entire month is dedicated to celebrating Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Approximately 16.6 million AAPIs live in the US, which is only about 5.4 percent of the population. Many people in the world play sports. Here are 10 AAPIs who play sports and their accomplishments.
- Li Na-Tennis
Li Na is a 42-year-old Chinese former tennis player. She has won nine singles titles, two of which were in the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open, both for Grand Slam titles. She’s famous for being the first Asian woman to win a Grand Slam, winning herself a singles title in the Australian Open.
- Hideki Matsuyama- Golfer
Hideki Matsuyama is a 32-year-old Japanese golfer who went pro in 2013. Hideki has played 254 events with 9 PGA tour wins and 8 international wins. He is known for 2021 being the first-ever Japanese professional golfer to win a men’s major golf championship, the Masters Tournament.
- Michelle Kwan-Figure Skater
Michelle Kwan is a 43-year-old Chinese retired figure skater. She has won two Olympic medals one silver and one bronze, she’s had five world champions and has won nine US champions. She is one of the most decorated figure skates in US history, and she has many figure skating accomplishments.
- Ichiro Suzuki-MLB
Ichiro Suzuki is a 50-year-old Japanese former Baseball player who went pro in 2001. He was part of the Miami Marlins in 2015 and part of the Seattle Mariners in 2018, who played outfield and right field, he was number 51. He collected the most total hits across all professional baseball leagues in the history of baseball.
- Chloe Kim-Snowboarding
Chloe Kim is a 24-year-old Korean snowboarder. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. In 2018, at only 17 years old, she became the youngest woman to win an Olympic gold medal for snowboarding in the halfpipe event.
- Manny Pacquiao-Boxer
Manny Pacquiao is a 45-year-old Filipino boxer. He has fought in the Welterweight, Featherweight, Lightweight, Flyweight, Super featherweight, Light middleweight, light welterweight, and Super bantamweight divisions. In the 2000s, the Boxing Writers Association of America named Manny Fighter of the Decade. He is also famous for winning more boxing titles in weight classes than any other boxer in history.
- Sunisa Lee-gymnastics
Sunisa Lee is a 21-year-old Hmong gymnast. Lee became an all-around and uneven bars champion in 2002. In 2019, she also won the world championship, getting silver for floor and bronze for uneven bars. She is the first woman of Asian descent and the first Asian American woman to win an Olympic all-around title.
- Jeremy Lin-Basketball
Jeremy Lin is a 35-year-old Taiwanese basketball player. He was in the NBA draft in 2010, and in 2023, he joined the New Taipei Kings with the jersey number 7 point guard and later joined the Kaohsiung 17LIVE Steelers with the jersey number 7 guard. Jeremy Lin also played for the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, and Houston Rockets. He was also a Hall of Famer in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
- Naomi Osaka-Tennis
Naomi Osaka is a 26-year-old Japanese tennis player. She has won four grand slams in the singles category, along with two in the Australian Open and two US Open titles. She has been ranked number one for singles in the world by the Women’s Tennis Association. She is the first Asian-American player to hold a top ranking in single.
- Yao Ming-basketball
Yao Ming is a 43-year-old Chinese former basketball player. In 1997, he joined the Shanghai Sharks, in 2000, the China men’s national basketball team, and in 2002, the Houston Rockets. He was a three-time gold medalist and three-time MVP in the FIBA Asia Championships.
