Sports Illustrated recently released the 2025 Power List, consisting of the 50 most influential figures in the sports world, including the top athletes across the globe.
Of course, it's impossible to name every single athlete in the world who continues to have a major influence on fans and sports in general. But each year, there is a list of athletes who stand out above the rest. Some of this year's Power List athletes include NFL quarterback Jayden Daniels, Texas quarterback Arch Manning, reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson and MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani, to name a few. You can check out the full list here.
So, who should make the cut for next year's Power List? That list is long, too, but here are five athletes who should continue to make significant influence in their respective sports over the next year.
Five Athletes Who Didn't Make the Cut But Could in 2026
Napheesa Collier: WNBA
Lynx star Napheesa Collier is one of the hopefuls for this WNBA season’s MVP award for the second year in a row. Last season, Collier finished second in voting behind the three-time MVP A’ja Wilson, who sits on this year’s Power List. Collier is a prime candidate to make the list next year based on the major influence she’s had in the WNBA over the past few seasons, on top of expanding the world of women’s basketball in general.
Collier’s Minnesota squad lead the WNBA with a 34–10 record during the regular season partially thanks to her career-best average of 23 points per game. She was named as one of the captains of the WNBA All-Star Game because of her impressive performances on the court, and because she’s become a huge household name in the sport.
Off the WNBA court, Collier teamed up with fellow WNBA star Breanna Stewart to help create Unrivaled, a women’s three-on-three basketball league that gives players the opportunity to compete stateside in the offseason. This past winter saw Unrivaled’s inaugural season, and it drew in over 200,000 viewers per night. The league also just announced an expansion to eight teams for the 2026 season.
As women’s basketball continues to grow each and every year thanks to the sport's various stars, Collier is helping expand the sport to bigger audiences within the WNBA season and outside of it. In the coming months, too, Collier could add “WNBA champion” to her résumé as the Lynx are one of the favorites to win the title after being runners-up last year to the Liberty. It’s going to be a big few months for Collier, setting her up for another likely successful 2026 season.
Cal Raleigh: MLB
Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has made quite the name for himself during the 2025 MLB season. At this point, what records hasn’t Raleigh broken? Through 113 games, Raleigh leads the league with 53 home runs. He holds the record for the most homers hit by a catcher in a single season. And, he joined the likes of Ken Griffey Jr., becoming the second Mariners player in history to hit more than 50 homers in a season and tying Seattle's single-season home run record, and the likes of Mickey Mantle by becoming the second switch hitter in history to record over 50 homers in a year.
Raleigh isn’t new to MLB by any means—he is in his fifth season, all of which have been in Seattle. However, this is the first year when Raleigh’s really made a name for himself in the league. His name will forever be synonymous with these home run records and his remarkable 2025 campaign. What he’s done this season is nothing short of remarkable, and it’s not even over yet.
If Raleigh can keep this stardom going into 2026, then he’ll be a prime candidate for the Power List. He earned his first All-Star selection and even won the Home Run Derby—those two events alone introduced his name to the broader MLB world in July. Then, of course, Raleigh continues to make headlines each time he hits a home run, something that likely won't slow down as the season dwindles down. It’s always fun watching MLB stars blossom when you least expect it.
Coco Gauff: Tennis
The top-ranked American women’s tennis star Coco Gauff has had a rollercoaster of a year so far. The world No. 3 notched one of her biggest career wins thus far, capturing the French Open over Aryna Sabalenka back in June. Gauff looked on top of the world coming off her second major title win.
However, since then, Gauff’s struggled quite a bit, specifically in majors. She suffered a shocking first-round loss at Wimbledon just weeks after her French Open victory. The American was, of course, a hopeful for the U.S. Open, but she lost to another former champion Naomi Osaka in the Round of 16. Before the final major tournament of the year, Gauff parted ways with her coach and hired a new one in hopes of improving her serve (she leads the WTA in double faults this year), but she still struggled on the court.
All of this to say that Gauff definitely has a chance to come back stronger than ever in 2026. She’s only 21 years old—she has a lot of firepower left in the tank. It wouldn’t be surprising if Gauff is able to capture her third major title next season, maybe at the Australian Open or Wimbledon, where she would be a first-time champion. She's the perfect candidate for the Power List next year if she regains momentum and comes back stronger than ever.
Regardless of her results on the court, Gauff has made a huge impact on the world of tennis and on women’s sports in general. In 2024, Gauff was named the highest-paid female athlete by Forbes as she earned a total of $34.4 million that year, $25 million of it being from off-the-court endorsements. She’s grown a huge fanbase, even bringing in new fans who don’t normally watch tennis. The sport hasn’t seen an American woman have this big of an influence on audiences since the Williams sisters emerged in the late 1990s—those are some big shoes to fill. Gauff handles the fame and pressure gracefully, though, especially for her young age. It’ll be exciting to see what she can accomplish next year and in the next decade plus.
Luka Dončić: NBA
Luka Dončić was one of the most talked about NBA stars this past season, mostly due to the blockbuster trade that sent him to the Lakers from the Mavericks, where he was originally seen as their franchise’s future. This trade sparked debate across the league as fans were confused why Dallas would want to send the team’s best player off to another team for what was seen as a lackluster return. The trade has definitely worked out more in the Lakers’ favor so far, as they made the playoffs while the Mavericks failed to reach the postseason (though landing the No. 1 pick and selecting Cooper Flagg was nice consolation). Since the season ended with the Lakers losing in round one, Los Angeles gave Dončić a three-year maximum extension, meaning the guard is there to stay.
While his first few months with the Lakers were memorable, Dončić's 2025–26 season is expected to be even better. The Slovenian made more headlines this offseason as he’s noticeably slimmed down while focusing heavily on his conditioning and diet the past few months. Dončić's physique is always a hot topic of conversation amongst the NBA world, and now he's shutting up the haters as he's gotten in better shape. We'll see how he improves his game next season.
Dončić continued to show off his basketball skills this summer while competing in the EuroBasket tournament representing his home country of Slovenia. He posted just the fourth triple-double in the tournament’s history during an early round game. He nearly notched another one in Slovenia's quarterfinals loss. It’ll be exciting to see how he brings that electricity back to the NBA when the new season starts up.
This past season was the first time Dončić wasn’t an All-Star or an All-NBA First Team member since his rookie season back in 2018–19. He has a lot to prove on the Lakers this upcoming season, and if he shows a glimpse of what Dončić used to look like on the court, he will be an easy pick for the Power List next year.
Josh Allen: NFL
Josh Allen, the Bills quarterback, is the reigning NFL MVP award winner, so it seems obvious that he will be considered for next year’s Power List. While Allen has accomplished a lot in his seven seasons in the league so far, his biggest goals still loom over him each and every year. For starters, Allen hasn’t taken the Bills to the Super Bowl, let alone won a ring with Buffalo.
Allen is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks in the league, no doubt, but fans hesitate to give him that top title without seeing how he would compete in a Super Bowl. The Bills current have the best odds to win Super Bowl LX at the end of this season, so there's a chance this could finally be the year when Allen accomplishes that elusive feat and holds the Lombardi Trophy.
The quarterback’s 2024 season was impactful enough to put him on the Power List for next year, though. One argument for Allen winning the MVP award over Lamar Jackson is that Allen didn’t have as many offensive stars playing alongside him in Buffalo as Jackson did in Baltimore. That fact makes Allen's run to a division title and the AFC Championship even more incredible.
Allen is becoming a bigger star off the football field, too. He married actress Hailee Steinfeld (who is an Oscar hopeful after her performance in Sinners) back on May 31. While the couple hasn’t gained stardom quite as intense as Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, the relationship has introduced Allen and the Bills to new fans, those who might be watching the sport because of their Steinfeld fandom.
We’ll see whether Allen can continue to play at an MVP level this season. He’s already gotten off to a strong start after the first few weeks of football after leading the Bills to a heroic comeback win over the Ravens on Sunday Night Football in Week 1.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as SI Power List 2025: Five Athletes Who Didn't Make the Cut But Could in 2026.
