There are athletes who are popular and land very well known celebrities. Athletes that are popular often want to be in the spotlight off the field too. They try to land a powerful woman who is well known and a top celebrity. Sometimes the celebrity will have a busy schedule like the athlete, so it can be hard to find some time to spend together. Aaron Rodgers and Olivia Munn said on record that their hectic schedules led to the downfall of their relationship.
It's all about chemistry with any relationship but when you are famous, it's so important to stay in sync, because your relationship is under the microscope at all times. The more famous you are the more fans and gossip journalists will speculate about the relationship.
Then there are athletes who, while they're paid very well, aren't exactly superstars in their field, yet they're seen arm in arm with an A-lister. The celebrity may be popular and only into the athlete for looks, but not what they do on the field. They may think that because they play a sport, they make money and it doesn't matter how good they are at it. Here, we will look at 15 mediocre athletes who somehow landed A-list celebrities.
15 15. NICK YOUNG - IGGY AZALEA
Nick Young and Iggy Azalea had perhaps the most bizarre ending to their relationship of any couples on this list, but it was surprising from the get-go that a popular artist like Iggy ended up being engaged to Nick Young, known as Swaggy P in the NBA. Young has never exactly been a superstar in the NBA, and he's now riding the bench with the Golden State Warriors. Back when Young was a Laker though, that fact must have been appealing to Iggy, as the two dated for a while. The relationship came to an end when Young's teammate D'Angelo Russell recorded Young bragging about how he'd cheated on Iggy multiple times. Iggy quickly kicked Young to the curb, and it's unlikely Young will date anybody at that level again.
14 14. Mark Sanchez - Eva Longoria
A lot of you probably forgot about this one, but Mark Sanchez and Eva Longoria briefly went out in 2012, while Sanchez was still known as "The Sanchize" as quarterback of the New York Jets. Longoria was coming off her divorce with all-star NBA player Tony Parker and Sanchez seemingly hit the jackpot. First an elite defense helped him to two AFC Championship games in New York, then he landed someone way above his fame in Longoria. However, Longoria ended things with Sanchez due to the quarterback constantly being in a bad mood during a disappointing New York Jets season.
"It's hard to maintain a relationship when one person is upset all the time," TMZ quoted from a source. The person went on to say it's hard to be in "a crappy mood over the New York Jets' horrible season." Shouldn't Longoria have known the risks of a crappy Jets season?
13 13. KRIS HUMPHRIES - Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian, who is all about herself, married average NBA player Kris Humphries for 72 days. Kim, who loves the spotlight, dated and married Humphries only for attention and money. Humphries is really not that good of a basketball player. Kardashian was even cheating on Humphries and he knew it with Kayne West. West at the time was referred to as a close family friend and all that money wasted on Kim and Kris's wedding went down the drain.
She knew almost immediately after the ceremony it wasn't going to work out with Humphries, telling Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen " I knew on the honeymoon it wasn’t going to work out.” They started dating in May of 2011 they would get married in August of 2011 only to divorce 72 days later. Sounds like the relationship was nothing but an attention grab for Kim.
12 12. Tristan Thompson - Khloe Kardashian
Tristan Thompson is alright for what he is, a complementary piece on a Cleveland Cavaliers team expected to be championship contenders with stars LeBron James, Isaiaha Thomas and (Kevin Love?) leading the way. However with the amount of attention the Kardashians seek, you would think someone like Khloe would be going out with a superstar in the league. However, she seems perfectly happy with Tristan Thompson as the couple has a baby on the way. So how did this pair get together? Well, fellow NBA player Brandon Jennings knew Khloe and said he had an awesome guy for her to meet. He then brought Thompson out to dinner to meet Khloe and the rest was history. We didn't know Jennings was such a good wingman!
11 11. JAY CUTLER - Kristian Cavallari
Jay Cutler is probably one of the hardest people to get along with in the NFL. He is an average quarterback who is married to Kristian Cavallari. After pondering retirement this past offseason, his wife convinced him to go back to playing football when he got an offer from the Miami Dolphins. When he was playing for the Dolphins this season, he even said he didn't take the job 100% seriously. He also said when he came back he didn't have to be in great shape to play the position.
Cutler told NFL.com "I think she got tired of me being around the house." She said in 2017 their marriage isn't perfect, but they work through their issues. What a lot of people may have issue with is Cutler landing a woman like Cavallari.
10 10. MIKE FISHER - CARRIE UNDERWOOD
Ask any hockey fan and they'll tell you Mike Fisher was a hockey player any team would like to have, due to his exceptional character and his ability to be responsible defensively and still chip in offense. But he'd never be confused with a superstar and not the type one would see landing a country music icon in Carrie Underwood.
The relationship started out as long distance as Fisher was playing in Ottawa and Underwood was in Nashville. Fisher proposed to Underwood in 2009 and got married on July 10th 2010. Fisher would end up getting traded to Nashville in 2011, which brought him closer to his wife. Fisher just retired from the NHL in August of 2017 and will surely be spending a lot of time on red carpets as the relative unknown alongside Fisher.
9 9. TERRENCE ROSS - AMBER ROSE
Terrence Ross is an average basketball player for the Orlando Magic. When he was on the Toronto Raptors he was dating American model and actress Amber Rose. They began dating during the 2016 NBA All-Star Break. While many NBA GMs would be happy to have a player like Ross, he isn't exactly the first one sought out for interviews.
Rose did take to social media when they started dating tweeting "I think I may have found my "T." Ross took to Instagram posing a picture of the two in a #WCW: Woman crush Wednesday. The relationship of fame wouldn't last long though, as just a few months later, Ross would take to social media, posting on Instagram. "When you think about all of the "H* **** you've done."
8 8. Charlie Whitehurst - Jewel
Jewel Kilcher's essentially lived the American dream as a small-town girl from a town with roughly 5,000 people who has gone on to sell over 30 million albums. Jewel earned her fame in the 90s, but has managed to remain a big star in the music industry by constantly altering her style and managing to stay relevant. However her boyfriend was rarely relevant as an NFL quarterback, as he was constantly a backup and inspired little confidence whenever he was thrown into action. Whitehurst has been out of the NFL for a while now and obviously one wouldn't look at him and picture "NFL quarterback". If Whitehurst is done playing football, he's certainly landed on his feet in retirement.
7 7. ERIC DECKER - JESSE JAMES
Eric Decker may have been one of the game's better receivers a while ago, but now, he is just an average wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans and had a disappointing season. His wife is Jesse James a singer and they even started their own reality TV show together. Clearly they're not afraid of the reality TV curse on marriage. In October they revealed they are expecting to have a baby boy which would be their third child together. They currently have a 3-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old boy together. Decker just had a disappointing season in Tennessee, but it doesn't seem to matter to James, as the two seem deeply in love, constantly sharing their life on social media.
6 6. Anna Kournikova - Enrique Iglesias
Hmm, okay so perhaps it's pretty easy for a lot of men to see why Anna Kournikova would be desirable to someone who's as big a star as Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias is. Kournikova became a big star in tennis despite not winning much of anything, but due to her stunning looks and willingness to play into that, she was well known worldwide. Since retiring from tennis, Kournikova has mostly stayed out of the spotlight, mostly sticking to modeling while Enrique Iglesias's popularity has only grown. Obviously any man would love to go out with a woman like Kournikova, but it's just a little surprising that the two managed to meet up and have stayed together this long with Iglesias clearly being a much bigger celebrity than Kournikova at this point.
5 5. ERIC JOHNSON - JESSICA SIMPSON
Eric Johnson was an average tight end in the NFL was drafted in the 2001 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He is married to Jessica Simpson who is a high profile singer, actress and fashion designer. Simpson certainly didn't date Johnson for his football talent, but that didn't seem to matter to her. The two got married in 2014. They now have two children together; a son and a daughter. Johnson was a practically a no name in the NFL only catching nine touchdowns with 240 receptions in his career. Sounds like she doesn't care he was no star in the NFL. So it just goes to show you that you don't have to necessarily be a household name in sports to get opportunities. Just get to the pros!
4 4. MIKE CORMIE - HILARY DUFF
Cormie was an average hockey player. Sure, he flirted with stardom for a while, but his career ultimately ended up falling short of expectations that he would be a star. Meanwhile Hilary Duff was famous on Disney Channel in the 90s and early 2000s. Comrie meanwhile, played for 10 seasons in the NHL and his relationship with the Lizzie McGuire star had nothing to do with how good of a hockey player he was. The two have a son together and are divorced after two years of marriage. Despite being divorced, they remain close friends.
Hilary Duff told Cosmopolitan "We’re so ingrained in each other’s lives. I wouldn’t choose anyone else to coparent with. We are really good friends and care a lot about each other."
3 3. MILES AUSTIN - KIM KARDASHIAN
Miles Austin is a two time Pro Bowler and played 10 seasons in the NFL. While he had a few good seasons, no one would mistake him for being one of the best wide receivers of his whole generation. He did have a relationship with Kim Kardashian which, like many of the Kardashians' relationships, seemed to be a bit of an attention grab. Austin was in the prime of his career playing for the most famous franchise in the NFL. That seemed to be right up Kim's alley.
The relationship didn't last long and they would split. They split because of the long distance with his football schedule and her show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, there wasn't enough time to be together according to the Daily Mail.
2 2. David Otunga - Jennifer Hudson
While their marriage has now come to an end in a rather nasty divorce, which involved Hudson trying to take sole custody of their son, many found it surprising that WWE announcer David Otunga was married to Jennifer Hudson in the first place. Otunga first went out with Hudson while he was still aspiring to be a wrestler and had a go at it in WWE for a while. It was quickly discovered that Otunga lacked the in-ring talent and charisma to hack it, so WWE moved him around in various roles. Many suspected Otunga remained employed by WWE for so long because they loved the connection he had to a celebrity. With their marriage over, you wonder if that will spell the end for his WWE tenure.
1 1. HANK BASKETT - Kendra Wilkinson
Kendra Wilkinson is a TV Personality Hank Baskett is a retired football receiver who played for the Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts, and Philadelphia Eagles. Wilkinson didn't marry for his play on the field, but that didn't seem to matter to her, with Baskett marrying someone well above his level of fame.
Hank had a cheating scandal a while back with an transgender model while Wilkinson was eight months pregnant but they have move past that and seem to be committed to one another now. Wilkinson told People in 2017: “We’re different people than we were years ago You know, you change. But you have to change together. You have to grow together, not apart, and that’s the challenge.”