3,344 articles
Larisa Karlova
Larisa Karlova (Лариса Александровна Карлова, Larysa Oleksandrivna Karlova), born 1958 in Kyiv, Soviet/Ukrainian handball player; two Olympic golds (1976, 1980) and 1988 bronze with the USSR, Spartak Kyiv playmaker, distinct from other Larisas named Karlova.
Larisa Savkina
Larisa Savkina (Лариса Михайловна Савкина), born 1955 in Rustavi, is a retired Soviet handball player and 1980 Moscow Olympics gold medalist who played for Automobilist Baku, appearing in all five matches and scoring one goal.
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird, nicknamed the Hick from French Lick, is an American former basketball player who won three NBA championships and three MVP awards with the Boston Celtics.
Larry Brown
Larry Brown (born 1940, Brooklyn) is an American basketball coach and former ABA point guard; the only coach to win both an NCAA title (Kansas 1988) and an NBA title (Detroit 2004), and Hall of Fame inductee.
Larry Hughes
Larry Hughes (Larry Darnell Hughes, born 1979, St. Louis) is an American former NBA shooting guard, 8th overall pick in 1998; 13 seasons, 8 teams, 14.1 ppg career, 2004-05 steals leader and All-Defensive First Team.
Larry Johnson (basketball, born 1969)
Larry Demetric Johnson (born 1969, Tyler, Texas), nicknamed Grandmama, is a retired NBA power forward, first overall 1991 draft pick, 1992 Rookie of the Year, two-time All-Star with the Hornets and Knicks, distinct from the 1954-born NBA guard and the McNeese guard of the same name.
Larry Nance
Larry Nance (Larry Donell Nance, born 1959), NBA forward-center for the Phoenix Suns (1981-88) and Cleveland Cavaliers (1988-94); won the NBA's first Slam Dunk Contest in 1984, three-time All-Star, 2,027 career blocks.
Larry Nance Jr.
Larry Nance Jr. (born 1993) is an American NBA forward-center, 2015 Lakers first-round pick (27th), son of dunk champion Larry Nance Sr.; played for Lakers, Cavaliers, Blazers, Pelicans, Hawks, and signed with the Indiana Pacers in July 2026.
Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy
Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy: NBA Finals championship trophy, formerly the Walter A. Brown Trophy, renamed 1984 for commissioner Larry O'Brien; sterling silver and 24k gold vermeil, made by Tiffany & Co. since 1977, redesigned 25.5-inch 2022 version with champion-etched base.
Larry Sanders (basketball)
Larry Sanders (born 1988) is an American former NBA center-forward, VCU product drafted 15th overall by Milwaukee in 2010; 2012-13 elite shot-blocker who retired in 2015 over mental health, briefly returned with Cleveland.
Las Vegas Aces
Las Vegas Aces, WNBA team (formerly Utah Starzz, San Antonio Silver Stars/Stars), based in Las Vegas since 2018, owned by Mark Davis; three WNBA championships (2022, 2023, 2025) led by coach Becky Hammon and four-time MVP A'ja Wilson.
Lasse Andersson
Lasse Andersson (Lasse Bredekjær Andersson), Danish handball left back born 1994; world, European, and Olympic champion with Denmark; played for FC Barcelona and Füchse Berlin, then joined HØJ Elite in 2026.
Lasse Svan
Lasse Svan (Lasse Jemon Svan Hansen, born 1983) is a retired Danish handball right wing who won Olympic, World, and European gold and the 2014 EHF Champions League with SG Flensburg-Handewitt, and now works as a mental and performance coach.
Latrell Sprewell
Latrell Sprewell (born 1970), American NBA guard-forward for the Warriors, Knicks, and Timberwolves; three-time All-Star who choked coach P.J. Carlesimo in 1997 and refused a $21 million extension in 2004.
Laura Flippes
Laura Flippes (Laura Esther Ghislaine Flippes, born 1994, Strasbourg) is a French left-handed handball right back/wing, Olympic gold medalist Tokyo 2020, silver Paris 2024, World champion 2017 and 2023, European champion 2018, playing for Metz Handball.
Laura Fritz
Laura Fritz (born 1978, Graz) is an Austrian former handball wing, 145 caps and 212 goals, fifth at Sydney 2000, EHF Champions League winner 1998 and 2000 with Hypo Niederösterreich, retired 2008.
Laura Ludwig
Laura Ludwig, born 1986 in East Berlin, is a retired German beach volleyball player who won Olympic gold at Rio 2016 and the 2017 world championship with Kira Walkenhorst.
Lauren Jackson
Lauren Jackson, born 1981 in Albury, Australia, is a Hall of Fame basketball player: 3-time WNBA MVP with the Seattle Storm, 5-time Olympic medalist with the Opals, 2006 world champion, and first Australian in the Naismith Hall of Fame.
Lauri Markkanen
Lauri Markkanen (born 1997) is a 7-foot-1 Finnish basketball player for the Utah Jazz, drafted seventh overall in 2017 and an NBA All-Star and Most Improved Player in 2023.
Lea Henry
Lea Henry (Ludi "Lea" Henry-Manning), born 1961 in Colquitt, Georgia, is an American basketball point guard who won 1984 Olympic gold and later head-coached Mercer and Georgia State.
Leandro Barbosa
Leandro Barbosa (Leandrinho, the Brazilian Blur), born 1982, is a Brazilian guard, 2003 draft pick 28, 2007 NBA Sixth Man of the Year with Phoenix, 2015 champion with Golden State, and later a Warriors and Kings assistant coach.
LeBron James
LeBron James, born 1984, in Akron, Ohio, is an American NBA forward, 2003 first overall pick, four-time champion and MVP, all-time leading scorer with 43,440 points, now with the Philadelphia 76ers in his 24th season.
Lech Łasko
Lech Łasko (born 1956, Świdnik) is a Polish volleyball middle blocker, 1976 Montreal Olympic champion, 1980 Moscow Olympian, 261-cap national team player, four-time European silver medalist, later coach in Italy; father of Michał Łasko.
Lee Ho Yeon
Lee Ho Yeon (이호연, also Lee Ho-Youn), born 1971, is a South Korean handball player who won gold in the women's tournament at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, distinct from the 1995-born KIA Tigers baseball player of the same name.
Lega Basket Serie A
Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), founded 27 May 1970, is the Italian league organizing the top men's basketball division on FIP delegation: 16 teams, 240-game regular season, best-of-5 playoffs, Coppa Italia Final Eight, Supercoppa, about 4,000 average attendance.
Leïla Lacan
Leïla Lacan (Leila Lacan), French guard born 2004 in Rodez; drafted 10th overall in 2024 by the Connecticut Sun, AP All-Rookie 2025, Olympic silver medalist with France.
Len Bias
Len Bias (Leonard Kevin Bias) was a Maryland basketball star drafted second by the Boston Celtics in 1986 who died of cocaine intoxication two days later.
Lene Rantala
Lene Rantala, born 1968 in Gladsaxe, is a Danish handball goalkeeper, two-time Olympic champion (1996, 2000), three-time European champion, 1997 world champion, and a 17-season Larvik HK legend later a goalkeeper coach.
Lenny Cooke
Lenny Cooke, Brooklyn-born basketball player ranked the No. 1 high school prospect in 2001 above LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Amar'e Stoudemire; went undrafted in 2002, never reached the NBA, and became the subject of the Safdie brothers' 2013 documentary.
Lenny Wilkens
Lenny Wilkens (1937-2025), NBA point guard and Hall of Fame head coach; 1,332 wins over a record 2,487 games, 1979 SuperSonics title, 1996 Olympic gold, three-time Hall of Fame inductee.