Dubious Sports Records Held by Superstars

Though we often romanticize and idolize our legends of sport, they—perhaps better than anyone—teach us that with true greatness comes frequent failure.

Simply put, in the wide world of sports, some of the most iconic names sit beside the least flattering of records.

For example, in his quest to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, Kobe Bryant has simultaneously become its all-time errant shooter.

In the same vein, Nolan Ryan threw everything he had at opposing hitters, and as a result, he struck out and walked more batters than any other pitcher.

And in hockey, Martin Brodeur holds the record for regular-season shutouts, but in 21 seasons of action, he has also given up more goals than any goalie ever (2,757).

In honor, then, of these guys and others, we’ve compiled a list of 10 dubious sports records that are surprisingly held by superstars.

And although some of the record holders are a bit more unexpected than others, they all echo a similar sentiment: It takes a little risk, and a few stubbed toes, to be the very best.

Sometimes in life, and in sports, you have to go for broke to get something great in return.

Take Nolan Ryan, for example.

By attacking opponents, the Hall of Fame pitcher managed to strike out more batters than any other person in baseball history, sending 5,714 hitters to the dugout disappointed.

His philosophy was double-edged, however, as no pitcher walked more batters than Ryan, either—he gave first base to 2,795 opponents.

Not surprisingly, Ryan’s success with such an aggressive, all-or-nothing approach was nearly unprecedented.

To this day, he and Sandy Koufax are the only two pitchers in baseball’s Hall of Fame who had more strikeouts than innings pitched.

To be sure, Karl Malone accomplished exceptional things throughout his 19-year NBA career.

The Hall of Famer is second all time in career points and holds NBA records for most free throws attempted and made.

Malone, however, also turned the ball over more than any player in league history.

All told, The Mailman delivered the rock to the other team on 4,524 occasions.

Again, it’s hardly the worst of lists to lead, but it's a less than flattering record nonetheless.

What’s perhaps most surprising of all, though, is that Malone’s point guard and career sidekick, John Stockton, ranks just behind him and second of all time.

Cy Young had a pretty solid career in baseball, to say the least.

He won more games (511) than any pitcher ever and was elected into the game’s Hall of Fame as a result.

He is also honored yearly as the inspiration behind baseball’s top annual pitching honor, the Cy Young Award.

One wouldn’t have guessed, then, that Young lost more than any other pitcher, too, coming up short on 316 occasions.

But when you start more games (815) and pitch more innings (7,355) than everyone else, you're bound to hit a few speed bumps along the way.

Speaking of losing, no coach in NFL history did it more than Dan Reeves.

Between 1981 and 2003, Reeves tasted failure 165 times and with three different teams—Denver, New York (Giants) and Atlanta.

Of course, Reeves also won a bunch, too.

As a head coach, he made it to four Super Bowls with two different teams—the Broncos and Falcons—and ranks eighth all time in wins with 190.

With that said, the legendary coach would likely give each of those wins away to change his Super Bowl record from 0-4 to 1-3.

In the midst of his 19th NBA season, Kobe Bryant sits fourth all time in career scoring (31,973), trailing only Michael Jordan (32,292), Karl Malone (36,928) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387).

Lost on no one, it’s a record for which Kobe is shooting, quite literally.

Unfortunately, in the process, Bryant recently stumbled upon and set a different kind of record all together, one that’s of the slightly less prestigious sort.

On November 11, 2014, the Black Mamba set a new high for missed field goals in a career, passing John Havlicek’s old record of 13,417.

It’s worth noting Bryant has missed 20 or more shots in 44 NBA games, the fourth-most of all time.

Of course, he’s not the only superstar who shot and missed a lot.

On the list of all-time errant shooters, behind Bryant and Havlicek sit the following legends: Elvin Hayes (13,296), Malone (12,682), Abdul-Jabbar (12,470) and Jordan (12,345).

The lesson: In the NBA, if you want to score a lot, be prepared to shoot a lot.

With speed and instincts to spare, Rickey Henderson is widely regarded as the best baserunner in his sport’s history.

From 1979-2003, Henderson stole an MLB-record 1,406 bases in all and earned the nickname "The Man of Steal" as a result.

Yet few rewards in life come without a little risk, and stealing bases is no different.

Henderson didn’t just safely make it to base more than any player ever; he was also called out the most, too—335 times, to be exact.

Once on base, Henderson didn’t just visit the edge, he lived on it, and he fell over the side every so often as a result.

Over the past 21 seasons, Martin Brodeur has been one of hockey’s most dominant goalies.

Thanks to tremendous skill and incredible durability, Brodeur has compiled a gaudy list of records—he is the NHL's all-time leader in both regular-season wins and shutouts, to name a few.

But in March 2014, Brodeur saw the much uglier side of career longevity, setting an NHL record for goals allowed (2,757).

It’s worth pointing out that Brodeur holds the record for regular-season losses as well.

Then again, that’s what happens when you protect a goal for more than two decades.

Reggie Jackson was nicknamed Mr. October for a reason.

When the lights shone the brightest and the whole world was watching, Jackson performed at his absolute best.

He’s most famous for his clutch play in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series, which he won for the Yankees with three consecutive home runs.

Of course, Jackson swung and missed some, too.

In fact, the Hall of Famer whiffed more than any player ever; Jackson’s 2,597 strikeouts rank first all time, just ahead of Jim Thome (2,548).

When Jackson retired from baseball following the 1987 season, he had 13 more strikeouts than hits.

More importantly, though, he also had five World Series titles and two series MVPs.

No one questions the accomplishments of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

He is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, won a record six MVPs and made it to an incredible 19 All-Star Games, which is yet another NBA high.

Of course, when you also lead the NBA in games and minutes played, you’re likely to set a few infamous records as well.

In Abdul-Jabbar’s case, it was all about the foul, a violation he committed more than anybody else on 4,657 occasions.

It’s a record about which he shouldn’t feel too terribly—he’s trailed by Karl Malone, Robert Parish, Charles Oakley and Hakeem Olajuwon—but it's a dubious distinction all the same.

Brett Favre is a uniquely polarizing athlete; sports fans regularly debate his place within football history.

Some are harsher on Favre than others, but no matter what, he has to be considered among the elite quarterbacks in football history.

He has more wins (186) and consecutive starts (321) than any other signal-caller and has thrown the most completions (6,300) and for the most yards (71,838), too.

Unfortunately, more than any other Hall of Fame-worthy athlete, Favre also holds some of his sport’s most notorious quarterbacking records.

Throughout a career that spanned two full decades—from 1991-2010—Favre set NFL records for interceptions (336) and fumbles (166), and he was sacked more than any other quarterback as well (525 times).

Nicknamed The Gunslinger, on the football field, Favre lived and died by the chances he took, setting some of the NFL's best and worst records along the way.

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