29 of the most iconic power couples in sports
- There are several celebrity couples with ties to sports
- From Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen, to Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian, Magic Rapinoe and Sue Bird, and Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez, these are the most inconic, power couples in sports.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
From musicians to athletes, to every industry in between, some of the most popular individuals have formed the most iconic power couples.
Sometimes in different states or countries, these athletes and their significant others have overcome the distance and stress that can be put on their relationships. It often leads to making both halves even more successful than they already are.
From Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez, to Justin Verlander and Kate Upton, below we take you through the biggest power couples in all of sports.
Roger and Mirka Federer
Tennis star Roger Federer met former tennis star Mirka Vavrinec (now Federer) competing for Switzerland during the 2000 Sydney Olympics, which was also where they shared their first kiss.
In March 2009, Roger and Mirka announced they were expecting their first child and married a few weeks later. They welcomed twin girls in July.
In May 2014, two become four when Mirka gave birth to twins again, only this time they were boys.
Julie and Zach Ertz
Zach and Julie Ertz met at a Stanford University baseball game in 2012 where Zach was a player on the football team. Julie was on the soccer team at Santa Clara University and later that year, the two began dating. They married in 2017.
Julie is a member of the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup Champion with the United States Women's National Team. Zach is Super Bowl champion and tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles. He scored the winning touchdown of Super Bowl LII.
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez took their relationship public in March 2017.
The two began dating when Lopez was having lunch in Beverly Hills. She saw Rodriguez and said hello, which led to him asking her on a date a few hours later, Lopez told Vanity Fair.
Rodriguez was a 14-time MLB All-Star and has stayed in the spotlight as an ESPN broadcaster. Lopez has also continued her success as a singer and actress, among other endeavors.
The two got engaged in March 2019.
Read more: Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez are engaged. Here's a complete timeline of their relationship.
Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird.
Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird have each had successful careers in their respective sports. Rapinoe is a two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist.
Bird has been a member of the WNBA's Seattle Storm since 2002 and has won three WNBA championships and four Olympic gold medals.
The two have been dating since 2016 and became the first same-sex couple to be on the cover of ESPN's "The Body Issue."
Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian
Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian first met at the Cavalieri hotel in Rome in May 2015, the duo told Vanity Fair.
The two exchanged numbers so Ohanian could give Williams advice on her website, which eventually led to a first date later in 2015.
Williams is known as one of the best tennis players of all-time with a long list of accomplishments. Ohanian has also had a successful career as the co-founder and executive chairman of Reddit.
The two got engaged in 2015.
They welcomed their daughter, Alexis Ohanian, Jr. two months before getting married in November 2017.
Read more: How Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian and tennis superstar Serena Williams met and fell in love
P.K. Subban and Lindsey Vonn
New Jersey Devil P.K. Subban and retired Olympic gold medalist and alpine skier Lindsey Vonn made their relationship public at the CMT Awards in 2018.
Subban had hinted at his interest in Vonn at the 2017 ESPYs when he said, "It's hotter outside than Lindsey Vonn looks today, which is pretty hot." The two met at the event, and were eventually connected by his agent.
In February 2019, Vonn told Access Live that Subban was "definitely the one."
Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf
Tennis stars Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf started dating after the 1999 French Open and married in October 2001.
They have two children, a son born in 2001 and a daughter born in 2003. The two never pushed their children to play tennis and their son, Jaden Agassi, found his way to baseball.
20 years later, the two are "very happy" together.
Aaron Rodgers and Danica Patrick
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and retired professional racing driver Danica Patrick have been friends since they met at the 2012 ESPYs.
Patrick confirmed to the Associated Press in January 2018 that they two were dating after splitting from their previous relationships.
Read more: The life and career rise of Danica Patrick, the most successful woman in the history of racing
Jrue Holiday and Lauren Cheney
New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday and retired professional soccer player Lauren Cheney met at a women's basketball game while the two were students at UCLA. They became friends at first and later began dating in 2008.
The pair married in July 2013 and welcomed their first child in September 2016. Cheney had found out a few months into pregnancy that she had a benign brain tumor, which was removed after she gave birth. Holiday took a leave of absence during the beginning of the Pelicans 2016-17 season to take care of his family.
A year later in 2017, Holiday posted a photo celebrating his daughter's first birthday, saying both she and his wife were healthy and happy.
Servando Carrasco and Alex Morgan
Soccer players Alex Morgan and Servando Carrasco met at the University of California, Berkeley.
The two both went on to play professionally. Carrasco is a midfielder for the LA Galaxy in the MLS, and Morgan is forward for the Orlando Pride and United States Women's National Team. She is a two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion and won the Olympic gold medal in 2012.
The two married in 2014. While the two face the challenges of long-distance, being on opposite sides of the country, they've continued to make things work.
Mia Hamm and Nomar Garciaparra
Former US soccer star Mia Hamm and retired baseball player Nomar Garciaparra have been married since 2003. The two began dating in 2001.
Hamm is hailed as a soccer icon and one of the best to play the game. Garciaparra spent nine seasons with the Boston Red Sox and was a six-time All-Star. He retired from MLB in 2009.
Hamm and Garciaparra have three children together, two of which are twins.
Hamm is a co-owner of MLS franchise Los Angeles FC. Garciaparra is a minor investor and Spectrum SportsNet LA Analyst.
Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen
Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen began dating in 2006 and got married in February 2009.
The two are both highly successful – Brady as a quarterback and six-time Super Bowl champion for the New England Patriots, and Bündchen in modeling and acting.
They welcomed their first child in December 2009 and another three years later in December 2012.
Ana Ivanovic and Bastian Schweinsteiger
Former tennis player Ana Ivanovic and MLS Chicago Fire midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger began dating in September 2014.
Schweinsteiger spent 17 seasons at Bayern Munich and 12 years with the German national team, including the 2014 World Cup championship team.
The pair married two years later in July 2016 and had their first child in March 2018. In May 2019, Ivanovic announced that she is pregnant with their second child.
J.J. Watt and Kealia Ohai
J.J. Watt and Kealia Ohai have been together since early 2016, but didn't make their relationship public until months later, according to People. The two met through Ohai's sister, Megan, who is married to Watt's former teammate Brian Cushing.
Ohai is a soccer player for the Houston Dash, while Watt is a defensive end for the Houston Texans.
The two got engaged in 2019.
Tim Tebow and Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters
Former NFL quarterback-turned-baseball player Tim Tebow and South African model Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters met in April 2018. Nel-Peters was also Miss Universe 2017 and Miss South Africa 2017.
Tebow confirmed they were dating a few months after they met in an interview with ESPN. In January 2019, the two got engaged.
Jay Cutler and Kristin Cavallari
Former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler and television personality Kristin Cavallari began dating in 2010 after Cavallari turned down his request to go on a date a year prior.
They got engaged eight months later in April 2011, but called it quits that summer. They reunited in the fall and welcomed their first child in August 2012.
In June 2013, they got married. The continued to grow their family – their second son was born in May 2014, and then the pair had a daughter in November 2015.
Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher
Country music star Carrie Underwood and former hockey player Mike Fisher were set up by Underwood's bassist Mike Childers at one of her concerts in 2008. The two instantly hit it off, but Fisher lived in Canada at the time, while Underwood lived in Nashville, so they began long-distance dating.
They got engaged in December 2009 and eventually married in July 2010.
In 2011, Fisher was traded to the Nashville Predators. He told the Ottawa Citizen in 2016 that despite multiple deals being on the table, former Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray chose to send him to Nashville so he could be closer to his wife.
The two welcomed their first child in 2015 and their second son in January 2019.
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union
Former NBA star Dwyane Wade and actress Gabrielle Union met while co-hosting a sponsored Super Bowl party in 2007. At the time, Wade was married to Siohvaughn Funches and Union had gotten divorced in 2006. Wade and Funches divorced later that year.
Wade and Union started dating in 2009 and split briefly in 2013 "because of distance and scheduling," Union told Glamour. They got engaged in December of that year and married in 2014.
They welcomed a daughter via surrogate in November 2018.
Stephen and Ayesha Curry
NBA star Stephen Curry and celebrity cook Ayesha Curry met when they were 15 and 14 years old at a church in North Carolina.
The two did not start dating until several years later when Stephen was headed to the ESPYs and Ayesha was in Los Angeles pursuing an acting career. He found her on Facebook and asked her to hang out.
They got married in 2011 and had their first child, Riley, shortly after. They welcomed their second daughter in 2015 and had their first son in July 2018.
Penny Taylor and Diana Taurasi
WNBA star Diana Taurasi and former Phoenix Mercury teammate Penny Taylor kept their relationship private before tying the knot in May 2017.
Taylor retired from professional basketball in 2016 and became the assistant coach of the Mercury in April 2019.
The three-time WNBA champions welcomed a son in March 2018.
Justin Verlander and Kate Upton
MLB star Justin Verlander and model Kate Upton were rumored to be dating months before taking their relationship public in January 2013. They split briefly during the later half of the year, but rekindled their romance in January 2014.
The two got engaged in May 2016 and married in November 2017 – three days after the Houston Astros won the 2017 World Series.
In November 2018, the couple welcomed their first child.
Read more: Inside a supermodel's gorgeous wedding in Italy that she almost missed because of her athlete fiancé
David and Victoria Beckham
Former soccer star David Beckham met Victoria Beckham in the Manchester United player's lounge in early 1997. Victoria was famous as "Posh Spice" of the Spice Girls.
The two began dating and announced their engagement during a press conference in January 1998.
Their oldest son, Brooklyn Beckham, was born in March 1999 and the pair got married four months later on July 4 in Dublin, Ireland.
David and Victoria Beckham have welcomed three children since then and celebrated their 20th anniversary in July 2019.
Russell Wilson and Ciarra
NFL quarterback Russell Wilson and singer Ciara debuted their relationship in April 2015 at the White House State Dinner in Japan.
The two got married in July 2016 after getting engaged in March of that year.
They welcomed their daughter, Sienna Princess Wilson, in April 2017.
Andrew East and Shawn Johnson
NFL long snapper Andrew East and former US gymnast Shawn Johnson met in 2012 when they were introduced by Guy East, Andrew's brother. Guy was a friend of cyclist Taylor Phinney, who Johnson was supporting at the 2012 Olympics.
Andrew East and Johnson had met only a few times before officially dating in June 2013. She moved to Nashville four months later and got engaged at Wrigley Field in July 2015.
The pair married in April 2016 and later revealed she had a miscarriage in October 2017.
In April 2019, the couple announced they were expecting again.
Amanda Nunes and Nina Ansaroff
UFC fighters Amanda Nunes and Nina Ansaroff have been a long-time couple and also the most high-profile LGBTQ couple in the MMA right now. The two met in an MMA gym in Florida in 2012.
Nunes is the first openly gay champion in UFC history. The two announced their engagement in August 2018.
David Lee and Caroline Wozniacki
Danish professional tennis player Caroline Wozniacki and former NBA champion David lee began dating in early 2017 and got engaged in November of that year.
In June 2019, the couple tied the knot in Tuscany, Italy.
Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen-Eaton
Track super couple Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen-Eaton met as teenagers in 2006 during Brianne's recruitment visit to the University of Oregon. Ashton was a freshman.
They met again in summer 2007 in Brazil during the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, where Brianne won gold. They began spending more time together and eventually dating in February 2008.
The pair married in July 2013, one year after they both competed in the 2012 London Olympics. Ashton took home two gold medals and Brianne took home the bronze.
Dom Dwyer and Sydney Leroux
Soccer stars Dom Dwyer and Sydney Leroux confirmed they were dating in 2014 and married in January 2015.
Dwyer plays for the Orlando City SC, while Leroux is a member of the Orlando Pride. Both also play for their respective US national teams. Leroux was part of the USWNT 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup championship.
The duo welcomed a son in September 2016 and daughter in June 2019.
Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger
Two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champions Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris first met while training for the USWNT in 2010. The pair immediately hit it off and began hanging out, according to People.
The duo refrained from confirming their relationship to the public to prevent creating a distraction for their teammates or franchise, despite the speculation that they were a couple.
In March 2019, they announced their engagement and publicly confirmed their relationship. They got engaged in September 2018.
The two went on to play in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup together as a part of the US team, where they took home the championship.