This year brought the end of one sports dynasty and the solidification of another.
Luka Doncic got traded, Cal Raleigh delivered a breakout season for the ages, and Rory McIlroy finally earned an elusive Masters victory.
While New York sports had no shortage of stories — from Aaron Judge’s latest MVP season to the collapse and subsequent dismantling of the Mets — there were plenty of moments from beyond the five boroughs that captivated us, too.
As 2025 ends, here’s a look back at the biggest non-New York sports stories of the year.
CHIEFS DOWNFALL
This time last year, the Kansas City Chiefs were putting the finishing touches on a 15-2 regular season and sought their third consecutive Super Bowl title.
But a humbling 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles LIX in February seemed to mark the beginning of the end of the Chiefs as we know them.
After falling to 6-8 on Dec. 14, the Chiefs were officially eliminated from playoff contention for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era.
Mahomes suffered a season-ending ACL tear at the end of that loss.
The future is uncertain for 36-year-old Travis Kelce, who has contemplated retirement.
Big changes could be ahead.
LUKA TRADE
The Dallas Mavericks were just eight months removed from an NBA Finals berth when they traded their franchise cornerstone Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in the middle of the night.
Mavs fans were so distraught over the stunning February deal that they held protests outside of Dallas’ American Airlines Center and filled the arena with chants calling for general manager Nico Harrison’s firing.
Anthony Davis — the main piece in the return package — has hardly played for Dallas due to injuries.
The Mavericks received a gift from the basketball gods when they won last summer’s NBA Draft lottery, granting them 18-year-old phenom Cooper Flagg.
But Dallas fired Harrison amid a brutal start to this season, while Doncic is putting up some of the best numbers of his career.
GAMBLING SCANDALS
High-profile players in the MLB and NBA orbits were arrested for their alleged roles in gambling scandals.
Cleveland Guardians relievers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were both placed on non-disciplinary leave during the season, and both were indicted in New York in November for allegedly conspiring with bettors to rig pitches.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, meanwhile, was charged with profiting from rigged poker games with ties to the Mafia, while Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player Damon Jones were charged with divulging confidential information to bettors.
BIG DUMPER
Raleigh has been among baseball’s best catchers for a few years now, but nobody could have seen his 2025 season coming.
The Seattle Mariners slugger nicknamed “Big Dumper” hit 60 home runs, making him only the fourth player in American League history to reach that milestone.
The 60 homers were the most ever by a primary catcher, by a switch-hitter, and by a Mariner.
Raleigh finished second in AL MVP voting to Judge.
DODGERS DOMINANCE
The deep-pocketed Dodgers didn’t approach the single-season wins record like some suspected they could, but they did become the first MLB team to win back-to-back championships since the Yankees did so from 1998-2000.
Two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani returned to pitching for the first time since 2023 elbow surgery and won the fourth MVP award of his career.
Winning the ninth championship in franchise history did not come easily, as the Dodgers didn’t put away the Toronto Blue Jays until the 11th inning of Game 7 in an instant-classic World Series.
But the Dodgers appear poised to compete for a three-peat in 2026, having signed closer Edwin Diaz away from the Mets to fill their biggest hole.
THUNDER BOOMS
Another potential dynasty could be burgeoning in the NBA, where the Oklahoma City Thunder capped a 68-14 season by winning the Finals in seven games over the Indiana Pacers.
The Thunder then signed franchise cornerstones Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to long-term extensions, keeping their core intact.
OKC started 24-1 this season — matching the best 25-game start in league history — to further reiterate their standing as Finals favorites.
And while sustained success is more difficult in the “apron” era of NBA salary caps, the Thunder are in good shape for the foreseeable future.
MCILROY’S MASTERS
The 17th time proved to be the charm for McIlroy, who finally slayed the dragon and won the Masters in April.
The long-awaited win at Augusta National completed a career Grand Slam for McIlroy, who became the sixth to do so in the Masters Era.
It was McIlroy’s first major championship since 2014 and his fifth overall.
COMING UP ACES
It’s difficult to imagine someone having a better season than A’ja Wilson, who was the WNBA’s MVP, leading scorer and Defensive Player of the Year.
And most importantly, Wilson led the Las Vegas Aces to their third championship in four years and their first since 2023.
This year’s Aces roster looked different from those of the previous two championship teams, as Vegas traded away Kelsey Plum and retooled with Jewell Loyd and NaLyssa Smith en route to their 2025 title.
TENACIOUS TENNIS
The best rivalry in sports these days might belong to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who faced each other in the final round of three of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments in 2025.
Sinner won their head-to-head meeting at Wimbledon, while Alcaraz won their matches at the French Open and U.S. Open.
Sinner also won the 2025 Australia Open. Dating back to 2023, Sinner or Alcaraz has won nine of the last 10 majors.
