Chris Evert's recent marriage to Greg Norman ... both have been world No. 1 in their respective sports, she an American tennis player and he an Australian golfer ... brought to mind the fact that some of the very best athletes have chosen other top athletes to be their spouses. Something in common?
Chris takes the (wedding) cake in this regard, having done this not once, not twice, but three times with athletes of three different sports and three different nationalities. She tied the knot (rather loosely) before with British tennis player John Lloyd and American skier Andy Mill. It must have been true love with Evert and Norman as she paid Mill $7 million in their divorce settlement and Norman gave his ex a cool $128 million to free up.
Here are our other top 10 sports couples:
Nancy Chaffee and Ralph Kiner: Nancy was ranked No. 4 in the world in tennis before she married Kiner, the Hall of Fame baseball player and longtime Mets announcer who led the National League six years in a row in home runs. They had three children before divorcing. She stuck to sports, later marrying Jack Whitaker, the longtime CBS-TV sports announcer. Nancy died of cancer at age 73 in 2002.
Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner: Nadia, now 46, as a Romanian gymnast won five Olympic gold medals in all-around, balance beam and uneven bars and was the first to score a perfect 10 in an Olympic event. Conner, 50, took gold on the parallel bars in 1984. The two had met at a meet in 1976 and 20 years later, they got married in Bucharest. Nadia became a U.S. citizen in 2001. Now they run a gymnastics school in Norman, Okla., and do TV commentary and much charity work. They had a baby boy in 2006.
Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi: The ultimate tennis power couple ... she won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, he won eight. Steffi, 39, and Andre, 38, wed in Las Vegas in 2001 after becoming close in 1999 while dancing the traditional champions' dance at the French Open, which they both had won. They have two children, Jaden Gil and Jaz. The two have become well-known off the court now for running a charter school in Vegas for at-risk children.
Mia Hamm and Nomar Garciaparra: Mia, 36, is certainly the most famous women's soccer player ever ... she led the U.S. team to Olympic gold in 1996 and 2004 and holds the record (male or female) for most international goals (158). Nomar, 35, led the AL in batting with averages of .357 and .372 ... phenomenal for a shortstop ... with the Red Sox. He's playing for the Dodgers now as his career winds down. The two met at a charity event, she divorced her husband and they married in 2003. She gave birth to twin girls in 2007.
Nancy Lopez and Ray Knight: The effervescent Nancy, 51, was the best women's golfer in the world for a long stretch. She won 48 tournaments including three majors (all of them the LPGA Championship). She finished second four times in the U.S. Women's Open ... the first time in 1975, the last in 1997, showing the length and excellence of her career. Ray, 55, spent 13 years in the majors as a third baseman with various teams, hitting as high as .318, and later managing the Reds. They married in 1982 and have three daughters. He briefly caddied for her after he retired.
Misty May and Matt Treanor: Misty, 31, won gold in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics in beach volleyball with partner Kerri Walsh. Matt, 32, is in his fifth season with the Marlins as a backup catcher. They met at a sports therapy clinic in California and married in 2004.
Julianne McNamara and Todd Zeile: Julianne, 42, took gold on the uneven bars with a perfect 10 in gymnastics at the 1984 Olympics. Then she went the TV route, only acting, not announcing, as she appeared on "Charles in Charge" and "Knight Rider." In 1989, she married Todd, now 43, whom she had known at UCLA. They have four children. Todd spent 16 years in the majors as a catcher and third baseman; he achieved career highs of 31 homers, 103 RBI and .293. He caught the acting bug himself, playing in 2005's movie "Dirty Deeds."
Ann Meyers and Don Drysdale: Ann, 53, ranks as one of the greatest women's college basketball players of all time. A 5-foot-9 guard, she was All-American four years at UCLA, starred on the U.S. silver medal team at the 1976 Olympics and played three years professionally in the old WPBL before turning to sports broadcasting. In 1986, she married Don, the 6-5 ex-Dodgers Hall of Fame ace who had seasons of 25 and 23 wins. They had three children. Don, who also became a broadcaster, died of a heart attack at age 56 in 1993.
Kristi Yamaguchi and Bret Hedican: What a pleasant surprise for her fans when Kristi, 37, returned from domestic obscurity to win the popular "Dancing With the Stars" TV show this year. She had been retired for six years from figure skating, a career highlighted by taking gold at the 1992 Winter Olympics and then touring professionally. She's also done some acting ("Everybody Loves Raymond"). At the Olympics, she had met Bret, now 38, who was on the U.S. hockey team. They married in 2000 and have two daughters. Bret has spent 19 seasons in the NHL, most recently as a defenseman with the Carolina Hurricanes.
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