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30 Awesome Pictures of Athletes as Kids

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30 Pictures of Athletes as Kids

LeBron James — Have you ever wondered what athletes looked like as kids before they were ever famous? I mean, did you know that Clay Matthews had a mullet or Aaron Rodgers played soccer as a youngster? Many of these pictures portray these stars as multi-sport athletes and it's somewhat odd to see Rodgers in a soccer outfit or Stephen Curry in a baseball uniform.

Check out those and other awesome pictures of famous star athletes as kids.

Have you ever wondered what athletes looked like as kids before they were ever famous? I mean, did you know that Clay Matthews had a mullet or Aaron Rodgers played soccer as a youngster? Many of these pictures portray these stars as multi-sport athletes and it's somewhat odd to see Rodgers in a soccer outfit or Stephen Curry in a baseball uniform.

Check out those and other awesome pictures of famous star athletes as kids.

30. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat

30. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat

Not the most exciting photo, but you can tell little Dwyane Wade hasn't changed much.

29. Andre Iguodala, Golden State Warriors

29. Andre Iguodala, Golden State Warriors

Little baby Andre Iguodala. Little did he know that he was going to be able to jump out of the gym one day.

28. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates

28. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates

McCutchen kind of looks like a little Richard Sherman here. He's got that devilish smile, but that's a future MVP type of smile.

27. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks

27. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks

It looks like Dirk had aspirations of becoming the next great German tennis star. Good thing he stuck to basketball -- and it looks like he has the start of a mullet here.

26. Tom Brady, New England Patriots

26. Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Pudgy Brady. Tom used to be a baseball star and apparently used to have an extreme case of baby fat in the cheeks.

25. Nate Robinson, Denver Nuggets

25. Nate Robinson, Denver Nuggets

Robinson must have had a Napoleon's complex in this picture as he is small, like he is today, but he felt the need to show people that his muscles are nothing to take lightly.

24. Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers

24. Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers

Clay Matthews rocking the mullet. This might be one of my new favorite pictures of all time. New phone background?

23. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

23. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

Rumor has it that this is Sidney Crosby, but it's hard to believe that he used to don the jersey of his current rival. I guess the hockey star can't be criticized too much because the Wings are one of the most popular teams internationally -- even in Canada.

22. Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid

22. Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid

21. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos

21. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos

Yes, those chicken legs would one day dominate the NFL.

20. Prince Fielder, Texas Rangers

20. Prince Fielder, Texas Rangers

Prince Fielder was never a slim cat and he loved him some Zubaz. His dad played for the Tigers so he was a slugger at a young age.

19. Rafael Nadal, Tennis

19. Rafael Nadal, Tennis

Coming off his ninth title at the French Open is the perfect time to unveil his adorable child photo. That kid right there would become one of the best tennis players of all time.

18. Braxton Miller, Ohio State Buckeyes Football

18. Braxton Miller, Ohio State Buckeyes Football

It really isn't that surprising that Braxton Miller was always a football star and close to the game. This picture isn't all too exciting, but this is where it all began.

17. Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets

17. Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets

Baby Dwight. You can hardly tell the difference from then and now. I mean, he still probably acts the same.

16. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

16. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Aaron Rodgers' first love was soccer. Okay, maybe that isn't true, but he was a multi-sport athlete and it seems like he made the right choice in the end -- an MVP award isn't too shabby, right?

15. Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks

15. Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks

Little did this kid know that he would be one of the most criticized NBA players of his time when he grew up. A pretty solid superstar, however.

14. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

14. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

Yes, Ben Roethlisberger used to be a pretty slim kid.

13. Rory McIlroy, PGA

13. Rory McIlroy, PGA

He knew one day he was going to break the heart of a tennis superstar, in turn making him an even better golfer. Wise young man.

12. Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics

12. Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics

It's pretty weird to see Rajon Rondo in a football uniform, but you can already tell by his aggressiveness and scrappiness on the basketball court that he was probably a decent football player.

11. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

11. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

Ah, a young Russell Westbrook. I wonder if he took more shots than his superstar teammates back in the day as well?

10. Derek Jeter, New York Yankees

10. Derek Jeter, New York Yankees

Yet another athlete who we are glad picked the right sport.

9. Paul George, Indiana Pacers

9. Paul George, Indiana Pacers

Paul George used to rock the cornrows. Allen Iverson seemed to rub off on a ton of young athletes -- or maybe that look was actually cool in the 1990s and early 2000s.

8. Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers

8. Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers

This kid looks so polite. How could this be the same kid that gets in scuffles in nearly every NBA game he plays?

7. Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks

7. Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks

Richard Sherman: dual-sport trash-talking star? Luckily for us, he's only the center of attention in one sport.

6. Brandon Jennings, Detroit Pistons

6. Brandon Jennings, Detroit Pistons

I had to put this one on here because he was already rocking the Detroit Pistons jersey at a young age.

5. Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns

5. Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns

This picture can't be a complete surprise as Johnny Football was drafted in both the NFL and MLB drafts this year.

4. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

4. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

This is the look of a future NBA All-Star and three-point specialist who could one day be an MVP.

3. Yao Ming, Retired NBA

3. Yao Ming, Retired NBA

Yao Ming at the Great Wall of China? What could be better?

2. Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Nationals

2. Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Nationals

Pretty scary, but typical, Alex Ovechkin picture.

1. Tim Tebow, Former NFL QB

1. Tim Tebow, Former NFL QB

Timmy Tebow always loved his football -- even if he wasn't great at his position.

Connor Muldowney is the Content Associate for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connormuldowney, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also reach him at [email protected].

Connor Muldowney is a writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter and like him on Facebook.

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