Skip to main content
Come Fan with UsSunday, June 21, 2026

It’s National Hug Day! Who Are The Most Huggable People In Sports?

Have you heard the news? It's National Hug Day! If you have heard the news, you're probably asking yourself--what is national hug day? Pretty simple, says Wikipedia: "National Hug Day or National Hugging Day is an annual holiday occurring on January 21, officially recognized by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The holiday was founded on January 21, 1986 in Caro, Michigan, and has since spread to Canada, England, Australia, Germany and Poland."

Yeah, so go hug someone. Right now. It’s National Hug Day. They’ll enjoy it. You either hug someone that HATES hugs, or hug someone that you’ve avoided hugging out of shyness. IT’S GONE ON TOO LONG. No such thing as sexual harrassment on National Hug Day!

Bigbaby_medium

But what about hugs in sports? Who wants to cuddle with Big Baby up there? And if you could hug anyone in sports, who would it be? Don’t all say “Albert Haynesworth” at once.

Haynesworth_medium

I have three criteria for my choices here. First, there’s huggability. Are you overweight? Could your texture best be described as marshmellow-y? Will hugging you be like embracing a down comforter? OR are you just so little that you’re BEGGING TO BE HUGGED?

Second... Need a hug? Have you been abandoned and forgotten by the people that are supposed to love you most? Feeling all alone? Like life just hasn’t worked out the way you planned? If so, how ‘bout a hug, dude?

Third... Wait a second, did you deserve to be abandoned? Were you doing too much thuggin, and not enough huggin? Or are you so greedy and arrogant that the thought of human contact with you makes others sick to their stomach? You might just be... UNHUGGABLE.

Danielsnyder_medium

Anyway, here are a few choices for sports humans that I would hug today, in no particular order:

  • Earl Boykins
  • David Ortiz
  • Charles Barkley
  • Rick MajerusWillie Roaf
  • Eric Gordon
  • Wade Phillips
  • Brandon Banks
  • Verne Lundquist Manny PacquiaoBOB HUGGINS
  • Byron Leftwich
  • Maurice Jones-Drew
  • Prince Fielder
  • Eric Spoelstra
  • Chone Figgins
  • Nick Young
  • The entire WNBA (sympathy hugs)

And... There’s so much more! Feel free to add suggestions in the comments.

Hug4_medium

And if you were wondering about the least huggable people in sports... That list would have to include Drew Rosenhaus, LeBron James, Floyd Mayweather, Joe Buck, and maybe the least huggable person on the planet, Bill Belichick. But hey, let’s focus on the positives. It’s National Hug Day, after all.

Hug3_medium

See More:

More in General

GeneralFromPosting and Toasting
An SB Nation New Yorker needs our helpAn SB Nation New Yorker needs our help
GeneralFromPosting and Toasting
General
Sabastian Sawe breaks 2-hour barrier, shatters marathon world recordSabastian Sawe breaks 2-hour barrier, shatters marathon world record
General

The mythical two-hour mark was broken at the London Marathon.

By Bernd Buchmasser
A Huge Dog
THE HISTORY OF CHARGING THE MOUND, EPISODE 1THE HISTORY OF CHARGING THE MOUND, EPISODE 1
Play
General
Super Bowl 60 coin toss resultsSuper Bowl 60 coin toss results
General

The Seahawks and Patriots will open the Super Bowl with the coin toss to determine who starts with the ball. We have the full coin toss results for Super Bowl 60.

By David Fucillo
General
Marc Marquez completes a comeback for the agesMarc Marquez completes a comeback for the ages
General

MotoGP’s Marc Marquez completed a comeback for the ages with his 2025 title

By Mark Schofield
General
How to make sure SBNation.com appears in your Google search resultsHow to make sure SBNation.com appears in your Google search results