Celebrities tend to date in small circles. There are some exceptions of course, but a lot of famous people end up dating — or even married to — other famous people. We suppose it's less risky that way — at least financially. Plus, celebs understand some of the unique pressures and challenges that other public figures face on the daily, so it makes sense that they feel safer and maybe even more understood with each other. But that doesn't mean that actors always date actors or that musicians always date musicians.
A lot of celebrities actually seem to prefer to date athletes. To some degree, that makes sense. Some major league athletes are hugely famous themselves, but others get the money and prestige without being under a microscope all the time. So someone like Kendall Jenner can date athletes who are less famous than she is — and enjoy a more low-key existence — without having to adjust her extravagant lifestyle or always being the one to foot the bill.
For one reason or another, there are quite a number of celebrities — particularly female celebrities — who seem romantically drawn to professional athletes and have a habit of falling for them. Here are some of the stars who have a thing for professional athletes.
Kendall Jenner
Throughout all the years we watched Kendall Jenner on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, we learned a few things about her, one of which is that she's pretty athletic and loves adventurous sports. So it makes sense that she usually dates young, promising athletes, including NBA players Devin Booker and Ben Simmons. She's also dated basketball players Jordan Clarkson and Blake Griffin. Yep, she definitely has a type.
Jennifer Lopez
Superstar Jennifer Lopez's dating history is honestly pretty scant. She really hasn't been with all that many men, and several of her former boyfriends weren't famous at all. In fact, she's only been with one athlete, but the relationship was intense, so she makes the list. J.Lo and retired MLB player Alex Rodriguez dated for four years, and were engaged for two of them, before breaking off their relationship in April 2021. They seemed to do everything together — even their businesses were intertwined!
Jessica Simpson
Two of fashion mogul and singer Jessica Simpson's three serious relationships were with athletes — NFL players, to be exact. She dated quarterback Tony Romo for almost two years beginning in 2007, and she's been married to former tight end Eric Johnson since 2014. The two now share three children.
Olivia Culpo
A former Miss USA and Miss Universe, Olivia Culpo is mostly famous as an influencer. She's gorgeous, so it's no surprise that a bunch of athletes have fallen for her. From Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte to former NFL players Tim Tebow and Danny Amendola, the beauty queen sure seems to have an eye for athletes.
Shailene Woodley
It wasn't until after Big Little Lies actor Shailene Woodley started dating Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers that we realized that she has a history of dating athletes. She dated rugby player Ben Volavola from 2017 until 2020. They split a few months before she and Aaron — who are now engaged — got together.
Teyana Taylor
The stunning model and musician Teyana Taylor definitely has a thing for athletes. She's been married to former NBA player Iman Shumpert since 2016, but before that she was linked to NFL icon Colin Kaepernick and former NBA players Brandon Jennings and Daniel Gibson.
Khloé Kardashian
Businesswoman and reality TV star Khloé Kardashian has dated almost too many athletes to count. Most recently, she's been in an on-again, off-again relationship with NBA player Tristan Thompson, but before that she had flings with NBA players Rashad McCants and James Harden and she was briefly linked to NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. in 2016. Of course, she was also quite famously married to former NBA player Lamar Odom from 2009 until their divorce was finalized in 2016.
Hayden Panettiere
Nashville star Hayden Panettiere once even admitted to her penchant for athletes. She's dated quite a few, including former NFL player Scotty McKnight, and she was in a long-term relationship with Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, with whom she shares a daughter.
Gabrielle Union
Most of us know that actress Gabrielle Union and retired NBA player Dwyane Wade have been happily married for years now (after a brief split). But her romantic history with athletes started long before her relationship with Dwyane. In fact, she began dating athletes when she was still in high school in the 1980s, when she was with now-retired NBA player Jason Kidd. She was married to then-NFL player Chris Howard from 2001 to 2006 and she's been linked in the past to former NFL player Darren Sharper.
Kim Kardashian
Although Kim Kardashian's dating history is pretty much all over the map, just like her sisters, she's been romantically linked to quite a few athletes. Of course, we all know about her infamous 72-day marriage to former NBA player Kris Humphries. She was also in a serious relationship with former NFL star Reggie Bush, and once had a brief fling with now-retired NFL player Miles Austin.
Gisele Bündchen
It's hard to remember anybody Gisele Bündchen was romantically linked to before NFL superstar Tom Brady, but she has dated other athletes. She was with polo player Rico Mansur in the early oughties and surfer Kelly Slater shortly after that — just before she started dating Tom, who she's been married to since 2009.
Elisha Cuthbert
The Girl Next Door star Elisha Cuthbert also has a history with athletes. Years ago, it was rumored that she and Olympic snowboarder Shaun White were an item, but beyond that, she's been linked to several hockey players including her current husband, Dion Phaneuf.
Carrie Underwood
Considering she's the voice of the NFL's Sunday Night Football, it's not much of a surprise that Carrie Underwood is into athletes. Her husband, Mike Fisher, is a former NHL player, but she's also dated NFL stars including former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.
Lindsey Vonn
As an athlete herself, it's to be expected that Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn has dated plenty of fellow athletes. She's had high-profile romances with golfer Tiger Woods and of course her former husband, fellow skier Thomas Vonn. Most recently, though, she dated hockey star P.K. Subban for three years before they split in December 2020.
Ciara
R&B singer Ciara has been happily married to Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson since 2016. While she's dated her fair share of musicians throughout the years, she's also been linked to a few other athletes, including former NBA player Amar'e Stoudemire, who she dated in 2011.
Iggy Azalea
One of rapper Iggy Azalea's most publicized relationships was with NBA player Nick Young, who she was in an on-again, off-again relationship with starting in 2014 (they even nearly married). She's also been with Arizona Cardinal Deandre Hopkins and was rumored to have briefly dated NBA star Jimmy Butler.
Serena Williams
Before marrying Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian in 2017, tennis icon Serena Williams also dated a few athletes. There were rumors about her and fellow tennis player Grigor Dimitrov back in 2012. That same year, it's also believed that she had a fling with her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, and in 2010 she briefly dated basketball player Amar'e Stoudemire.
Kristin Cavallari
Reality TV star Kristin Cavallari has long had a thing for athletes. She of course was married to now-retired NFL player Jay Cutler from 2013 until 2020 (the exes share three children). But before that, she dated former NFL quarterback Matt Leinart. Oh, and does dating the son of an athlete count? As Laguna Beach fans might remember, she also cozied up with Caitlyn Jenner's son Brody for about a year.
Eliza Dushku
Eliza Dushku definitely has a history with athletes. She dated former NBA player Rick Fox for five years. After that, the Wrong Turn star also dated former MLB player Brad Penny for a while. And currently, Eliza is in a relationship with former pro tennis player Peter Palandjian.
Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton has had a lot of fun on the dating scene over the past couple of decades. She's newly hitched now, but before she wed Carter Reum in November 2021, she was romantically linked to quite a few athletes. Though it was nothing serious, Paris went on a couple of dates with soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo in 2000, and several years later, she was coupled up with former MLB player Doug Reinhardt.
Kate Upton
Model and actress Kate Upton has been happily married to Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander since 2017 — but he's not the only athlete she's dated. Before she got hitched, she was linked to former NFL player Mark Sanchez and NBA star Blake Griffin, among others.
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