The Houston-area athletes earn spots on TIME’s 2025 list of influential figures.
HOUSTON — Houston-connected athletes Simone Biles and Jalen Hurts have earned spots on TIME magazine’s prestigious 2025 TIME100 list of the world’s most influential people. The annual list, released this week, recognizes individuals who are transforming the world across various sectors, including sports, politics, business and entertainment.
Biles, the decorated gymnast who lives and trains in Spring, Texas, continues to cement her legacy as arguably the greatest gymnast of all time. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Hurts, a Houston native, earned recognition following his Super Bowl victory earlier this year.
The 2025 TIME100 list features influencers from 32 countries, including a record 16 corporate CEOs and six members of the Trump Administration. TIME Editor-in-Chief notes that this year’s selections reflect “where global disruption originates today” and the “emergence of a class of business leaders who are filling a leadership void.”
In her profile of Biles, fellow Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman described her as “a gem—one of a kind, forged by relentless hard work and polished by her own determination.” Raisman praised Biles not only for her athletic dominance but also for her advocacy in mental health and athlete safety, writing that “her greatest legacy may be ensuring a better future for those who follow.”
Hurts, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in February, was profiled by baseball legend Derek Jeter.
“What Jalen Hurts went through in being benched during the 2018 National Championship game would break a lot of people down. But not Jalen; he focused on what he could control and found a new path to success,” Jeter wrote, emphasizing Hurts’ remarkable resilience.
According to TIME, the annual TIME100 has expanded this year to include a daylong summit featuring interviews with world leaders and the traditional gala. The publication is also launching two new TIME100 franchises focused on philanthropy and digital creators.
This year’s list spans diverse professions and backgrounds, with the youngest honoree being 22-year-old French Olympic swimmer Léon Marchand and the oldest being 84-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who currently leads Bangladesh’s interim government.
