By Chantal Bhan

Born: California, of Samoan descent

Drafted 16th in the NFL to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2003

Famous for: His long curly hair and is said to be “the new face of the Steelers’ defense”.

Born: Hawaii, of Chinese descent

Drafted to the LA Galaxy as 16th in the MLS Superdraft, now plays for the Houston Dynamos.

Famous for: being the first Hawaiian to play for the World Cup Team and named Cup MVP in 2006. Also he is only one of seven players in MLS to score four goals in a single game.

Born: Japan, of Japanese descent

Played for a Japanese league for 8 years, then moved to play for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2006. In 2008 he made the last out, allowing the Devil Rays to advance to the World Series for the first time in franchise history.

Famous for: his unique glove made of crocodile skin.

Born: China, of Chinese descent

Played in China for 5 years before moving to the Milwaukee Bucks and later the New Jersey Nets in 2008.

Famous for: Causing a launch of the New Jersey team website in Chinese and boosting the team’s ticket sales incredibly.

Born: South Korea, of Korean and African American descent

An extremely versatile player for the Pittsburgh Steelers, his highest achievement being MVP in the 2006 Superbowl XL.

Famous for: “The Hines Ward Show” on CBS; speaking against multiracial discrimination in South Korea to encourage social and political reform; and a “contagious smile” that never seems to fade.

Born: Fiji, of Fijian descent So far has 34 wins and 175

top ten finishes in 403 career events.

Famous for: Surprisingly getting better with time; playing better in his 40’s than he ever has before. He also was appointed as a goodwill ambassador to Fiji in 2005.

Born: Japan, of Japanese descent

Played for Japan in the Olympics and was named MVP of the World Baseball Classic before moving to the Boston Red Sox. He is a versatile pitcher, constantly changing between seven different styles.

Famous for: Being bid to the Red Sox for over $50 million.

Born: Japan, of Japanese descent

Moved to the Seattle Mariners in 2001 after playing in Japan for 9 years. He was the first Japanese player to play regularly in the MLB. In 2001 he finished 1st in batting averages and stolen bases, and currently at the age of 35 still finishes 2nd.

Famous for: He draws so many crowds, his nickname is “Elvis” in Japan.

Born: China, of Chinese descent

Drafted to the Houston Rockets in 2002, he was named Rookie of the Year starting out, but has significantly improved over the years despite many injuries. He is undoubtedly one of the most popular NBA players among Chinese and US citizens and has topped the Forbes Chinese celebrities list five years in a row.

Famous for: Being the tallest player in the NBA at 7ft 6 in. (who said Asians were short?)

and the number 1 athlete comes as no surprise….

Born: California, of Chinese, Thai, African American, Native American, and Dutch descent

With 89 professional wins and 14 championship wins, Tiger is undoubtedly the best professional golfer around. He has been named male athlete of the year four times and is the only person named Sports Illustrated’s sportsman of the year more than once.

Famous for: Not only being the World’s highest paid professional athlete but also his unique mixture of races which he promotes as “Cablinasian”.