Nothing gets the internet talking quite like a viral sports moment,s and there were plenty of them in 2025.
From NBA star Luka Dončić getting traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, to Anthony Joshua KO’ing Jake Paul.
Tom Brady admitting his new dog was a clone of his old dog caught everyone off guard.
Bill Belichick, 73, found himself constantly overshadowed by his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson.
The NBA spent much of the year dealing with the fallout after Chauncey Billups’ gambling-related arrest.
The NFL delivered viral moment after viral moment. Some played out on the field, while plenty unfolded away from it.
Join Stuff365 as we look back at some of the most viral sporting moments of 2025.
Anthony Joshua KO’s Jake Paul in Miami
It’s safe to say the internet got the ending it had been waiting for when Joshua stopped Paul with a savage knockout in Miami.
After months of talk and buildup, AJ turned Paul’s latest boxing crossover adventure into a highlight reel.
Joshua dropped Paul, who spent much of the fight staggering around like a baby goat, repeatedly, before a final right hand left him face down on the canvas.
Paul was left with a jaw broken in two places, but even that didn’t shut him up.
Tom Brady reveals his new dog is a clone
Tom Brady announcing a new dog usually wouldn’t break the internet. But this wasn’t your average doggo.
The seven-time Super Bowl winner casually revealed that his new dog was a clone of his old dog, Nilton, who died in 2023.
“I know it sounds crazy,” Brady said. “But I loved that dog so much. I still miss him, and this felt like a way to keep that connection.”
Some found it touching. Others found it unsettling. Most probably couldn’t believe this was actually a thing.
Luka Dončić traded from Mavericks to Lakers
The Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the most startling NBA moves of the decade.
Dončić was 25, under contract, and viewed as the centrepiece of the franchise. Dallas had built its roster, timeline, and identity around him.
The trade immediately sent shockwaves across the league and raised one very simple question – how on earth did that just happen?
Harrison later defended the move by saying “defense wins championships” and insisting the trade gave Dallas a better chance to contend. That went well.
Belichick’s awkward CBS interview hijacked by Hudson
Bill Belichick’s appearance on CBS’ Sunday Morning was meant to promote his book. Instead, it just gave the internet ammo to attack Bill and his prom date.
When journalist Tony Dokoupil asked how he met his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson, Hudson cut in from off-camera and said flatly, “We’re not talking about this.”
Dokoupil asked again, and Hudson repeated, “No.”
Belichick later defended the moment, saying his publisher had planned only to discuss the book and that Hudson was “simply doing her job” by steering the conversation back.
NBA gambling scandal as Chauncey Billups is arrested
The NBA spent much of 2025 trying to put out a fire it didn’t start but couldn’t escape.
Chauncey Billups was arrested in October as part of a wide-ranging gambling investigation, dragging the league back into a space it has publicly tried to distance itself from.
The Portland head coach was placed on leave as details emerged. Billups denied wrongdoing, but the damage was done.
For a league that has embraced betting partnerships – a new movement in the USA – seeing a head coach linked to gambling headlines was about as bad as it gets.
Sean Strickland’s UFC press conference rant spirals
Sean Strickland didn’t wait for UFC Fight Night in Sydney to make headlines.
Responding to an Australian newspaper urging Dricus Du Plessis to “knock this guy out,” Sean Strickland unloaded at the Sydney press conference.
“I come to this f****** country, and I talk about freedom of speech, and guns, and taxes.
“You got these f****** communists in the media trying to f****** put me down.”
He went further, calling Australia “real f****** communist” and describing Australians as “English white trash.
“As an American white trash, I feel like I’ve got a lot in common with you f******,” Strickland added.
That’s a lot of swears. But it’s not the first time Strickland banged that particular drum, as evidenced by this clip from 2023.
USA and Canada 4 Nations clash descends into chaos
The puck had barely dropped before the gloves came flying off. It took a fleeting moment to give us three more reasons to love hockey.
The USA and Canada 4 Nations Face-Off clash exploded nine seconds into the game, with three separate fights breaking out almost immediately.
Sticks dropped, helmets flew, and the officials lost control before the broadcast had even settled.
Words can’t do it justice, so just see for yourself.
Jude Bellingham sent off after furious El Clásico outburst
“Hey Jude, don’t let me down.” Bellingham rarely loses his head, but he did in El Clásico of all matches.
The Real Madrid midfielder was sent off after angrily confronting the referee following a disputed decision against Barcelona.
The referee produced a red card that instantly became the match’s defining moment.
Bellingham protested his innocence afterward, but the footage told a different story, with the amateur lip-reading experts on X outing the England international’s foul-mouthed rant.
Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari appearance breaks the internet
Lewis Hamilton’s decision to leave Mercedes ended one of the most successful driver-team partnerships in Formula One history.
Ferrari’s long-term vision and Mercedes’ stalled progress pushed the move, with Hamilton growing frustrated by repeated development misfires.
Seeing Hamilton in red felt as wrong as it did inevitable.
Hamilton and Charles Leclerc sat sandwiched between the Mercedes drivers in the final standings.
In the end, both finished miles behind McLaren in the F1 constructors’ championship, but Mercedes did top Ferrari.
