1990s

The athlete of the '90s? There's no question. Michael Jordan won six titles and four MVP awards in the 1990s (his first MVP, and fifth overall, came in '88), while emerging as a cultural icon around the world. In total, he appeared on 20 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED covers during the decade (including one cover on his time in minor-league baseball).

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED made several notable hires during the '90s, including Michael Farber, Michael Silver, Tim Layden, Tom Verducci, Grant Wahl and L. Jon Wertheim.