Most poker players from "my generation" first got exposed to the game through World Series of Poker broadcasts on ESPN. We watched Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, and Joe Hachem ship millions in the Main Event and become poker icons.
Each successive year, at least some of the early coverage focused on those three, modern champions whose banners would hang forever. Their stardom was well deserved — they had all played some fantastic poker and conquered the biggest fields the tournament had ever seen.