I do not know if the Op meant just Pool Players in General or any Sport , But if just pool then you have to give some Credit to our own CJ Wiley . He was A Pro Player who tried to bring class to the sport and never did anything to discredit the game and also never got that arrogance that most pro players do. He tried to better the game and its image. Efren Reyes is another who does not do anything to discredit the game of pool. Earl Strickland was Problay one of the greatest players of his era , but his attitude and bi polar antics hurt him to a degree
I've watched some videos of Earl from the '90s and he wasn't like that back then- at least in the clips I've seen. He was actually very gracious towards the crowd and his opponents back then. Don't know exactly when his attitude changed, but he seems like a different person now at least in competition.