Top 20 NBA Actors
I’ve written a couple of articles on the athlete-actor pipeline, which has proven to have some success stories. As a big fan of the NBA & an even bigger of movies (who’d’ve thought I’m a movie guy?), basketball players that have taken their talents to the big screen have always fascinated me. So today, we’ll be highlighting 20 hoopers that made the biggest impact in film & TV, whether in one appearance, or many.
LeBron James- Starting with the greatest to ever do it, King James has appeared as himself in many television shows and a variety of films as well. These films include the romantic comedy, ‘Trainwreck,’ the comedy, ‘House Party,’ and the sequel to the OG, ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy,’ which is admittedly much worse than the first. He also had a voice role as a yeti named Gwangi in ‘Smallfoot.’
Michael Jordan- His Airness only one starring role, but it was iconic enough to easily solidify his place on this list. Of course I’m talking about ‘Space Jam,’ which I think is personally the best basketball movie. A cameo featuring Jordan was included in ‘He Got Game’ in which MJ says the title of the movie, referring to Jesus Shuttlesworth.
Ray Allen- Now moving along to Jesus Shuttlesworth himself, Ray Allen gives what I think is definitely one of the better performances by any athlete. He out acts ALMOST every actor he shares a scene with, and manages to keep up with Denzel Washington. Allen also appears in the 2001 crime dramedy, ‘Harvard Man.’
Rick Fox- I would say Rick Fox has had one of the most successful transition from the court to the cinema, with his acting career perhaps outpacing his NBA one. Though he is a 3x Champion as a part of the Kobe-Shaq Lakers, Fox has starred in many made-for-tv movies. He has also been a series regular on shows such as, ‘Oz,’ ‘One Tree Hill,’ ‘The Game,’ & ‘K.C. Undercover,’ & roles in movies like, ‘He Got Game,’ ‘Holes,’ & ‘Dope.’ He also placed sixth on ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ so good for him.
Shaquille O’Neal- Shaq has done everything. Obviously he’s dominated the NBA world both on the court and as a broadcaster. He has every brand deal there is (literally at the store the other day I saw him on Icy Hot, some Shaq-branded gummies, & some steaks with his picture on the box) and I can think of very few people who have done a better job building their own brand. He has four rap albums, one of which has gone platinum, is a successful touring DJ, hosts his own podcast, & has hosted two reality TV shows. Now to the acting. He has made numerous TV appearances, almost always as himself. He has made appearances in Adam Sandler films ‘Grown Ups 2’ & ‘Hubie Halloween,’ has had voice roles in ‘The Lego Movie,’ ‘The Smurfs 2,’ & ‘Show Dogs,’ and has starred in ‘Blue Chips,’ ‘Steel,’ ‘Kazaam,’ & ‘Uncle Drew.’
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar- The GOAT before MJ, The Captain has also made numerous appearances in film & TV. His film roles include that of ‘Game of Death,’ ‘Airplane!,’ & ‘Fletch,’ as well as a cameo in ‘Glass Onion.’ He has played himself in TV series, ‘Full House,’ ‘Everybody Loves Raymond,’ ‘Martin,’ ‘Diff’rent Strokes,’ ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’ ‘Scrubs,’ ‘New Girl,’ ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ ‘Dave,’ & ‘The Simpsons.’
John Salley- The first player to win a championship with 3 different teams & the first to win championships in 3 different decades (‘89 & ‘90 Pistons, ‘96 Bulls, ‘00 Lakers), Salley has appeared in basketball movies ‘Sneakerella’ & ‘Eddie,’ as well as making appearances in ‘The Ultimate Christmas Present,’ ‘Nappily Ever After,’ & ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic.’ However, his most famous role comes in form of computer hacker, Fletcher, a role he portrays in various movies in the ‘Bad Boys’ franchise.
Dennis Rodman- Another player known perhaps more for his off the court personality & antics, Rodman starred in three films, ‘Double Team,’ ‘Simon Sez,’ & ‘Cutaway.’ For his role opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in ‘Double Team,’ Dennis Rodman won three Razzie awards, which if you’re unfamiliar with what a Razzie is, it’s like an Oscar, except bad.
Here we’ve reached the point of the list where the players have fewer or smaller roles, so I’ll keep these more brief.
Marques Johnson- This 5x NBA All-Star had small roles in ‘Love and Action in Chicago,’ ‘Blue Chips,’ & ‘Forgot Paris.’ His most well-known role is as Raymond in ‘White Man Can’t Jump.’
Boban Marjanović- One of the tallest NBA players ever, standing 7’4, the beloved Boban, appears as ‘The Big Serbian’ in ‘Hustle’ and portrays assassins in both ‘Self Reliance’ & ‘John Wick: Chapter 3.’
Gheorghe Mureșan- ‘The Giant’ is tied with Manute Bol as the tallest player in the history of the NBA at a whopping 7’7! He played the titular character across from Billy Crystal in the 1998 dramedy ‘My Giant.’
Anthony Edwards- One of NBA’s up and coming stars, this 2x All-Star and Olympic Gold Medalist made his acting debut as the antagonist, Kermit Wilts, in ‘Hustle’ across from…
Juancho Hernangómez- Juancho played the lead role of Bo Cruz in ‘Hustle,’ a 2022 film that also stars Adam Sandler as a struggling NBA scout and features appearances from many NBA players, past and present.
Kevin Garnett- Another NBA player who acted across Adam Sandler is 15x All-Star, MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and NBA Champion, Kevin Garnett. Garnett played a fictionalized version of himself in the Safdie Brothers’ film ‘Uncut Gems.’
Kevin Durant- 14x All-Star, 2x Champ, 2x Finals MVP, & 1x League MVP, the Slim Reaper starred in the 2012 film ‘Thunderstruck.’ This film mirrors the plot of ‘Like Mike’ and was a big hit here in Oklahoma.
Wilt Chamberlain- Wilt the Stilt played the villain, Bombaata, in 1984’s ‘Conan the Destroyer’ which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead role. He and co-star Andre the Giant are two of the few men who can make Arnold look small (as seen below).
Chamberlain (left) appears with co-stars Schwarzenegger (middle) & Andre (right)
Amar’e Stoudemire- Amar’e Stoudemire was a 6x All-Star and Rookie of the Year, playing most notably for the Suns and Knicks. He had TV roles on ‘Law & Order: SVU,’ ‘Entourage,’ ‘Sesame Street,’ & ‘The Mindy Project.’ His film roles include ‘MacGruber,’ ‘New Year’s Eve,’ & ‘Trainwreck.’
Kyrie Irving- Aside from guest roles in ‘Family Guy’ & Disney XD’s ‘Kickin’ It,’ Irving’s only role originated as a series of Pepsi commercials where Irving donned old man prosthetics and fooled people with his basketball ability as Uncle Drew. Eventually, Unc got his own film with Irving playing the lead role with an ensemble also including Shaq, Chris Webber, Reggie Miller, Nate Robinson, Lisa Leslie, & Aaron Gordon.
Darius Miles- The first prep-to-pro player to make an All-Rookie team, Miles appeared in films ‘The Perfect Score,’ which is similar to his real life & ‘National Lampoon’s Van Wilder.’
Blake Griffin- Griffin has pursued a career in stand-up comedy and has also appeared in comedy films, ‘The Female Brain,’ the 2023 remake, ‘White Men Can’t Jump,’ & voices PAL Max Prime in ‘The Mitchells vs the Machines.’
