When NBA Players Go Hollywood: Six Appear in Films and TV

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While he hasn’t spent much time on the court in recent years, Boban Marjanović has starred in several roles, notably in the Goldfish commercials with former teammate Tobias Harris. In 2019, Marjanović got a role in the popular John Wick franchise. The film’s producer recommended the Director to cast the 7-foot-3 center for the role of an assassin named Ernest. In John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum, a $14 million bounty is placed on the title character. Wick encounters Ernest in a library, with the two clashing. In a franchise known for its action sequences, Boban and Keanu Reeves have a quick, but memorable fight. Here are other NBA players who have appeared in TV and film roles.

Kareem Abdul-Jabar Stars in Game of Death and Airplane!

When creating the character Boban would play in John Wick: Chapter 3, the director of the film got inspiration from the 1970s classic Game of Death. In the legendary martial arts film, Bruce Lee’s character travels to an island to spy on a drug dealer whose gang killed his sister. Lee enters a kung fu competition to fight his way to the dealer’s headquarters. Lee eventually faces Kareem’s character, Hakim, in a fight lasting over five minutes. Kareem was friends with Bruce Lee, learning Lee’s Jeet Kune Do kung fu style and being personally invited by him to film the fight scene. This would be Kareem’s first appearance in a film. Another well-known performance of Kareem’s, he starred in the 1980 comedy and cult classic Airplane! In the film, Kareem plays a co-pilot named Roger Murdoch. In the scene, a kid visiting the cockpit of the plane exclaims the co-pilot is the Lakers superstar, but the co-pilot denies it, claiming his name is Roger Murdoch. The kid then goes on to criticize the legends, game, with the kid’s criticisms, clearly getting on his nerves. In a 2015 interview, Kareem said that he took the role on the condition he received $35,000 for the role, not the $30,000 he was initially offered. Jabar wanted the $35,000 for a rug he wanted.

Shaq Cameos in Scary Movie 4

Nowadays, Shaquille O’Neal is everywhere. Inside the NBA, random TV and film cameos, commercials, and more. One of Shaq’s more random cameos took place in 2006’s Scary Movie 4. In the horror parody, Shaq wakes up chained to a pipe in a dark bathroom, screaming for help until it’s revealed Dr. Phil is chained up in the bathroom with him. A puppet parodying Saw’s Jigsaw appears on the screen, telling them the room is filling with nerve gas and the only way to escape is to shoot a basket, get the saws, and use the chains. The then Miami Heat Playing in the NBA, players have many opportunities to look at new ventures. A significant number of players have found themselves working on the silver screen, starring in TV and films. While a lot of players have had small roles in comedies, some players have found success in more serious films. Not every appearance is considered classic, but the following appearances in TV films are some of the most random, memorable, funny appearances by NBA players.

Stephen Curry Appears on Family Guy

Although he is seen in a lot of Subway and Under Armour commercials today, Steph Curry’s appearance on Family Guy is a classic for multiple reasons. In the season 15 episode titled “Gronkowsbees”, the character Peter Griffin finds the Golden State Warriors star in San Francisco. Just after meeting Curry, Griffins asks to sit on Curry’s lap during his next post-game conference. The scene then cuts to Curry and Griffin during a post-game conference, where Griffin is acting up while Steph talks about being four games away from the championship. The scene recreates the viral post-game conference from Game 1 of the 2015 Western Conference Finals, where Steph’s daughter, Riley, stole the show. This episode is also known for its main plot where former NFL star Rob Gronkowski moves in behind the family.

Multiple Stars Appear on The Cleveland Show

Before Curry appeared on Family Guy, multiple stars appeared on The Cleveland Show, a spinoff of Family Guy. In the Season 2 episode titled “A Short Story and a Tall Tale”, the main character, Cleveland Brown, receives tickets to the NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles. When the main character arrives at the game, he takes a jab a LA saying he showed up in the third quarter like real LA Fans. At the game, Brown gets drunk and heckles players including calling Dirk Nowitzki ‘Dork Nowitzki’ and making fun of Kevin Garnett for not going to college. In addition, Nowitzki and Garnett, Steve Nash, Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, and Dwyane Wade all provide their voices. The players take a few minutes to talk while sitting on the bench and make a couple of basketball-related jokes. The players would return later in the episode, looking for Brown and fighting characters from the episode’s subplot.

Wilt Battles Schwarzenegger in Conan the Destroyer

After a 15-year playing career, Wilt Chamberlain took an interest in film, forming a production and distribution company in the late 1970s. Wilt would make his acting debut in one of his only roles, staring as Bombaata, a giant warrior, opposite of Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1984’s Conan the Destroyer. In the sequel to the 1982 hit Conan the Barbarian, Bombaata joins Conan to retrieve a magical gem but has secret orders to kill Conan. The two fight later in the movie, with Conan killing Bombaata. This performance would be Chamberlain’s only true role, although he does have a couple of uncredited roles as well.