It seems that many athletes have transitioned from their sports to star in movies. However, there are also many times where Hollywood has come calling on football, baseball, and basketball players to appear in one of their films. Sometimes, the athletes take on major roles in the films, and other times they show up as fictionalized versions of themselves.
Athletes are not actors, so these movie moments are often hit and miss. When an actor comes in and plays an over-the-top version of themselves, it is typically one of the most entertaining times a sports fan will see their favorite on the big screen. However, other appearances are cringeworthy, at best. Here is a look at 10 times athletes got major movie roles.
BROOKE ENCE – WONDER WOMAN (2017)
There isn’t a bigger movie for someone to appear in than a big-budget superhero movie by either DC or the MCU. That made the appearance in Wonder Woman by Brooke Ence one of the most significant moments of her career. The good news is that Ence had a chance to do what she was best at — athletic endeavors.
For those unfamiliar with the name, Brooke Ence is a champion in the CrossFit Games, and she is one of the top athletes in that sport. In Wonder Woman, Ence was a perfect fit as one of the Amazonian Warriors, battling the Nazi forces who attacked Themyscira.
BRETT FAVRE – THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (1998)
One actor who played an over-the-top fictionalized version of himself in a movie was Green Bay Packers’ legend Brett Favre. The movie was the Farrelly Brothers comedy. There’s Something About Mary. In this film, Cameron Diaz is a woman with several suitors, including Ben Stiller’s Ted.
However, close to the end, she chooses the one man who didn’t lie to her about anything. That would be Packers’ quarterback Brett Favre. This film was released the same year Favre led the Packers to their second Super Bowl in a row.
LEBRON JAMES – TRAINWRECK (2015)
Judd Apatow directed the comedy Trainwreck in 2015, a movie that starred Amy Schumer and Bill Hader, along with a couple of very famous athletes. One of those athletes was John Cena, who turned heads in an against-type performance as one of Schumer’s character’s dates.
However, LeBron James stole the show in every scene he appeared in. Unlike Cena, who played a character in the movie, LeBron played himself. Hader is a sports doctor, so that is where LeBron comes in, portraying a hilarious over-the-top version of himself.
KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR – AIRPLANE (1980)
Way back in 1980, one of the greatest spoof movies of all-time came out with Airplane! The movie starred a ton of recognizable characters from TV and movies and at least one famous athlete. The film was about an airplane that was about to crash when the pilots fell ill during the flight.
One of those pilots was played by Los Angeles Lakers’ great Kareem Abdul Jabbar. He played co-pilot Robert Murdock and had a running gag where people thought he was Abdul-Jabbar, the payoff showing him wearing his Lakers’ uniform later in the film.
RAY ALLEN – HE GOT GAME (1998)
In 1998, Ray Allen was a promising young basketball star with the Milwaukee Bucks. He was coming off a successful college career with the UConn Huskies but was still a few years away from his two NBA Championships with the Boston Celtics.
However, in 1998 he also achieved a dream. He co-starred with Denzel Washington in a film directed by Spike Lee called He Got Game. Allen played Jesus, the son of a convicted felon (Washington), who is offered an early release from prison if he can convince his son to go to the big state university.
RONDA ROUSEY – FURIOUS 7 (2015)
Ronda Rousey was the woman who made the UFC women’s division big enough to main event PPVs hasn’t fought in the octagon since 2016. The same year that she lost her UFC title to Holly Holm, she appeared in the movie Furious 7 as one of the bad guy’s henchmen.
That was her second movie, following The Expendables 3 in 2014, while she was still the UFC Champion. Since then, Rousey moved on to WWE and appeared in a major role in the movie Mile 22.
DAN MARINO – ACE VENTURA (1994)
In 1994, Dan Marino was entering his 12th season as the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins. That season, they went 10-6 and made the playoffs. However, the same year that Marino threw for over 4,000 yards for the final time in his career, he was also in a movie.
The movie was Jim Carrey’s Ace Ventura, and it was Marino’s first time in an acting role. He played an over-the-top version of himself as Ace Ventura was investigating a stolen dolphin. Marino returned six years later in the Adam Sandler comedy Little Nicky where he tried to sell his soul to the devil for a Super Bowl ring.
MICHAEL JORDAN – SPACE JAM (1996)
1996 was a weird year for Michael Jordan. The greatest basketball player of his era retired prematurely from the NBA because he wanted to try his hand at baseball. He then went on to play for the Chicago White Sox’s minor league team. Then, he signed on to star in the Looney Tunes movie Space Jam, where he starred as himself.
However, while they were making Space Jam, which was about a retired Michael Jordan returning to play basketball to save Earth, he ended his retirement and returned to the NBA, causing the film to add a scene to show the change that happened mid-filming.
JASON LEE – MALLRATS (1995)
While it is common knowledge for his fans, many people might be surprised to learn that Jason Lee was a professional athlete when Kevin Smith signed him to appear in Mallrats as one of the lead characters. Lee was a skateboarder and one of the early skateboarders to have his own endorsement deal.
Since signing on with Smith to star in Mallrats, Lee became a regular working actor, appearing in several of Smith’s movies as well as the long-running TV show My Name is Earl.
SHAQUILLE O’NEAL – STEEL (1997)
In 1997, Shaquille O’Neal was in between his first and second season with the Los Angeles Lakers, and his move to Los Angeles paid off. While he had success with the Orlando Magic, his move to L.A. brought him three consecutive NBA Championships.
It also put him next to Hollywood, where Shaq wanted to be a movie star. He had already appeared in Blue Chips and Kazaam while in Orlando. However, his first movie in Los Angeles was the critical and commercial failure Steel, a DC Comics movie based in the Superman universe.
