Basketball players, once they have been drafted, begin to look at other outlets for making money and becoming a household name. Many favorite NBA legends have dipped their toes into the film industry, and some have even become producers.
Movies filled with NBA Stars
One of the most authentic basketball movies is “He Got Game” directed by Spike Lee. This movie stars Ray Allen and Denzel Washington. Allen plays a basketball player who is convicted of murder. Not only is the star of the movie a Hall of Famer but other players like; George Karl, Shaquille O’Neal, Reggie Miller, Scottie Pippen, and more are featured.
Basketball movies can also be fun, family classics, like “Space Jam” the 1996 movie that made over $250 million in box office sales. “Space Jam” centers around Michael Jordan helping The Looney Tunes win a basketball game. Joe Pytka, the director, said in an interview that Jordan always rose to the occasion and overall is a gifted human being. Pytka and Jordan would even play one-on-one during breaks on set. Besides Jordan, other NBA stars were asked to play themselves. Just a few include Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, and Patrick Ewing. In an interview, Charles Barkley mentions that “Space Jam” is
“arguably the greatest sports movie ever.”
In 2021 they made a sequel called “Space Jam, A New Legacy” starring Lebron James who even worked as a producer on set. The movie made over $70 million in box office sales.
Another genre of movies that basketball players have a place in is romantic comedy. “Forget Paris” is a Billy Crystal production where he plays an NBA referee who falls in love. This rom-com features NBA stars like; Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Reggie Miller, and much more.
Most Popular NBA Actors
One of the most popular NBA stars seen on TV and in film is Shaquille O’Neal, who has been in at least 21 movies and 55 TV programs. According to Rotten Tomatoes, his highest-rated movie is the 2014 movie “The Lego Movie” where Shaq plays himself in Lego form. However, Shaq’s lowest-rated movie is one of his first films “Kazaam” where Shaq stars as a genie. Shaq has mentioned in many interviews that he only did “Kazaam” for the $7 million offered to him. Shaq also noted that it only took them 30 days to film and overall it was a bad movie.
In an Instagram post, Shaq states that his favorite movie to be in since “Kazaam” was the 2018 comedy “Uncle Drew.” Shaq also told an interviewer that in the movie “Freddy Got Fingered” he had a love scene with the director’s mother. Shaq said it all worked out and
“Once you go Shaq you never go back.”
Another NBA Hall of Fame star who made an impact in the media is Charles Barkley. Barkley has won 4 Emmys for outstanding sports personality as well as being in at least 5 movies and at least 35 different TV programs. He has appearances in hit TV shows like “The Goldbergs,” “Modern Family,” “The Simpsons,” and “Saturday Night Live.” Stephen Colbert interviewed Barkley and asked him about his favorite and least favorite sports movies. Barkley comments on “Kazaam” saying it is
“Arguably the worst sports acting job of all time.”
Michael Jordan and Lebron James may be the most influential basketball players known to history and that is no different in the film industry. Jordan starring in “Space Jam” a now cult classic that has spread to all profitable industries like clothing and video games. Then James is not only an actor but an executive producer for at least 15 movies. “Who is Stan Smith?” and “Say Hey, Willie Mays!” are just two of his movies and they both received a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In 2020 Lebron James and Maverick Carter created an entertainment production company known as The Springhill Company.
It is more than a normal path for basketball stars to act in movies or TV shows. It is even more common for them to be sports talk show hosts once they retire from basketball. However, it may be these basketball stars do not like to give up the limelight.
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