The NBA players recruited by Hollywood who never reached Oscar heights

In 2022, Juancho Hernangomez rose to film fame as the star of Adam Sandler’s ‘Hustle’. And in 2023, ‘AIR’ was released, the story about how Nike convinced Michael Jordan to sign. It was not the first time, nor will it be the last, that basketball is the protagonist of stories that Hollywood has brought to the big screen.

In the minds of all fans are films such as ‘Hoosiers’, ‘Space Jam’, ‘Blue Chips’, ‘Glory Road’, ‘Coach Carter’, ‘Uncle Drew’, ‘Air Bud’, ‘Eddie’, ‘White Men Can’t Jump’, ‘Basket Music’, ‘Teen Wolf’, ‘Win at Any Cost’, ‘Uncut Gems’, ‘Trainwreck’ or ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’. And there are many occasions when the mecca of cinema has recruited NBA players to star in its films, some basketball and some not, taking advantage of the fame of their protagonists.

Cameos… and leading roles

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Ray Allen, Michael Jordan, John Salley, Gheorge Muresan, Dennis Rodman, Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and even Juancho Hernangomez have been some of those who have been seduced by the siren songs of Hollywood. Some of them playing themselves in classic cameos, and others even playing leading roles.

The NBA players recruited by Hollywood who never reached Oscar heights

They have been the tallest actors in history, but they were never up to any award, and light years away from an Oscar. The one who did win the late Kobe Bryant for Best Animated Short Film in 2017 for ‘Dear Basketball’. On the day of the world’s most important film awards, let’s remember some of the NBA players who appeared in Hollywood movies:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: ‘Airplane’ (1980)

Role: Co-pilot Roger Murdock

Memorable scene: Joey, a boy invited into the cockpit, recognizes him as Kareem. After denying that he is the basketball star, Kareem responds to the story Joey tells his father about Abdul-Jabbar not going down to defend: “No way! Listen, kid, I’ve been hearing that crap since I was at UCLA. I’m out there busting my ass every night! Tell your old man to see if Walton and Lanier go down to defend for 48 minutes!”

Other movies: ‘BASEketball’, ‘Fletch’, ‘Game of Death’.

Wilt Chamberlain: ‘Conan the Destroyer’ (1984)

Role: Bombaata

Scene: Chamberlain played Conan’s (Arnold Schwarzenegger) companion and protector, who eventually betrays him. He also has a memorable fight with Grace Jones’ character.

Ray Allen: ‘He Got Game’ (1998)

Role: Jesus Shuttlesworth

Memorable scene: “I hate my name. What kind of name is Jesus anyway?” In the role of Denzel Washington’s character’s son, it was a rare moment of humor in a film that had memorable scenes of the two playing one-on-one and Shuttlesworth reading his father’s letter at the end of the film.

Another movie: ‘Harvard Man’.

Anfernee Hardaway: ‘Blue Chips’ (1994)

Role: Butch McRae

Hardaway was one of three freshmen (along with Shaquille O’Neal and former Indiana basketball player Matt Nover) that Western University coach Pete Bell (Nick Nolte) brings in through questionable means to boost his basketball program.

John Salley: ‘Bad Boys’ (1995)

Role: Fletcher

Fletcher, an incarcerated computer hacker, has a particularly funny exchange with Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) as they try to access locked files in the police database.

Other movies: ‘Bad Boys 2’, ‘Eddie’.

Michael Jordan: ‘Space Jam’ (1996)

Role: Himself.

“Okay, somebody steal the ball, give it to me and I’ll score before time runs out.”

Shaquille O’Neal: ‘Kazaam’ (1996)

Role: Kazaam

Other movies: ‘Blue Chips’ and ‘Grown Ups 2’

Dennis Rodman: ‘Double Team’ (1997)

Role: Yaz

“The last guy who made fun of my hair is still trying to get his head out of his ass.”

Other movies: ‘Eddie’, ‘Simon Sez’, ‘The Comebacks’.

Gheorghe Muresan: ‘My Giant’ (1998)

Role: Max Zamphirescu

Scene: Billy Crystal’s character accidentally runs into Muresan while traveling through Romania and wants to recruit him for the movies, something Muresan doesn’t understand: “They pay for this? How stupid!”

Tracy McGrady, Gary Payton, Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash: ‘Like Mike’ (2002)

Role: Themselves

Scene: Jason Kidd, talking to superstar kid Calvin Cambridge during an NBA game: “Calvin Cambridge, 25 points per game. Not tonight. You just have to go back to that sandbox you came out of.”

Rick Fox: ‘Meet the Browns’ (2008)

Role: Harry

Scene: “It means you have talent, but not enough. You need attitude and skill.”

Other films: ‘He Got Game’, ‘Dope’.

Kevin Durant: ‘Thunderstruck’ or ‘I Want to Be a Thunder’ (2012)

Role: Himself

Scene: “What’s the difference between Miami and Cleveland? It’s the same thing.”

Other movies: ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’

Kyrie Irving: ‘Uncle Drew’ (2018)

Role: Uncle Drew

Synopsis: “Uncle Drew,” who is actually NBA player Kyrie Irving characterized as an old man, was born in a Pepsi advertising campaign and became so popular that he ended up starring in his own movie, full of cameos from other legends such as Shaquille O’Neal, Nate Robinson, Reggie Miller, Chris Webber and the considered best player of all time Lisa Leslie.