NBA players usually have a packed schedule during the regular season. But in the off-season, players have a lot of time to kill. Some players opt to stay away from basketball by traveling to different places. On the other hand, there are a handful of players who hold basketball camps for kids. However, there are also some players who try their hand at acting. For this piece, let’s take a look at 12 NBA players who also became actors.

Shaquille O’Neal

While Shaq has dominated the NBA hardwood, he also has a great personality. In fact, aside from having a decorated basketball resume, O’Neal has also been credited in several films. He appeared in basketball films such as Blue Chips, and Uncle Drew. Furthermore, he has also taken on roles in other films such as Grown Ups 2, Blended, Kazaam, When In Rome, and many more.

Ray Allen

Ray Allen has broken the hearts of Lakers and Spurs fans in the NBA. But before that, Allen starred in the basketball film called He Got Game by Spike Lee alongside Denzel Washington. In arguably his best movie role, Allen makes Jesus Shuttlesworth come to life. Jake, portrayed by Washington, tries to convince his son, Jesus, to play basketball for Big State.

Boban Marjanovic

Boban Marjanovic possesses an imposing height of over seven feet. Because of this, there’s no question that he fit the role as one of John Wick’s adversaries in John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum. Marjanovic engaged in a fight scene against Keanu Reeves, who plays John Wick, at the New York Public Library. As we all know, John Wick prevailed over the giant obstacle.

Darius Miles

Darius Miles was a promising player. However, injuries and a handful of off-court issues hampered his NBA career. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop him from being an actor. Miles appeared in the film, The Perfect Score, alongside eventual Avengers stars Chris Evans and Scarlett Johanssen. In the film, Miles portrayed a teenage basketball player who took part in the cheating scheme by a group of high school students to get into their dream schools.

Blake Griffin

During his peak, Blake Griffin electrified stadiums with his poster dunks. Although he hasn’t been doing that as of late, Griffin has tried his hand at acting by appearing in the film called The Female Brain in 2017. Moreover, he also lent his voice as PAL MAX for the animated hit, The Mitchells vs the Machines.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

While Kareem Abdul-Jabbar always handled business whenever he was on the basketball hardwood, Kareem is also capable of putting together a comedic act. The NBA’s top scorer portrayed a pilot in the parody film, Airplane! The film saw Kareem deliver one of the most iconic scenes in the movie. He also appeared in films such as Game of Death and Glass Onion.

Wilt Chamberlain

During his NBA days, Wilt Chamberlain was dominant and imposing at the same time. In fact, he’s the only player to ever score 100 points in a single game. With an imposing frame and stature, Chamberlain portrayed the role of Bombaata in Conan the Destroyer which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Kyrie Irving

Given his out-of-this-world ball-handling skills and a partnership with Pepsi, Kyrie Irving starred in the film called Uncle Drew. Portraying an old basketball player trying to get his old team back together, Irving’s dribbling abilities were on full display as they took on a younger basketball team in classic streetball fashion.

Michael Jordan

Given that Michael Jordan is the GOAT of basketball, there’s no surprise that he starred in a basketball movie. As the leader of the original Toon squad, Jordan starred in the first edition of Space Jam. The film saw Jordan lead the cast of Looney Tunes characters to victory.

Kevin Durant

As one of the best scorers in the NBA, it’s only fitting that he played a big role in the film Thunderstruck. The fictional film featured a high school basketball player who magically switched talents with KD, who portrayed himself. This turned him into a dominant basketball player but left KD struggling on the NBA hardwood.

Juancho Hernangomez

In a basketball film that starred Adam Sandler, the real-life Spanish sensation Juancho Hernangomez portrayed a European basketball player being recruited by a scout (Stanley Sugerman played by Adam Sandler) to play in the NBA. While Hernangomez easily translated his NBA skills into the big screens, the drama and passion for the game made it a must-watch for basketball fanatics.

LeBron James

Arguably the best basketball player in the world, it’s no surprise that LeBron James eventually made his way into Hollywood. James starred in the second installment of Space Jam, Space Jam: A New Legacy, which only fuels James’ case in the GOAT conversation against Michael Jordan. Like Jordan, James tried to lead a team composed of Looney Tune characters after his son was sucked into a different world. Aside from Space Jam, James was also one of the wee-known personalities that appeared in the hit comedy movie, Trainwreck.