The NBA and WWE have had various crossovers in the past. Famously, the WWE even had a few weeks-long sketches about the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers.
That was back in 2009, and since then, many NBA players have featured in WWE events. Quite infamously, Lonzo and Lamelo Ball featured with their father, LaVar, and it did not go too well. However, most NBA appearances go well. Thus, it can be imagined that some NBA players could have a future in the organization. One team full of entertaining characters is definitely the aforementioned Lakers.
Here are two Lakers players who would make great WWE Superstars.
Lakers' potential WWE Superstars
One player who just screams WWE is definitely the King, LeBron James. The Lakers superstar has absolutely everything he needs to be a superstar in the WWE. He is charismatic, athletic, entertaining and a huge name even before going into wrestling. Many would line up for days to buy WWE tickets just to see the King perform in the ring. His global outreach would also help, as the organization has been trying hard to build an audience outside the U.S.
James is one of the most popular players in the history of the game and he earned that by being incredibly charismatic outside of the court. He played the role of villain during his Miami Heat stint, the hero back in Cleveland and is teetering on both roles while a part of the Lakers. He does not hold back when speaking, on and off the court, and his words seem to capture attention regardless of where he is or what he is doing.
The second huge part of his appeal to the wrestling business is how he acts off the court. The Lakers forward is very entertaining. His antics on social media, before NBA games and during All-Star Weekend events gather the attention of many around the world. On the court, he is all business, except for moments of trash talk, but off the court, the King can be incredibly engaging and that would be a great transition into the entertainment business of wrestling.
It's also important to mention that James has also done a lot of things outside of basketball. Famously or infamously, depending on who you ask, he has done the Space Jam sequel, a few other movies and appeared in many other shows and TV series. The Lakers veteran could easily make the transition into WWE and absolutely dominate, as he has done on the NBA court for the past 19 years.
This was a very tough choice, as the Lakers roster is truly full of some great characters. It was really between Jordan, Dwight Howard and Russell Westbrook. While Jordan was ultimately the choice, Westbrook and Howard definitely deserve honorable mentions. Westbrook likes to draw attention to himself and is not afraid to speak. Howard would be, similar to Jordan, sort of a friendly giant, a player that could potentially be hated amongst the WWE fanbase, but would continue being the face rather than a villain.
However, Jordan is the best choice for a few reasons. Just like Howard, he is a very imposing figure. He stands at 6'11”, 265 pounds, which envisions him as a Big Show-esque figure in the WWE. The Lakers center would be able to use his size to dominate opponents in the WWE, pairing that up with immense charisma and general likeability. Jordan has tons of hilarious reactions on the court in his NBA career, and generally embraces the fun part of being on an NBA roster.
He also has experience in front of the camera. Outside of his NBA career and before his Lakers stint, Jordan featured in State Farm commercials next to Kevin Love, Damian Lillard, Kevin Garnett and Chris Paul. He earned general praise for his performances as the “mother” of the Paul household, playing that role perfectly.
As WWE is as much acting as anything else, all signs suggest that Jordan would make a smooth transition. His NBA career seems to be drawing to a close anyway, so appearing in professional wrestling might be a viable option.
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