Ballers Ternt Actors: The 10 Best Actors In NBA History - Page 3

The NBA has been in existence since 1946 and as the league’s popularity grew, its players became bigger and bigger celebrities. One of the things that come with that territory is more media exposure, which often leads to endorsement deals and appearing in commercials. Naturally, this leads to some ballers catching the acting bug; appearing in episodic television and even film.

Several pro basketball players either began acting during their playing careers or made the transition into acting full time after they retired. Here’s a list of the 10 best actors that were NBA players. Please keep in mind that doesn’t necessarily mean that some of the players selected were good actors, merely good actors…for basketball players. Let’s go…

MORE ON HIP-HOP WIRED!

• The Afro Struggle aka A Timeline Of What In Thee F-ck Is Up With Andrew Bynum’s Hair? [PHOTOS]

• Meek Mill Clowns Cassidy On Twitter; Dismisses Rap Battle [PHOTOS]

• Wired 25: Nobody’s Perfect – The 25 Biggest Fails From Rap Superstars

• In Their Falsetto: The Struggle-Voiced Singers That Hip-Hop Can’t Do Without [PHOTOS]

• 15 Things Beyoncé Wants You To Know Based On Her Tumblr & Instagram Shots [PHOTOS]

• Rihanna Opens Up For GQ Magazine, Talks Drake/Chris Brown Fight [PHOTOS]

• Beyoncé Posts Flicks From Her Birthday On Tumblr [PHOTOS]

• The Many Struggle Faces Of FOX News aka We Can’t Believe Obama Actually Won [PHOTOS]

—

Photo: FameFlyNet

10. Allan Houston (Black And White) & Darius Miles (The Perfect Score) (tie)

You might be thinking to yourself why is Allan Houston on this list? He was terrible in Black And White! Here’s the thing. Compared to other basketball players thrust in front of the camera with little training ( Marques Johnson? Alex English? Anfernee Hardaway? Patrick Ewing? Reggie Theus? Kobe Bryant? I’m looking at all of you) he was serviceable and filled his role. Considering what a clusterf-ck Black And White was, he wasn’t even the worst actor in it.

Darius Miles was a natural in front of the camera and had a personality the media gravitated to. He ended up being cast in a film alongside several young up and coming Hollywood actors and he held his own. Was he good? No, but he wasn’t absolutely horrible.

9.  Jamaal Wilkes (Cornbread, Earl & Me)

A young Jamaal Wilkes portrayed Cornbread, a college bound basketball star that gets struck down by police before he could realize his dreams and reach his potential. Audiences suspended belief and bought into Wilkes being Cornbread so when a young Laurence Fishburne walked through the streets after Cornbread’s death scene…Wait. Is this a spoiler alert? The movie came out in 1975!

8. Ray Allen (He Got Game & Harvard Man)

Ray Allen was cast in the Spike Lee film He Got Game and he did a serviceable job playing off an ensemble cast featuring a gang of veteran actors. He was noticeably better in his role in James Toback’s 2001 film Harvard Man. Oddly enough, James Toback is the same man who cast Allan Houston in Black And White. Ray Allen’s last acting job was when he pretended to be a Celtic for years before instead opting to join the Miami Heat after they offered him a deal for less money and fewer years.

7. Shaquille O’Neal (Blue Chips, Kazaam & Steel)

Shaquille O’Neal gets the reputation of being a bad actor. I know a bad actor when I see one and Shaq isn’t as terrible an actor as everyone thinks he is. In reality, Shaquille O’Neal has usually been in horrible films thus muddying our perception of his acting ability. The best movie Shaquille O’Neal ever had a major role in was Blue Chips. Let that fact marinate for a moment. Moving on…

6. Malik Sealy (Eddie)

The late Malik Sealy was actually a pretty good actor. His role in the craptacular Eddie was one of its bright spots. Malik also had some episodic television appearances on Diagnosis Murder and The Sentinel. He had a promising acting career waiting for him after his retirement before he died in a car crash in 2000.

5. Julius “Dr. J” Erving (The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh)

The 1979 film The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh featured a great deal of NBA players in it, at the center was Julius Erving in the role of Moses Guthrie. Doc was such a natural that I actually forgot that Moses Guthrie wasn’t a real person. He was even good in those old Crest commercials back in the days.

4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Game Of Death & Airplane)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was used to being the center of attention and having cameras on him from a young age much like Wilt Chamberlain. Difference is that Kareem was a much better actor due to his natural gift at public speaking he honed during his years at UCLA. Abdul-Jabbar did a little filmwork but his acting ability is more evident when you look at his extensive work in episodic television.

3. John Salley (Bad Boys, Eddie, Bad Boys II, Black Dynamite & Confessions Of A Shopaholic)

John Salley was always a charismatic player and a natural in front of the camera as was evident from his early days as a player. He became a TV host, stand up comedian and reliable actor. He’s built up enough of a resume between episodic network shows, cable television and Hollywood films to pay the bills strictly as an actor. There’s currently only one former player that gets more work than him and is a better actor.

2. Rick Fox (Eddie, He Got Game, Holes & Meet The Browns)

Rick Fox is another former player that was a natural in front of the camera that’s been able to get roles, take his craft seriously and improve to the point where he can earn a living as a working actor. Rick Fox’s film roles may seem underwhelming but his real acting came during stints on Oz, 1-800-Missing, One Tree  Hill, Dirt, The Game & Single Ladies.

1. Chuck Connors (Old Yeller, The Big Country, Geronimo, The Hired Gun, The Proud & The Damned, Soylent Green, etc.)

Chuck Connors was a former center for the Boston Celtics who once shattered a backboard shooting a set shot. He quit playing NBA basketball in order to pursue an acting career and ended up doing a great deal of excellent westerns and action films. He’s best known for his roles on the TV shows ‘Gunsmoke”, “Branded” and “The Rifleman”. He was a fairly good actor as well, although the #2 pick Rick Fox does have slightly more range than he showed over his long and distinguished career. You can’t argue against a man who acted in so many iconic roles in both film and television.