While sports athletes are often associated with their heroic performances in their current professional competitions, they have also made incredible strides in the film industry which have included several marquee cameo appearances on the big screen in some of the top blockbusters that have ever been released.
Sports stars who are at the pinnacle of their profession are continuing to cross over to various different mediums in order to further promote their brand and improve their income of revenue through various different means that maybe much less physically exhausting than participating in sporting events.
These such endeavors have even included various appearances in the film industry as actors/actresses in some of Hollywood’s top releases, with cameo appearances being a particular hot commodity that a number of films aim to utilize.
From the most shocking of developments to sports stars basically playing themselves live on-screen, here are some of the very best cameos made by some of the biggest names in professional sports.
- Mike Tyson – The Hangover (2009):
One of the boxing world’s most feared and successful fighters has also proven to many why he should remain such an intimidating presence even when he’s outside the squared circle.
‘Iron’ Mike Tyson has made numerous appearances on the big screen over the years, however his most distinguished (and most hilarious) cameo came back in the 2009 comedy sensation ‘The Hangover’ where the former World Heavyweight Champion basically played himself and gave audiences one of the best scenes in the entire film.
Alongside a cast with plenty of decorated actors such as Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms, Tyson stole every scene that he was a part of with his best moment being his sing along to Phil Collins’ ‘In the Air tonight’ before knocking out Galifianakis’ character with that patterned Tyson punch after the ‘Wolfpack’ stole his pet tiger when they were deeply intoxicated the previous night.
- Hines Ward – The Dark Knight Rises (2012):
Similarly to the aforementioned Tyson, the legendary Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver Hines Ward played himself in one of the standout scenes of Christopher Nolan’s decorated Dark Knight trilogy series.
Much like his fellow Steelers superstar T.J. Watt, who could be a potential contender for this year’s Most Valuable Player award according to the latest NFL MVP odds on DraftKings, Hines Ward stole the show during his short cameo appearance on the big screen where he famously ran the whole length of a football stadium field while the turf was collapsing following a bomb detonation by the main antagonist Bane.
Ward showcased his incredible speed that made him a household name in Pittsburgh as well as the Steelers home stadium also being used as the backdrop for one of the most jaw-dropping moments of the entire series.
- Cam Neely – Dumb and Dumber (1994):
While Dan Marino’s appearance in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective certainly deserves an honorable mention, Boston Bruins great Cam Neely nailed his role as the top cameo in one of Jim Carrey’s many acclaimed comedic titles as he portrayed the intimidating truck driver ‘Sea Bass’.
His quarrel with Carrey (Lloyd Christmas) and co-star Jeff Daniels’ (Harry Dunne) two idiotic characters is one of the best points of the film as the feud starts with Harry throwing a full salt shaker at the unsuspecting truck driver whilst at a diner, with ‘Sea Bass’ then spitting on Dunne’s burger in retaliation before Christmas is able to trick the driver into paying for his full tab before fleeing the scene.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Airplane! (1980):
One of the most iconic sports star cameos on the big screen came during the 1980 comedy ‘Airplane!’ as basketball icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar takes the hotseat as co-pilot of the doomed flight with the former six-time NBA Champion playing himself in a bid to hide his identity under the name ‘Roger Murdock’.
Everything seems to be going to plan until an annoying child immediately recognizes the seven-foot Center for the Los Angeles Lakers and quickly questions Kareem over his lack of hustle during the ongoing NBA regular season before Kareem eventually loses his cool and tells the kid to back off.
While this scene may appear to be simple in execution compared to most other sport cameos that are witnessed today, this remains as one of the greatest cameos ever captured on the big screen for any noteworthy name involved, with this iconic scene paving the way for cameos in the future featuring many other top sports stars.
When it comes to other honorable mentions there are plenty of unexpected appearances from some of the top sporting talents that came as a huge surprise to the audience upon release:
These include Tom Brady’s role in Ted 2, Shaquille O’Neal in Good Burger, Serena Williams in Ocean’s 8 and finally the numerous athletes who have appeared in Trainwreck which include John Cena and LeBron James.
