Dennis Rodman, Julius Erving and more: 5 NBA players who went to Hollywood and failed miserably
NBA players are already some of the most followed people in the world and their influence is undeniable. From fashion and sneakers to cars and food, they can sell practically anything and impact millions of people, and most importantly, children, worldwide.
If film producers and directors cast NBA athletes for their projects, you can be sure that ticket sales will record a massive boost. Sports fans who weren't previously interested in the movie would now watch it because their favorite athlete would be starring in some role.
Hence, many NBA stars have appeared in either television or film over the years. Moreover, if a director wants someone to play a basketball player in a movie, who better to cast than stars from the biggest league in the world themselves?
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Which NBA players failed in their Hollywood ventures?
Watching NBA players on the television or movie screen is way more common now than it was earlier. The league's reach and popularity has grown over the years and players today have more influence than their predecessors. Certain iconic players still dabbled in Hollywood, even if the result was futile.
Most NBA players aren't professional actors and also don't have a lot of time to give to film shoots. An average-length movie cannot be shot in just the offseason. This means the player has to juggle practice, the strenuous regular season, constant travel between road games, and much more stress while shooting films.
It also takes a mental and physical toll on a person, and NBA athletes cannot afford to slack off when it comes to fitness and training.
Hence, we have seen more NBA players fail in Hollywood than succeed. Let's take a look at a few examples.
Note: This list is not ranked.
#1 Julius Erving
Julius Erving was "Michael Jordan" before Jordan arrived on the scene.
Erving was the most marketable and popular superstar in the league, and his dunks routinely made highlights. He has appeared in a bunch of movies and TV shows over the years, taking on everything from huge roles to cameos.
His presence on the screen is undeniably majestic and even a small scene from the Philadelphia 76ers legend makes a difference for a film.
Julius Erving's biggest project was a 1979 movie called "The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh" in which he played a character called Moses Guthrie. The movie was a massive disappointment at the box office and was slammed by fans and critics.
It has earned only a 5.2 rating (out of 10) on IMDb and a 40 score on Metacritic. The New York Times, The Washington Post and The New Yorker all gave it poor ratings.
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Erving's other Hollywood ventures haven't been too successful either. He appeared in six other TV shows, most notably in an episode of Doogie Howser MD. In half of those shows, he played himself.
He also featured in the 1993 film "Philadelphia" starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, in which he played himself again.
"Dr. J's" most recent appearance on the big screen was in Netflix's "Hustle" starring Adam Sandler and Robert Duvall. The movie featured several former and current NBA players such as Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, Trae Young, Kyle Lowry, Anthony Edwards and more.
#2 Metta World Peace
Metta World Peace has starred in his fair share of movies and TV shows and none have been blockbusters.
The lion's share of his appearances have been as himself and he rarely plays another role on screen. He did appear in an art film titled "9 Full Moons," which won the Agave Award at the Oaxaca Film Fest in Mexico. He had the miniscule role of a gallery owner in that movie.
Peace's most embarrassing production was arguably his appearance on Season 13 of "Dancing with the Stars" in 2011. He did the cha-cha and was eliminated in just one round after scoring the lowest points (14/30) among all contestants.
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Metta World Peace also created a documentary about his life called "Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story." Although it got decent reviews from the critics, it wasn't a big hit amongst most fans.
#3 Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving's first attempt at Hollywood wasn't a success. He had previously appeared in several commercials, but his 2018 debut titled "Uncle Drew" was quite underwhelming.
He doesn't have many credits to his name in the film industry and his lone act has given people the impression that he shouldn't try again.
Although it was a goofy comedic movie that you could watch to pass time, it wasn't well received by critics and fans. The film has a 5.2 rating on IMDb, 61% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 57 score on Metacritic.
The LA Times found some nice words to say about the production. But The Atlantic, Variety, The New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle all gave it subpar reviews.
#4 Wilt Chamberlain
![NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain (left) in the movie "Conan the Destroyer" [Source: IMDb]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/11/59fc1-16677491689055-1920.jpg)
Wilt Chamberlain has some untouchable records in the NBA and had a highly successful career. However, his Hollywood debut was such a disaster that he never went on screen again.
Other than commercials and interviews, the 'Big Dipper' largely stayed away from the camera. He final starred in the 1984 movie "Conan the Destroyer" alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and famous Frecnh wrestler Andre the Giant.
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The movie received abominable ratings from fans and the media. It has a 5.9 rating on IMDb, a 53 score on Metacritic and an abysmal 27% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Washington Post gave it a decent review but most publications, including The New York Times, Newsweek and IGN, advised fans not to watch it. In fact, The Miami Herald and The Globe and Mail wrote scathing reviews with the latter calling it a "dumb, ridiculous movie."
#5 Dennis Rodman
Of all the NBA stars on this list, Dennis Rodman's movies were arguably the biggest flops. They have received some of the worst ratings and yet the five-time champion doesn't shy away from the camera.
He has appeared on several TV shows and movies, mainly playing himself or a basketball-related role. His two major productions titled "Simon Sez" and "Double Team" were considered worthless.
As mentioned above, fans might watch subpar movies just because their favorite NBA players are in the production. So, the films on this list at least made money and got a return on their investment.
However, "Simon Sez" was so bad that it had a budget of $10 million and didn't even cross $300,000 in the box office.
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The movie got a ridiculous 2.6 rating on IMDb and an astonishing 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It received a score of just 16 on Metacritic and almost every critic gave it a horrible review. Publications like the New York Post, Variety, LA Weekly, and The LA Times called it "miserable," "a mess," and "lackluster."
Rodman's other major movie, "Double Team," was also on the same level. It has a 4.8 rating on IMDb and an 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Almost all notable publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, The Miami Herald and The Washington Post, gave it scathing reviews.