Top 5 NBA players with famous lookalikes featuring Enes Kanter-Freddie Mercury, and more
The NBA and the world of entertainment regularly collaborate and even mix in. Players often date celebrities, while some have even ended up marrying them.
There have also been times when a player has brought his talents to the screen. The world saw LeBron James take center stage in "Space Jam: A New Legacy." Michael Jordan himself introduced the original Looney Tunes movie back in 1996.
Juancho Hernangomez recently brought Bo Cruz to life in a sports/drama movie called "Hustle."
And yet there have also been times when a player hilariously catches the limelight simply because of uncanny similarities with a celebrity. Sometimes the resemblance is so close that the obvious has to be stated.
#5 Kyle Korver and Ashton Kutcher
Kyle Korver is another NBA sharpshooter who closely resembles a celebrity. During his 16-year NBA career, it’s not surprising to hear fans call the combo guard/forward Ashton Kutcher with muscles.
Even without the Kutcher comparisons, Korver was already an established name and face in the pro basketball game. He led the league in three-point shooting efficiency five times.
Korver had his best shooting display during the 2009-10 season with the Utah Jazz when he averaged a jaw-dropping 53.6% from deep. It's a single-season record that stands to this day.
The quiet and unassuming Korver will likely not test his acting mettle anytime soon after his retirement. Kutcher, on the other hand, isn’t beyond making a spectacle of himself playing basketball.
#4 Kent Bazemore and Chance The Rapper
Kent Bazemore is a journeyman who has already played for five NBA teams in his 10-year career. He has earned a living by playing as part of a supporting cast to some of the greatest players in league history.
Sometimes, only diehard basketball fans will recognize his name and identify which team he plays for.
Bazemore’s uncanny resemblance to Chance The Rapper, however, has made him surprisingly more recognizable than his NBA career dictates.
Chancelor Johnathan Bennett, better known as Chance The Rapper, is a Grammy winner who is far more famous than Bazemore.
The shooting guard played 39 games for the LA Lakers last season and 67 games before that with the Golden State Warriors. He was often called Chance The Rapper by courtside fans.
#3 JJ Redick and Adam Levine
JJ Redick was one of the NBA’s most dangerous threats from the perimeter. In his 15-year career, he shot a sizzling 41.5% from beyond the arc. Wherever he played, he was always a crucial piece of the rotation because of his outstanding ability to make threes.
In the six cities where he played, it became apparent that he had a celebrity lookalike by the way fans ogled and teased him. Redick’s likeness to another famous singer, Adam Levine, is just shocking.
The Maroon 5 frontman is only 5’9 but his facial similarities to JJ Redick are simply unmistakable. Redick’s arm sleeve, which has become an object of interest to fans, was often highlighted in some NBA games due to the Levine connection.
The former Duke Blue Devil reportedly had it tattooed because of his admiration for the Grammy winner.
#2 Steven Adams and Jason Momoa
To look at the face of Jason Momoa is to gaze into the eyes of “The Aquaman,” the god of the seas. It’s also just about the same as looking into the face of Memphis Grizzlies big man Steven Adams.
In the case between Momoa and Adams, it’s not just the face that’s eerily similar. They are also somewhat carved from the same stone.
In many of Momoa's films, he’s the muscle-bound hero that saves damsels in distress or even the entire world for that matter. Steven Adams does a little of that too in the NBA.
The Kiwi is arguably the strongest player in the NBA, one who opposing players would rather stay away from. Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler was so impressed by Adams’ strength that he hilariously told the media he feared for his life when they bumped.
Fans on social media see and celebrate the likeliness to the point where many have referred to Steven Adams as “The Aquaman.”
#1 Enes Kanter Freedom and Freddie Mercury
Enes Kanter Freedom and the late Freddie Mercury could not have lived more different lives and yet they could be linked forever. The NBA big man’s uncanny resemblance to the legendary Queen singer isn’t lost on anyone who follows basketball and entertainment.
On social media, fans have even called them twins who were separated at birth. Kanter Freedom, however, is huge, as opposed to the diminutive Mercury.
“Enes the Menace” can only hope his NBA career is as successful as Freddie Mercury’s iconic status in entertainment history. Lately, the former Houston Rockets big man has been grabbing headlines for his human rights advocacy.
He recently caused a media storm when he called out Michael Jordan, LeBron James and other athletes in relation to controversies in China.