NBA players have been crossing over to WWE, AEW, and WCW for years
It's NBA All-Star weekend, and the basketball gods are smiling. Somewhere, young WWE fans are likely to watch, wanting to grow up to one day play in The League. Meanwhile, the guys who are already on the court are probably wishing that they were in pro wrestling.
Well, maybe not all of them. But a healthy portion of pro basketballers are huge wrestling fans, and several have gotten involved with WWE, WCW, and AEW over the years.
Although professional wrestling is referred to as sports entertainment, it's also an athletic endeavor. In so many ways, your average grappler can be considered a serious athlete, considering they never get an off-season, have to constantly work out and 'practice their craft' while dealing with constant aches and pains.
NBA players go through a long and grinding schedule as well. Perhaps that's why so many of them respect the stars of WWE and AEW today. This may also be why they like to get involved in the squared circle from time to time.
Last year saw hoops icon Shaquille O'Neal, one of the greatest big men of all time, hop into the ring to team with rookie Jade Cargill against Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet. Cargill is a former Jacksonville University hoopster. And while Shaq isn't exactly Bret Hart in the ring, he can hold his own because of his size, strength, and natural athletic ability.
Shaq must be a huge fan of the grappling game, as he has now appeared in not just AEW but WWE and WCW prior to that. Much like he played for several teams in the NBA, he's pretty much covered it all in terms of wrestling.
Important Sports Fact ™️
@Shaq has now been in the ring for three different wrestling promotions:
WCW in 1994
WWE in 2016
AEW in 2021
@cagesideseats https://t.co/s0mNDrX3U9
Probably the most famous cameos made by NBA players in pro wrestling occurred at WCW Bash at the Beach 1998 when the Chicago Bulls' Dennis Rodman would team up with Hollywood Hulk Hogan to take on their rivals, Diamond Dallas Page and the Utah Jazz's Karl Malone.
Rodman was at the height of his popularity at the time, and it didn't hurt that his and Malone's teams faced each other in the NBA Finals that year. Both The Worm and The Mailman looked great in this match and pulled off moves no one could have expected.
Recently, India's first-ever NBA draft pick, Satnam Singh, chose to leave basketball to pursue a career with All Elite Wrestling. It's only been a few months, so it will be interesting to see if he has any impact with AEW.
WWE RAW featured a controversial roundball crossover in 2017
There have also been constant celebrity sightings of NBA players sitting in the front row of wrestling events. The funny thing is, you never know when one might hop over the rail and become part of an angle.
Or they could just be there to watch the show. Either way, it's always pretty cool when mainstream sports stars acknowledge the professional wrestling industry.
Prior to last night's #AEWRampage, #AEW GM @TonyKhan presented an #AEW World Championship Belt to Finals MVP @Giannis_An34 of the @NBA Champion Milwaukee @Bucks
#AEWRampage airs Fridays at 10/9c on @tntdrama https://t.co/dFhOkfFoHg
However, there have been some flops in between all the basketball and bodyslams. The unfortunate appearance of the Ball family on RAW comes to mind immediately.
In 2017, Lavar Ball and two of his sons were guests on Miz TV when son LaMelo happened to drop a culturally inappropriate word that went out on the live broadcast. That, coupled with the elder Ball going wildly off-script and taking his shirt off, led the family to be asked by WWE officials to kindly leave the building and not come back.
Still, the crossover between the NBA and companies like AEW, WWE, and WCW have been — for the most part — a lot of fun. They've meant a lot of mainstream exposure for pro wrestlers and a chance for NBA players to fulfill a dream that they normally never would have gotten to.
So, enjoy WWE Elimination Chamber on Saturday and the NBA All-Star game on Sunday. This weekend is going to be FAN-tastic!
What has been the best performance by a basketball player who crossed over and did some pro wrestling? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.