Top 15 Athletes to Make Movie Cameos

The 15 Best Movie Cameos By Athletes

People love movies and sports. Watching a film on the big screen and taking in a game on the couch are two of America's favorite pastimes. So when you combine both worlds, sometimes magic happens.

A lot of times when athletes make cameos in movies, it's random. When you don't see it coming, it makes the scene even that much more enjoyable. But other times, you need the athlete to appear to make the scene complete. For the most part, though, athlete cameos catch us by surprise.

Sometimes because we love the athletes so much, we overlook the fact that they're terrible at acting. One profession doesn't necessarily translate to the other. A few of the athletes on this list are naturally charismatic and made for the big screen, while others, not so much. But just being able to see a sports legend on the big screen is enough sometimes.

Cameos are perfect for people that got famous doing something other than acting. Anyone can memorize a few lines or be themselves for few takes. Some of these athletes didn't have to do too much acting to play their part, while others completely transformed themselves for these roles. A few of these characters and cameos have even reached legendary status in the world of pop culture.

So it's with all that in mind that we'll take a look at the 15 best athlete-movie cameos of all time:

**Please be advised that some of the clips contain profanity.**

Larry Bird - Space Jam

Larry Bird made an appearance in Space Jam during this golf scene with Michael Jordan and Bill Murray. "You clowns can't beat that. That's the best shot I ever hit."

Lance Armstrong - Dodgeball

At the time, this scene had a lot more merit.

Mike Ditka - Kicking and Screaming

"Did you just kick your son?" This movie is loaded is loaded with classic Ditka moments.

Lawrence Taylor - The Waterboy

This movie was made before LT's tell-all interview on 60 minutes, which makes his classic line even that much better. "Gentlemen, which brings me to my next point - don't smoke crack."

Derek Jeter - The Other Guys

Mark Wahlberg accidentally shoots one of the greatest Yankees of all time in this classic athlete-movie cameo.

Wilt Chamberlain - Conan the Destroyer

Wilt the Stilt is known for being the greatest big man in the history of the NBA, but did you know he fought Arnold back in 1984?

Roger Clemens - Kingpin

Roger Clemens was another athlete the Farrelly Brothers called upon for a cameo. This is a funny scene from the underrated movie Kingpin.

Brett Favre - There's Something About Mary

Favre isn't much of an actor, but he did have a great one-liner in There's Something About Mary. The full clip wasn't available, so here it is: Matt Dillon - "what the h*** is Brett Favre doing here?" Favre: "I'm in town to play the Dolphins ya dumb***."

Lee Trevino - Happy Gilmore

"Grizzly Adams did have a beard." Also, for all you Modern Family fans, that's a much younger Julie Bowen as Virginia Venit.

John McEnroe - Mr. Deeds

Adam Sandler and the most outspoken tennis player of all time combined to make this classic scene from Mr. Deeds.

Reggie Jackson - BASEketball

Mr. October meets the creator of South Park in this hilarious scene from BASEketball.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Airplane!

Check out Kareem as co-pilot Roger Murdock in this classic scene from the movie Airplane!.

Dan Marino - Ace Ventura

Dan Marino was on point during his scenes in Ace Ventura. "Hey Ace, you got any more of that gum?"

Cam Neely - Dumb and Dumber

Neely is known amongst hockey fans from his days with the Canucks and Bruins, but now he's a pop culture legend for playing the role of Sea Bass in Dumb and Dumber.

Mike Tyson - The Hangover

Iron Mike sings a Phil Collins' song in the scene that stole the show in The Hangover.