Which NBA Players Would Make the Best Actors

This will probably come as a surprise to no one but there are more than a few current NBA players who would make for some great actors.

Considering all of the flopping that's been going around the league as of late, some would say that the NBA is already full of actors. But, in all seriousness, there are a few players around the league that could or should appear on-screen in the future (including some who already have).

There aren't many professional athletes who have parlayed their athletic careers into successful acting careers but, for various reasons, the next few guys should try to do just that.

Chris Paul

Chris Paul is one of the best point guards in the NBA but his future prospects as an on-screen star are even better.

Here’s the thing—Chris Paul flops a lot.

His infamous “ref flop” (which everyone has seen by now) was probably the worst of them. It’s pretty much the moment that everyone realized how out of hand flopping was getting in the NBA. But it’s also the moment that Paul demonstrated his impeccable acting skills.

Take a look at that flop again. It’s perfect.

When most players flop, they pause for a second beforehand like they have to remember how to crumple into a heap. But Paul reacts the second that he feels contact. There’s no hesitation. It’s like his body has become conditioned to flop.

At this point, there’s probably no one in the world better at pretending to get hit than Chris Paul. And that’s why he would make the perfect action star.

To be frank, there are a lot of Hollywood stars that aren’t great at selling contact. Paul wouldn’t be one of them. He’s had years of training.

Just picture something like Rush Hour 5, starring Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker and Chris Paul. It sounds like destiny.

Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan is known for a lot of things—his refined post play, his leadership, his four championships, the list goes on.

But Duncan also gets recognition for the crazy, over-the-top reactions he has anytime that he gets called for a foul. That skill would make him a tremendous actor.

Ideally, Tim would be on some kind of soap opera. Just imagine him shooting his female co-star one of these looks when she reveals to him that he’s actually the father of her baby. It would be magnificent.

Not only would Tim be roughly 20 times better at acting than most soap stars, but the vast height difference between him and his fellow stars would make for some incredible television. This has to happen.

Kyle Korver

Including Kyle Korver on this list is kind of cheating because he already is an accomplished actor.

As everyone knows, “Kyle Korver” is actually just a codename for Ashton Kutcher. “Korver” has already starred in delightful programs such as That 70’s Show and, more recently, Two and a Half Men.

How Kutcher/Korver has time to hit three-pointers for the Atlanta Hawks and hone his acting chops remains a mystery, but it sure is impressive.

What isn’t so impressive is the fact that Kutcher thought that he could pull a fast one over America without even wearing a disguise. This isn’t Punk’d, Ashton. We’re all on to you.

Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard definitely wouldn’t be suited for any kind of heart-wrenching, dramatic roles, but he could absolutely knock a comedy role out of the park.

Despite all the drama that surrounded his Orlando exit, Howard is, by most accounts, a fun and funny guy. He’d be great in a comedy.

Dwight also has two things going in his favor in terms of a potential acting career:

First, he’s already expressed a lot of interest in movie and television appearances. In 2010, he told ESPN’s Sam Alipour

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Whatever I can do, I'll do it. I love acting.

"

There’s also the whole “Shaquille O’Neal connection” to consider. A lot has been made about Dwight copying Shaq. It started with Dwight's “Superman” nickname, and his move from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers only intensified the chatter.

At this point, Dwight might as well take this thing full-circle and make a sequel to Shaq’s 1996 film, Kazaam.

Not only is Dwight a genuinely funny guy, he also has the motivation and opportunity to become an actor. This seems like a no-brainer.

(For those of you who didn’t see Kazaam, here’s a sneak peek. Yes, Shaq plays a rapping genie. And yes, you should go see it. Right now. Seriously, stop reading this and go see Kazaam. It’s a life-changer.)

Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett’s acting experience mainly consists of an uncredited appearance in the 1994 film Blue Chips and a role as Wilt Chamberlain in the 1996 TV movie Rebound: The Legend of Earl “The Goat” Manigault (which is a must-see for obvious reasons).

That’s it. It’s unbelievable. Hollywood has thus far made a huge mistake by not giving KG a bigger role in the motion picture industry. Kevin Garnett would make a great movie villain.

Not only is Garnett the most hated player in the NBA, he’s also quite possibly the most intense man in the history of the universe.

Can’t you just picture Garnett staring down James Bond across a poker table? Or getting up over and over again no matter what he is hit with? (Seriously, how scary is that picture?)

The fact that KG isn’t already haunting the dreams of small children everywhere is a travesty. The guy’s already an on-court villain. It’s time to go one step further and make him into an on-screen villain.

Brian Scalabrine

Okay, technically Brian Scalabrine isn’t an active NBA player anymore. But his potential impact as an actor is too great to leave him off of this list.

Honestly, this one is financially motivated.

There isn’t anything in particular to indicate that Scalabrine would make for a great actor. Obviously he could be, it’s just an unknown at this point. Regardless, Scal would be a huge box-office success if he ever went into film.

People love Brian Scalabrine. They call him the “White Mamba” and make signs and crazy highlight videos for him. They chant his name until he gets put into games and go nuts when he scores. Heck, the guy gets MVP chants on the road.

So if Scalabrine decided to appear in a movie, you can bet that every single NBA fan would go see it. In fact, it would probably require multiple viewings.

It doesn’t even matter what kind of movie it is. Scalabrine could star in one of those instructional safety videos that they show on airplanes and NBA fans would go see it in droves. That’s the power of Scal.

Ray Allen

Ray Allen is another obvious choice, mostly because he’s already been in a legitimately good movie.

In 1998, Allen starred in Spike Lee’s He Got Game—a sports-drama that also featured Denzel Washington.

Allen played the role of Jesus Shuttlesworth, the top-ranked high school basketball prospect in the nation and the son of prison inmate Jake Shuttlesworth (Washington).

Famed movie critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago-Sun Times wrote about Allen’s performance, saying:

"

Ray Allen, who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks, is that rarity, an athlete who can act.

"

Anyone who can act alongside Denzel and not look like a total fool has serious acting chops. Going beyond that, Allen’s one-on-one game with Washington is a genuinely great sports movie scene.

(Warning: He Got Game contains language and profanity that may be offensive to some readers.)

Allen has some real talent as an actor and hopefully it’s something he considers after his NBA career finally comes to an end.