Best in-Game Dancers in Sports Right Now

If dancing was just about spontaneously moving your body and limbs around in a way that feels choreographed—without freaking people out—it would be tough to do well, but less mortifying an experience.

However, dancing is most often a public spectacle, and whether you're a 13-year-old trying to work up the nerve to do it at your first school dance or a middle-aged guy at a friend's wedding, it takes a special kind of cool to successfully handle the physical and emotional demands. 

Athletes may be more physically gifted, but when they dance during a game, they're doing it for a much larger audience. And while a major dance fail may just haunt your memory, an athlete faces the very real prospect of it haunting SportsCenter and YouTube in perpetuity.

So those men and women in sports who have the cojones to dance—and do it so well that it makes the rest of us that much less cool—are a special brand of awesome.

These are the best in-game dancers in sports right now.

(Warning: Some of the following links and videos contain NSFW language and content.)

Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers

Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving isn’t dancing on the same level as seasoned teammate LeBron James yet but if he keeps practicing, he might be able to challenge the King’s in-game grooves.

Which will have to be good enough, because we all know he’s not going to challenge him as an all-time great. That’s no offense to young Mr. Irving! He’s a great young talent, but he’s never going to be mentioned in the Michael Jordan conversation.

Having long since mastered his Cleveland intro dance and the Dougie, Irving has moved on to different challenges—like dance battles with school children and moving like it matters, all alone in his living room.

New Zealand National Basketball Team

In September 2014, Team USA faced off against New Zealand during the FIBA Basketball World Cup. During warm-ups, those crafty Kiwis busted out a traditional haka dance. Considering the entire team participated, it was an impressively elaborate performance.

The Americans stood across from them throughout, looking equal parts “amused and intrigued,” that per ABC News. All that dancing, grunting and stomping didn’t help New Zealand in the end. Team USA won the game 98-71.

J.J. Watt, Houston Texans

The hulking dance moves of Texans defensive end J.J. Watt would probably not make any "best of" lists if they were coming courtesy of anyone not named J.J. Watt.

There's just something about the NFL's reigning Defensive Player of the Year—he's got a way of elevating pretty much everything. Watt's Verizon commercial got more play last fall in prime time than any one team.

Serena Williams, Tennis

American tennis great Serena Williams is known to occasionally celebrate big wins with an impromptu dance on the court. Some dances are more provocative than others! And others are downright scandalous.

Williams wins an awful lot, so she’s given this opportunity on a fairly regular basis. Most recently, it was at the Australian Open in January, where she, once again, defeated longtime foe Maria Sharapova.

She’s obviously doing something right, because these days Williams has some dance partners in very high places. In March 2013, she and First Lady Michelle Obama appeared together in a exercise dance video for kids.

Ric Flair, WWE

WWE legend Ric Flair had a career in wrestling that spanned decades, the peak of which came in the late '80s/early '90s. And there was no better time for the epic swagger of Flair, a colorful character who managed to stand out in an ocean of colorful characters.

Seriously, Ric Flair had such excessive amounts of swagger that it inspired a song, "Swagger Like Ric Flair." With his platinum blonde mullet and bejeweled robes, this guy had no shortage of moves that dazzled in and out of the ring.

These days, the 66-year-old is still doing his thing with the WWE, but in roles adapted to better suit his advancing age. Of course, that doesn’t mean Flair has lost his swagger. In February, he joined the Fox Sports crew at a Grizzlies game for a Wrestling Night promotion, and there Flair proved some stars never fade.

Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants

Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. had a lot to dance about in 2014. His rookie season in New York was so exceptional that it was absolutely no surprise that he earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors upon its conclusion.

When Beckham scored the first touchdown of his career last October, he was ready with a signature dance. Now known as "The Whip," it’s an entertaining “offshoot of the 'Nae Nae,'” that per the man himself.

Beckham can’t stop…he won’t stop. Expect a lot more moves to be busted in end zones for years to come.

The Left Shark

Though the reviews were largely positive, Katy Perry didn’t prove herself to be much of a dancer during her halftime show at Super Bowl XLIX in February. Thankfully, she brought in reinforcements like Missy Elliott and, of course, those (now) world-famous sharks to back her up.

The sharks’ existence alone was fantastic, but it was the Left Shark, seemingly lost in a sea of uninspired choreography, who truly stole the show. Who knows how precisely their movements were supposed to be in the first place, but the Right Shark’s sharp and confident movements are a stark contrast to its counterpart.

Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots

When it comes to dancing, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is lacking in things like rhythm and finesse—the typical sorts of traits and talents that good dancers possess.

Not that it matters. Gronk has plenty of other things going for him that he doesn’t spend much time sweating the small stuff. Whatever he lacks in technique, he more than makes up for in confidence and enthusiasm. Gronk is a great dancer because he always looks like he’s having more fun than everyone else in the room (or on the field).

This guy will dance anywhere—like twerking and thrusting wildly while riding a duck boat through the streets of Boston. Anytime—he famously spent the entire night on the dance floor after New England lost the Super Bowl in 2012. And with anyone—Gronk had a dance battle with Pats owner Robert Kraft after winning the Super Bowl in 2015.

Michelle Jenneke, Australian Hurdler

Australian hurdler Michelle Jenneke first became an international sensation during the 2012 Junior World Championships in Barcelona. Prior to her race, she was seen mugging for the cameras, flashing a friendly smile during her pre-race warm-ups at the starting line.

Up and down and side to side, Jenneke enthusiastically hopped, her perky ponytail mimicking her every move. It didn’t take long for the video to make its way to YouTube, where it quickly became a viral sensation. To date, the original video has amassed just short of 27 million views.

And she certainly hasn’t shied away from her signature move in the years since—the above video is from the semifinals of the 100-meter hurdles at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games last August. Jenneke bounced her way into the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue in January 2013.

Rick Waits and Tom Wilhelmsen, Seattle Mariners

Like so many others on this list, Mariners pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen and pitching coach Rick Waits probably don’t have what it takes to compete on Dancing With The Stars.

Their format is just too rigid—some people make magic when coloring outside the lines. Although, it's rare to create this much magic, and in preseason too!

Michael Bennett, Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett has developed a signature "sexy" sack dance, giving all of us thrills every other game or so, on average. So inexplicably and undeniably sexy is Bennett’s move that it has single-handedly increased population in the Emerald City during his two-year tenure with the team.

His exact words: “Most important sack dance in history, because I helped the baby boom in Seattle.” That per Seattle beat writer John Boyle, who tweeted out that gem last December. But it’s hard to imagine the boom didn’t take a little hit after Bennett brought Dan Le Batard’s dad in on the act.

Gael Monfils and Laurent Lokoli, Tennis

In May 2014, French tennis players Gael Monfils and Laurent Lokoli took the classic clay court together during the French Open Kids’ Day. Having left their rackets behind, it immediately became clear they were about to compete in something entirely different.

Yeah, that’s right—a good, old-fashioned dance battle. Lokoli gets things started with some peppy bebopping, but Monfils grabs the reins from him early and never lets go. The best Lokoli really has to offer is some solid pop-and-lock/robot stuff. Monfils is on an entirely different level.

Still, though, they both have skills.

Oklahoma City Thunder Bench

It’s been largely an up-and-down season for the Thunder, but after struggling mightily early on, OKC finally got their groove back in February, finishing 9-3 on the month.

While it’s no secret the Thunder have plenty of players with some slick moves, bench players really stepped up their dancing game during what was, at one point, a seven-game win streak.

SB Nation’s James Dator said OKC has the best bench dancing in the NBA, and I’m inclined to agree. We’ll see if Russell Westbrook can keep up the magic, giving his teammates a reason to keep up the entertaining gyrations.

Kate Hansen, U.S. Olympic Luge

Luge isn’t considered a real glamor event at the Winter Olympics, particularly in the U.S., where medals are few and far between. American Kate Hansen didn’t place in the actual event at Sochi, but her pre-race warm-up was certainly worthy of a gold, all on its own.

Various videos of her dancing to Beyonce were posted to YouTube during the Games, generating plenty of headlines and racking up hundreds of thousands of views. For Hansen, dancing like nobody is watching is a lifestyle.

Side note! She’s obviously great at dancing, but Hansen is also a quite accomplished prankster too. She was the athlete that conspired with Jimmy Kimmel on his wolf in the Sochi dorms hoax video that went viral.

Bo Ryan, University of Wisconsin

Wisconsin basketball coach Bo Ryan is not someone most people would look at and assume he was much of a dancer. Maybe not when he was young, but certainly not now, as a man just three years shy of his 70^th birthday.

And that’s exactly why that thing about not judging a book by its cover is so legit. Not only can Ryan dance, it’s clear he loves to dance. He’s been tearing it up since 2007 (at least!), when this Soulja Boy gem was forever gifted to the internet.

Ryan has been dancing ever since. You can Google it. It’s worth a Google.

Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers

Dodgers slugger Yasiel Puig has got the moves on and off the field. He is often seen dancing in the Los Angeles dugout during games. Often he just puts a little show on all by himself, but on special occasions he’ll pull in a teammate for an impromptu tango.

Puig’s in-game groovin’ is great, but nothing compares to what went down in the locker room after the Dodgers clinched the NL West in September 2013. After setting the tone with a brief, but intense, stare, Puig busted out one of the best worms you will ever see.

LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

Cavaliers superstar LeBron James can play—at this point we’ve got over a decade’s worth of evidence to prove that point, well beyond the shadow of a doubt.

The man can also dance—he may be the King, but he’s a slave to the groove! This video is almost five minutes long, which isn’t nearly long enough.

Shout-Out to the WORST: Dick Vitale, ESPN

ESPN’s Dick Vitale is 75 years old, so you have to give the guy credit for the endless heaps of energy he’s still bringing after all these years. Of course, he remains one of the more polarizing figures in the sports media, so surely there will be an excessive amount of people who angrily and aggressively refuse to give the guy credit for anything.

Although, whether you appreciate Vitale’s style and enthusiasm or loathe his very existence, the one thing we can all come together on is his dancing. Dick Vitale is a terrible dancer—that "Carlton" meets the "Twist" move he’s got going just isn’t working. That being said, obviously this isn’t the first time a guy has done something stupid to get the attention of a cheerleader.