13 Athlete Acting Cameos That Didn't Suck

LeBron James has what we'll call an extended cameo in the upcoming film Trainwreck, and based on the trailer, he may actually have some acting chops.

This is not meant to be offensive toward any athletes whose cameos weren't incredible. Obviously, they can't be expected to be supremely talented at two things (sports and acting) when most people don't even approach their level of skill at one. So, while it's always fun to see athletes in television shows and movies, the level of acting isn't generally Oscar-worthy.

The following 13 athletes made TV or film cameos and actually performed rather well. Keep in mind that these aren't people who had a major role—just a guest appearance. So we're not talking Ray Allen in He Got Game or Michael Jordan in Space Jam.

We will talk about Cam Nelly in Dumb and Dumber, however, and reveal the most impressive athlete cameo on Seinfeld. All cameos will be ranked according to athlete acting skills on a scale of 1-10, with all of them coming in at five or higher because you know, they didn't suck.

Honorable Mention: Hines Ward in 'The Dark Knight Rises'

This gets an honorable mention because there was really no acting involved, but Hines Ward was part of an epic scene in The Dark Knight Rises. It did not suck.

Bill Buckner on 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'

Bill Buckner may have made one of the most famous errors in MLB history, but that's not all he should be remembered for.

In addition to a long baseball career, he isn't half bad as an actor. He appeared on a 2011 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. He saves a baby from a fire and accompanies Larry David to a minyan, where he is predictably chastised for the aforementioned error.

Buckner's acting skills aren't breathtaking or anything, but his cameo definitely didn't suck.

Acting skills: 5

Kevin McHale on 'Cheers'

Ted Danson played Sam Malone, a former baseball player, on Cheers. So it makes sense that some athlete cameos happened. Wade Boggs' appearance was OK, but Kevin McHale was actually pretty funny.

McHale, a basketball Hall of Famer and career Boston Celtic, appeared on the episode "Where Have All the Floorboards Gone?" in 1991. He did a great job, telling all the guys about Larry Bird, guest bartending and joking around about Bill Laimbeer. 

Acting skills: 5.5

Ronda Rousey in 'Entourage'

A whole mess of athletes appeared in the Entourage movie, and Ronda Rousey's cameo stood out as one of the better ones. Rousey agrees to go on a date with Turtle if he can last 30 seconds in the ring with her. You can imagine how that played out.

Acting skills: 6

Antonio Gates in 'The League'

A lot of athletes have appeared on The League. Katie Aselton, who plays Jenny MacArthur on the show, said J.J. Watt got increasingly better as he continued to cameo. However, Antonio Gates might have had the most impressive acting skills of any NFL guest star.  

Rodney Ruxin, played by Nick Kroll, meets Gates by chance at a spa, and Ruxin lets him have it for ruining his fantasy week with a huge point total. Gates rebuffs Ruxin's verbal assault with perfect coolness and sarcasm. The cast and creators of The League later raved about Gates' performance to Larry King.

Acting skills: 6.5

Ian Laperriere in 'This Is 40'

Four then-members of the Philadelphia Flyers appeared briefly in This Is 40, alongside Leslie Mann and Megan Fox. Ian Laperriere, Matt Carle, Scott Hartnell and James van Riemsdyk meet the girls in a bar one night. Laperriere is particularly impressive with the fake-teeth bit and totally believable as a guy going along with the flirtations of women in a bar.  

Acting skills: 7

Roger Clemens in 'Kingpin'

Warning: Video contains NSFW language.

Roger Clemens made a brief appearance in the 1996 bowling film Kingpin as a bruiser named Skidmark. It was actually a lot better than you might expect. Clemens' job was basically just to get up in Ishmael's (Randy Quaid's) face, and he nailed it. Best line: "What are you trying to say, you want me to dance?"

Acting skills: 7

Paul O'Neill in 'Seinfeld'

Several big-time athletes appeared on Seinfeld over the years—Keith Hernandez and Derek Jeter, for instance. However, Paul O'Neill's 1995 cameo remains one of the best, proving the former New York Yankees outfielder has some decent acting skills.

Series staple Kramer, played by Michael Richards, promised a sick child that O'Neill would hit two home runs in one game, and needless to say, O'Neill wasn't thrilled about it.

Acting skills: 7

Tom Brady in 'Entourage'

Warning: Video contains NSFW language.

Tom Brady has made several memorable cameos—Entourage, Entourage the movie, Ted 2 and Family Guy. According to ESPNBoston.com, Ted 2 star Mark Wahlberg talked about Brady's performance on Bill Simmons' B.S. Report: "He plays himself, but he does an amazing job. Funny, funny moment."

One of Brady's best cameos, however, was the golf scene in a Season 6 episode of Entourage. Wahlberg was in this one too. Brady buddies up to Turtle and ends up inviting him over to his house, saying Gisele will cook. Classic.

Acting skills: 7.5

Chris Bosh on 'Parks and Rec'

When Roy Hibbert and Detlef Schrempf showed up on Parks and Recreation, those were pretty much your average athlete cameos. However, something about Chris Bosh's appearance on the Eagleton basketball team was just magical.

Bosh only delivered one line, but he did it so perfectly, trash-talking a young high school kid about the French horn. Hilarious. 

Acting skills: 8

Green Bay Packers in 'Pitch Perfect 2'

You can see five Green Bay Packers sing "Bootylicious" in Pitch Perfect 2. That's right. Clay Matthews, David Bakhtiari, Josh Sitton, T.J. Lang and Don Barclay play a rival singing group, and apparently it was their idea to be in the movie.

According to Mike Spofford of Packers.com, Lang said, "A lot of determination by Dave to set the whole thing up—determination-slash-desperation, because he was at it quite a bit trying to get a hold of the producers to get us in the movie. Shockingly, they actually let us in after all his desperate tweets and phone calls and emails. It was fun."

The guys did great, with Matthews in particular appearing to relish the role, as he really got into it.

Acting skills: 8

LeBron James in 'Trainwreck'

LeBron James' 2009 cameo in Entourage was just meh, but he looks legitimately funny in the trailer for Judd Apatow's new movie, Trainwreck. Granted, James appears to have more of an actual supporting role than just a cameo, but we'll call it an "extended cameo" and let it slide.

People will have to wait until the film is released in the U.S. on July 17 to find out how good he is for sure, but expectations are high.

A shout-out goes to John Cena, whose Mark Wahlberg line in the trailer is delivered perfectly.

Acting skills: 8.5

John McEnroe in 'Mr. Deeds'

Tennis legend John McEnroe appeared in the 2002 Adam Sandler film, Mr. Deeds. He plays a caricature of himself, the "original bad boy of tennis," as described in the movie, and takes Deeds out for a crazy night on the town. If viewers didn't know who McEnroe was, it's totally feasible they might think he was an actor playing a tennis player. 

Acting skills: 9.5

Cam Neely in 'Dumb and Dumber'

Remember in Dumb and Dumber when Harry (Jeff Daniels) hits Sea Bass (Cam Neely) with a salt shaker?

Neely played in the NHL from 1983 to 1996, but most non-hockey fans probably had no idea Sea Bass wasn't played by an actor. Neely crushed his brief role as an intimidating, flannel-clad diner bro in the 1994 comedy. His rage was totally authentic—probably one of the best athlete cameos ever.  

Acting skills: 10