Celebrity Wannabe Athletes Who Actually Got Game

Who knew Win Butler was good at basketball?

The following celebrities are "wannabes" in the sense that they're around sports a lot. Here, "wannabe" is used in a positive context, since these stars can actually play. 

Sure, a lot of Hollywood celebrities are fans or used to play sports in school. The following celebrities, however, actually have some skills and have used them recently. 

Just to be clear, most of these stars don't play at anything close to a professional level, but they are certainly above average, and some can even hold their own with the big boys. Think of it like this: LeBron James isn't going to win an Oscar anytime soon, but his Trainwreck performance proved he's a catch in the athlete cameo department.

These celebrities are like that. They're around the sports world quite a bit, and while they are not professional grade in terms of athletic ability, they aren't half bad, either. 

Kevin Hart

As a four-time NBA Celebrity All-Star Game MVP, actor/comedian Kevin Hart is pretty much a staple on the basketball scene. Still, who would have guessed five years ago that Hart could actually tie an NBA player in a three-point competition?

In the 2016 event, Hart wasn't an official player in the celebrity game but rather a coach for Team USA. Beforehand, he called out Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, and the two battled in an actual three-point contest over the weekend. 

It was clear, based on the ensuing skit, Green was supposed to wipe the floor with Hart. In a surprising turn of events, Hart actually tied the NBA star, 12-12.

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. is a big hockey fan, and apparently he's even more than that.

Per Miki Turner of Page 2, he said, "I picked up ice hockey about 10 years ago, and, being a celebrity, I've had the opportunity to play in celebrity games and in pick-up games in L.A. with Mario Lemieux, Luc Robitaille and a lot of the guys who play on the (L.A.) Kings."

Clearly, the practice has paid off. In 2014, Gooding scored during a Chicago Blackhawks intermission stunt and famously celebrated, Brandi Chastain-style.

Jason Sudeikis

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Actor and Saturday Night Live alumnus Jason Sudeikis has now played in multiple NBA Celebrity All-Star Games, but did anyone really see his epic 2016 performance coming?

The funnyman was on fire, putting up 14 points and inspiring tweets such as this from ESPN's Jeff Borzello: "Who knew Jason Sudeikis was secretly Manu Ginobili mixed with Toni Kukoc?"

As it turns out, Sudeikis has a history with basketball and even played at a community college in Kansas before that whole SNL thing panned out.

Jordin Sparks

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Singer Jordin Sparks is a noted sports fan and actually grew up in a football family. Her father, Phillippi Sparks, was an NFL defensive back for nine seasons. 

The American Idol champ told Amanda Rykoff of espnW she played sports as a kid. She said, "I played softball and basketball growing up. I really wanted to play football, but both parents said no. I was mad for a second, then got over it. Now, just because I'm tall doesn't mean I can play basketball. I was waaaaay better at swinging a bat."

Indeed. Sparks played in Major League Baseball's Celebrity Softball Game in 2011 and again in 2015 alongside Snoop, comedian Rob Riggle and rapper Macklemore. Twitter seemed to agree with her on-field chops. 

Michael B. Jordan

Creed actor Michael B. Jordan played a high school quarterback in Friday Night Lights, but football doesn't appear to be his only athletic talent.

Jordan first showed off his basketballs skills at the 2014 NBA Celebrity All-Star Game. At the time, Nate Scott of For the Win gave Jordan's performance an "A" grade and wrote he "has length, athleticism, and shares the name of the greatest basketball player of all time."

Speaking of the GOAT, here is Jordan is reenacting some famous Michael Jordan on-court moves, and check out this footage of his dirty crossover move captured by TMZ Sports.

2 Chainz

2 Chainz co-hosted a celebrity basketball game for charity with Snoop over NBA All-Star Weekend, and he helped coach a birthday game for Kanye West at the Staples Center. In addition to his presence around the game, the rapper is actually a skilled baller.

Dan Friedell of ESPN reported 2 Chainz, then known as Tauheed Epps, played Division I basketball at Alabama State.

Per Friedell, his high school coach, James Gwyn, said, "He was very deceptive and kind of had a unique style, because all you really saw was arms and legs. He had good ball control but looked a little unorthodox. He was sort of hard to get a hold of. He was like Reggie Lewis from Boston or Reggie Miller."

Justin Timberlake

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

Actor and musician Justin Timberlake is one of the best Hollywood golfers out there.

In fact, Matt Cochran of Pro Golf Now ranked him No. 5 on his list of the 30 best celebrity players. He is a regular at celebrity tournaments, most recently participating in February's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

A line in a Golf Magazine article about Timberlake read, "His six-handicap and celebrity status make him something of a modern-day Bing Crosby: a serious stick with mega drawing power."

For what it's worth, Lisa Furlong and Craig Bestrom of Golf Digest listed his handicap at 4.2.

Win Butler

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Though comedian Jason Sudeikis gave him a run for his money, Win Butler came up with the 2016 NBA Celebrity All-Star Game MVP.

The frontman for Arcade Fire helped lead Drake's Team Canada to victory with 14 points and 15 rebounds. That came after he put up eight points and 12 rebounds in the 2015 game and lost out on MVP honors to Kevin Hart.

According to Ananth Pandian of CBS Sports, Butler played in high school and hosts an annual basketball tournament for charity. Not bad. 

Snoop

Snoop is one of the biggest celebrity sports fans out there, and he is also a regular in celebrity games of all shapes and sizes.

In addition to coaching in his own youth football league, the rapper co-hosts a flag football game with NBA forward Matt Barnes and appeared at the Wounded Warrior Amputee game ahead of Super Bowl 50.

In 2014, he showed off his on-court skills at the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game, managing to block a shot, nail a three-pointer and, according to the Daily Mail, score 11 points and nab 11 rebounds.

The best celebrity game involving Snoop, however, was probably the 2015 MLB Celebrity Softball Game. He might not have been the best player on the field, but no one put forth more effort.

Here he is is going over the outfield wall in an attempt to catch a Vladimir Guerrero home run ball, and here he is evading a tag on the basepaths.

Justin Bieber

Pop star Justin Bieber is widely recognized as a big-time sports fan, but who knew he could actually play…multiple sports?

Bieber notched eight points and four assists in the 2011 NBA Celebrity All-Star Game, giving fans an early glimpse into his abilities. He was named MVP of the game, despite playing for the losing team. How very Jerry West of him.

As the years went on, however, Instagram posts began to make it clear that Biebs has some actual talent. His ball-handling isn't terrible, and he's got a qualified boxing trainer. This hockey post doesn't exactly paint a picture of modesty, but then again, it was a nice shot.