Athletes and Olympians Turned Movie and TV Stars: LeBron James, Serena Williams, and More

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Athletes and Olympians Turned Movie and TV Stars: LeBron James, Serena Williams, and More

Going for the gold — and this time it’s not medals! Several sports stars have Oscar or Emmy in their sights after making the switch to acting.

Some of the greatest athletes of all time, a.k.a. the GOATs, such as former NBA pro Michael Jordan and tennis icon Serena Williams, have tried their hand at movies and TV. Often, these competitors play fictionalized versions of themselves.

LeBron James has played “LeBron James” on the big screen not once, but twice. In his film debut in the 2015 film Trainwreck, the Los Angeles Laker held his own against his hilarious costars Amy Schumer and Saturday Night Live alum Bill Hader, playing a frugal version of himself — and did so without a single acting lesson.

“[LeBron’s] been in front of the cameras since he was 18,” James’ business manager and childhood friend Maverick Carter told The Hollywood Reporter in July 2015. “He’s very comfortable in front of the camera. He didn’t need an acting coach.”

Since these sportsmen and women are used to the spotlight it seems only natural that they could seamlessly find success in front of the camera.

Retired gymnast McKayla Maroney vaulted her way into a television career with an appearance on Hart of Dixie in 2012. Rachel Bilson gushed over the gold medalist’s performance, telling Entertainment Tonight at the time, “I thought McKayla did an awesome job. She's a natural.”

Fellow Olympian and downhill skier Lindsey Vonn made her acting debut in 2010 on one of her favorite shows, Law & Order, after creator Dick Wolf found out she was a fan.

Vonn joked that her character “was a lot more fun to play than a corpse,” when talking to the New York Daily News that same year.

"When we were doing the takes, I couldn't stop smiling!” she added. “All the other actors were able to joke around between takes and then as soon as they called 'Action!' were serious, and I was still smiling and really excited. I don't know if I did a great job."

Nearly a decade later, the most decorated female skier in U.S. history revealed that she had been consulting with former wrestler turned box office star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson about her next move as a performer.

“He’s one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met,” Vonn told Yahoo in 2019. “I feel really lucky that he’s taken me under his wing … I’m learning. I want to learn as much as I can. Maybe acting is something I can do, maybe not. I just want to get all the information, and who better to get the information from than The Rock?”

She added, “I don’t know if I’d actually be good at acting [but] I am somewhat athletic, so I feel like I could punch a guy out.”

Keep scrolling to see the athletes who have made the move to acting:

Credit: Shutterstock (3)

Athletes and Olympians Turned Movie and TV Stars: LeBron James, Serena Williams, and More

Going for the gold — and this time it’s not medals! Several sports stars have Oscar or Emmy in their sights after making the switch to acting.

Some of the greatest athletes of all time, a.k.a. the GOATs, such as former NBA pro Michael Jordan and tennis icon Serena Williams, have tried their hand at movies and TV. Often, these competitors play fictionalized versions of themselves.

LeBron James has played “LeBron James” on the big screen not once, but twice. In his film debut in the 2015 film Trainwreck, the Los Angeles Laker held his own against his hilarious costars Amy Schumer and Saturday Night Live alum Bill Hader, playing a frugal version of himself — and did so without a single acting lesson.

“[LeBron’s] been in front of the cameras since he was 18,” James’ business manager and childhood friend Maverick Carter told The Hollywood Reporter in July 2015. “He’s very comfortable in front of the camera. He didn’t need an acting coach.”

Since these sportsmen and women are used to the spotlight it seems only natural that they could seamlessly find success in front of the camera.

Retired gymnast McKayla Maroney vaulted her way into a television career with an appearance on Hart of Dixie in 2012. Rachel Bilson gushed over the gold medalist’s performance, telling Entertainment Tonight at the time, “I thought McKayla did an awesome job. She's a natural.”

Fellow Olympian and downhill skier Lindsey Vonn made her acting debut in 2010 on one of her favorite shows, Law & Order, after creator Dick Wolf found out she was a fan.

Vonn joked that her character “was a lot more fun to play than a corpse,” when talking to the New York Daily News that same year.

"When we were doing the takes, I couldn't stop smiling!” she added. “All the other actors were able to joke around between takes and then as soon as they called 'Action!' were serious, and I was still smiling and really excited. I don't know if I did a great job."

Nearly a decade later, the most decorated female skier in U.S. history revealed that she had been consulting with former wrestler turned box office star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson about her next move as a performer.

“He’s one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met,” Vonn told Yahoo in 2019. “I feel really lucky that he’s taken me under his wing … I’m learning. I want to learn as much as I can. Maybe acting is something I can do, maybe not. I just want to get all the information, and who better to get the information from than The Rock?”

She added, “I don’t know if I’d actually be good at acting [but] I am somewhat athletic, so I feel like I could punch a guy out.”

Keep scrolling to see the athletes who have made the move to acting:

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LeBron James: ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’

The Los Angeles Laker starred in the sequel to the 1996 film. In his version, he’s forced to team up with Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes to save his son from the super online villain Al-G Rhythm (Don Cheadle).

The NBA pro also played a fictionalized version of himself in the 2015 rom-com Trainwreck.

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McKayla Maroney: ‘Hart of Dixie’

She played "Tonya" on six episodes of the CW series between 2012 and 2015. She has also made cameos on Superstore and Bones. The Olympian brought back her "unimpressed" face for a 2021 Geico commercial. 

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Serena Williams: ‘Drop Dead Diva’

The tennis star played a high-powered attorney on the Lifetime dramedy in 2012. In the year prior, she racked up appearances on ER, My Wife and Kids and Law & Order: SVU.

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Caitlyn Jenner: 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians'

The track and field athlete, who took home the gold in the decathlon during the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics, appeared on the E! reality show, which ran from 2007 to 2021. Caitlyn also starred in her own reality show, I Am Cait, from 2015 to 2016.

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Michael Jordan: ‘Space Jam’

The former Chicago Bull made his acting debut alongside Bugs Bunny in the 1996 animated movie.

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Hope Solo: 'Dancing with the Stars'

With the help of her pro partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, the goalkeeper, who played with Team USA's women's soccer team from 2000 to 2016, shimmied her way to fourth place during the hit ABC dance competition show's 13th season.

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Shaquille O’Neal: ‘Kazaam’

The former basketball player has some pretty impressive credits to his name including starring roles in 1994's Blue Chips, 1996's Kazaam, 1997's Steel and 1998's He Got Game. He has also appeared in a whole slew of Adam Sandler movies including Grown-Ups 2, Blended and Hubie Halloween. 

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Steven Lopez: 'The Choice'

Alongside eligible Hollywood bachelors Rob Kardashian, Finesse Mitchell and Rob Gronkowski, the taekwondo champ sought out love on Fox's new dating show during a July 2012 episode. Fun fact: Lopez was tapped by ABC producers to be their next Bachelor in 2004, but he declined the role.

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Nastia Liukin: 'Gossip Girl'

Following the gymnast's major win at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics where she took home the Individual All-Around gold, the Russian-born athlete made a cameo during "It's a Wonderful Lie" on the CW teen drama, where she shared a scene with actors Ed Westwick (Chuck Bass) and Leighton Meester (Blair Waldorf).

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Evan Lysacek: 'Dancing with the Stars'

The champion figure skater didn't waste any time after taking home the gold during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. Swapping his ice skates for dancing shoes, he sashayed his way to the DTWS top with pro Anna Trebunskaya during the show's 10th season, which premiered just weeks after the Winter Games wrapped. Together, they came in second place behind Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough.

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Summer Sanders: 'Figure It Out'

The two-time Olympic gold medalist was a huge star at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics, and her active TV career following proved that Hollywood saw her as more than a star swimmer.

In addition to hosting the Nickelodeon game show from 1997 through 1999, she had a cameo in Jerry Maguire, worked as a cohost for several networks including ESPN and MTV, and competed on the third season of Celebrity Apprentice.

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Shaun White: 'Friends With Benefits'

The champion snowboarder who has two Olympic gold medals under his belt plus two video games, made his Hollywood debut in the 2011 rom-com starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis rom-com. He played himself.

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Michael Phelps: 'Saturday Night Live'

The NBC late-night sketch comedy kicked off its 34th season with Phelps, who brought home eight gold medals in swimming at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. The most decorated Olympian appeared in sketches like "McSwimmy," a parody of Grey's Anatomy, and a spoof on his reported 12,000 calorie diet.

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Shawn Johnson: 'Secret Life of the American Teenager'

The pint-sized gymnast, who nabbed the gold for the Balance Beam event at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, appeared in two episodes of Shailene Woodley's ABC Family teen drama in 2008 and 2010. She also won the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars.

Credit: Eric Liebowitz/NBC

Lindsey Vonn: 'Law & Order'

In 2010, the same year she took home the gold medal for downhill skiing at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, the Law & Order fan saw her dreams come true when she was made a guest star during the series' finale titled, "Rubber Room."