Sometimes forcefully and sometimes unwittingly, these former (and occasionally current) NBA players subjected themselves to eventful roles in the realm of reality television.
1) Dennis Rodman, "Celebrity Apprentice"
Well known for his predilection for media attention beyond basketball even during his career, Rodman was a perfect fit for the reality TV bubble as it expanded in the late '00s. He had already been an author, TV and film actor, talk show host, and professional wrestler by the time he first appeared in a reality series in 2004. It was a celebrity edition of the game show "The Mole," and Rodman actually took home the $222,000 prize as the winner. ABC soon cancelled the show despite its relative popularity, almost as if handing out that much money to Rodman was just too much to bear. Rodman made later appearances on the British shows "Love Island" and "Big Brother," but his famous and fortuitous reality experience was on "Celebrity Apprentice." It was a spin-off of "The Apprentice," Donald Trump's vanity project where would-be business moguls compete in various public relations challenges to vie for a job running one of Trump's subsidiaries. Rodman wasn't the first athlete to appear in a celebrity edition of the show, but he was the first (and ultimately only) basketball player. Playing for CASA, an organization that supports neglected and abused children, Rodman seemed low-key and focused for the first few episodes but things went off the rails when he was named "project manager" for a challenge involving running the Regency hotel. Spotted throughout the episode palming a vodka-and-cranberry, Rodman became increasingly erratic and unreliable, making lewd comments to guests, ditching his teammates, and eventually passing out drunk in the hotel lobby. He was subsequently fired by Trump but returned to an "All-Star" edition of the show several years when he was eliminated for misspelling Melania Trump's name in an ad campaign he created for her skin care line. Though his "Celebrity Apprentice" career was far from successful, Rodman did leverage it into a longtime friendship with Trump, whom he endorsed for president in 2016 and they have supposedly (according to Rodman) worked together on diplomacy efforts with North Korea.
2) Cliff Robinson, "Survivor"
3) Scot Pollard, "Survivor"
Though it resisted the urge for many years, the long-running CBS reality game show "Survivor" eventually succumbed to the draw of accepting celebrity contestants, albeit in subtle ways. It started in 2008, when a casting call for an NFL spouse led to an appearance by Eddie George's wife, Tamara, who was a celebrity in her own right as a member of the R&B group SWV. Eddie himself made a brief cameo visiting Tamara on the island and the allure of competition and adventure naturally attracted pro athletes to eventually compete. NFL coach Jimmy Johnson and former MLB All-Star Jeff Kent joined the show in subsequent years, with Robinson, a former Sixth Man of the Year winner for the Trail Blazers, eventually becoming the first NBA player on "Survivor" in 2013. He was part of a "brawn" themed tribe (they competed against "brains" and "beauty" themed teams) and opted to reveal early on to his tribe mates that he was a former pro baller (Kent had attempted to remain incognito during his appearance but was eventually recognized). With the other contestants sensing early on that his gregarious personality and athletic abilities rendered him a threat, Robinson was voted out early in the show's run and left the Philippines island of Cagayan well short of earning the million dollar prize. Three years later, "Survivor" opted to revive the "brains vs. brawn vs. beauty" format, and this time it was Pollard joining the "brawn" team. Befitting his reputation in basketball as a bench energy infuser, Pollard brought a more aggressive strategy to his island (in Cambodia) adventure than Robinson and managed to finish in eighth place out of 18 contestants. Both players would later reflect on the experience as being much more challenging than they expected, with Robinson even calling it more stressful and difficult than NBA playoff games.
4) Shaquille O'Neal, "Shaq Vs."
Television and Shaq have always been a natural mix, so it came as no surprise that he had created his own show just as his basketball career was winding down in 2009. "Created" is a term being used loosely here, as O'Neal was soon accused of stealing the concept of "Shaq Vs." from former Suns teammate Steve Nash and author Todd Gallagher (both men eventually appeared in the show's credits as producers). Regardless of where the inspiration came from, the show's approach was clever. Every week O'Neal challenged a different star athlete to a contest within their realm, with Shaq's opponent having some form of handicap to render things fair. The show would then follow O'Neal in his preparation training sessions and culminate in the competition (Shaq and the opponent also took time during the episode to volunteer time and money for various non-profit organizations). The first season aired on ABC in the summer of 2009 and featured Shaq challenging: Albert Pujols to a home run derby (O'Neal got a shorter outfield wall), Misty May and Kerry Walsh to a beach volleyball match (O'Neal partnered with Olympic gold medalist Todd Rogers), and Michael Phelps to a swimming race (O'Neal swam a shorter distance). Though O'Neal lost in all five challenges (he came closest to winning in a flag football game against Ben Roethlisberger) and the show wasn't much of a critical or ratings success, "Shaq Vs." did receive a renewal in the summer of 2010. Re-tooled to try and shake things up, the second season added in some gimmicky non-sports competitions (cooking contest vs. Rachael Ray, magic contest vs. Penn and Teller, etc.) and focused more heavily on including some of Shaq's celebrity friends (including Justin Bieber, Charles Barkley, and Jimmy Kimmel). After the show was cancelled, O'Neal played one more NBA season in '10-'11 before retiring and joining the "Inside the NBA" studio crew on TNT.
5) Kris Humphries, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians"
6) Tristan Thompson, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians"
7) Lamar Odom, "Khloe & Lamar"
Wives or girlfriends of famous athletes becoming tabloid fodder is far from a recent development, but the rise of reality TV culture has severely exacerbated the phenomenon. At the epicenter of this milieu, especially in the NBA world, is the Kardashian clan. "Keeping up with the Kardashians" premiered on the E! network in 2007, quickly turning psuedo-reality socialite preening into its own cottage industry. At first, the family patriarch Bruce Jenner (now Catelyn) was the only athlete involved, but the Kardashian sisters soon lured several NBA players into their orbit. The most notable was likely Humphries, who joined the series in 2011 as he started dating the most famous sister, Kim. The couple were married within a year in a ceremony that was not only broadcast on TV, but as a two-parter complete with an interstitial cliff hanger. Even the most imprudent of Kardashian family defenders had to implicitly understand that the wedding was an elaborate publicity stunt between two calculating attention seekers. Sure enough, Kardashian filed for divorce within a month of the nuptials airing on TV, kicking off a messy legal battle that was finalized in 2013, after Humphries put up career high numbers for the Nets in '11-'12. However nasty things got for Humphries in the spotlight, it paled in comparison to Thompson's saga in 2017 and 2018. Just a couple months after Thompson made his debut on the show as the new boyfriend of third daughter Khloe, the couple announced that they were expecting a baby. Their daughter was born in April of 2018 in the aftermath of leaked evidence showing Thompson cheating on Kardashian during a road trip with the Cavs while she was pregnant. The couple remained together but Kardashian finally called things in early 2019 when it was revealed that Thompson had cheated again, this time with a Kardashian family friend. Long before Thompson, Khloe had made a go with it with a different NBA star, Odom. That couple got their own spin-off show, "Khloe & Lamar," which highlighted, amongst the usual frivolities, Odom's attempts to reunite with his estranged biological father. The series lasted for two seasons and the marriage lasted four years, with Kardashian filing for divorce in 2013 amidst rumors that Odom was abusing drugs and alcohol.
8) JaVale McGee, "Mom's Got Game"
Many NBA players have followed in the footsteps of their basketball-playing fathers, but McGee is one of the few with a star mother. Pamela McGee was part of back-to-back title teams at USC in 1983 and 1984, where she was a star teammate of Cheryl Miller. She later won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics and after playing professionally all across Europe for other a decade, she was the second overall pick of the inaugural WNBA Draft in 1997, at age 34. Just a couple years after McGee was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, she was approached by the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) to star in a TV show. When the series, "Mom's Got Game," debuted in January of 2014, Javale was struggling with the Nuggets and about to undergo surgery that would cost him almost an entire season. Though the younger McGee was the more well known name, mom was the star of the show as it focused on her efforts to manage Javale's career while also reconnecting with his biological father. It's telling that the show was originally titled "Millionaire Mama's Boy," as so much of it focused on Pamela's day-to-day micromanaging of her then 26-year-old ostensibly adult son.
9) Clyde Drexler, "Dancing with the Stars"
10) Rick Fox, "Dancing with the Stars"
11) Metta World Peace, "Dancing with the Stars"
12) Derek Fisher, "Dancing with the Stars"
While "Dancing with the Stars," ABC's amateur dance competition ratings juggernaut, has typically struggled to attract A-list contestants from the film, TV, or music circuits, it's always managed to land big-name athletes. Naturally drawn to competition, and lacking the self-aware need for meticulous branding that marks Hollywood's biggest stars, major (mostly retired) athletes have been a huge draw for the series, starting with Evander Holyfield in the first season. In fact, 10 athletes - Emmitt Smith, Helio Castroneves, Kristi Yamaguchi, Shawn Johnson, Hines Ward, Meryl Davis, Laurie Hernandez, Rashad Jennings, Adam Rippon, and Apolo Anton Ohno - have won across 27 seasons. That list does not include any basketball players, who have come up exceedingly short in scarce appearances (due in large part to the show typically filming during the NBA season, precluding current players from participating). The first to try it was Drexler, way back in season four of the show in 2007. His performances were stilted and ungraceful, a surprise for a smooth, high-flying player who had earned the nickname "Clyde the Glide." He finished in eighth place out of 11, somehow finishing behind an amputee (Heather Mills) and the guy that played Cliff on "Cheers" (John Ratzenberger). Fox was the next baller to give it a go in season 11 and he improved somewhat on Drexler's showing, finishing in sixth, ahead of Florence Henderson, David Hasselhoff, and The Situation, but behind Kurt Warner, Bristol Palin, and the eventual champion Jennifer Grey. Thanks to a protracted lockout in 2011, the artist formerly known as Ron Artest became the first active player to hit the dance floor in season 13 but his time on the show was brief. He was the first contestant eliminated when his cha-cha-cha failed to impress the judges. When Fisher joined "Dancing with the Stars" a few years later, he had long since retired as a player and was even past his brief and unsuccessful stint as coach of the Knicks. Just like his time in New York, Fisher's attempt at dancing was short-lived and unsatisfying as he barely survived the first two weeks (during which he timed he performed the salsa to Kurtis Blow's "Basketball") and was the third contestant eliminated.
13) Eric Snow and various others, "Real Housewives" franchise
14) Eric Williams and various others, "Basketball Wives"
Chronicling the lifestyles of Brahmin women in various major U.S. cities, the "Real Housewives" series has been on the air for 13 years in nine locales (and several spin-offs) and featured several spouses (or ex-spouses) of NBA players. The first was DeShawn Snow, a fashion designer and then wife of Eric, who appeared in the first season of "Real Housewives of Atlanta." Though he's best known as the starting point guard on the '00-'01 76ers team that reached the NBA Finals, Snow was captain of the Cavaliers during the team his wife's part on "Real Housewives" was being filmed. He was therefore present in just a few cameos and DeShawn's time on the series turned out to be brief, as producers fired her after one season, purportedly for being too unwilling to wade into drama with other cast members. Though the couple mostly remained outside of the tabloids after, their marriage still eventually ended in divorce in 2011.
Though the show "Basketball Wives" on VH1 isn't technically a spin-off of the "Real Housewives" series, it certainly is one in spirit. It can probably actually be more accurately described as a cheap cash-grab rip-off, but has still proven extremely popular since its 2010 debut, lasting seven seasons and counting. The title is a bit of a misnomer, as many of the women are technically ex-wives or just plain girlfriends (or even ex-girlfriends in some cases) of NBA players. Though the show has featured ex-wives or ex-girlfriends of stars like Shaquille O'Neal, Dwight Howard, and Antoine Walker, it was Williams who made the biggest impression on the show from the husband/ex-husband perspective. Mostly a role player during a 13-season career spent with seven different teams, Williams had been retired for a couple years when he and his wife, Jennifer, were two of the main stars of the first two seasons of "Basketball Wives." The issues with and seemingly inevitable breakdown of their troubled marriage was a focal point early in the series, with Eric displaying a bevy of erratic behavior, including at one point even throwing a drink in Jennifer's face. Jennifer opted to file for divorce publicly during the third season of the show in 2012, and Eric spiraled from there, eventually revealing a few years later that he was broke and homeless, unable to afford child support payments from a different relationship.
17) Carmelo Anthony, "La La's Full Court Wedding" and "La La's Full Court Life"13) Eric Snow and various others, "Real Housewives" franchise
14) Eric Williams and various others, "Basketball Wives"
Chronicling the lifestyles of Brahmin women in various major U.S. cities, the "Real Housewives" series has been on the air for 13 years in nine locales (and several spin-offs) and featured several spouses (or ex-spouses) of NBA players. The first was DeShawn Snow, a fashion designer and then wife of Eric, who appeared in the first season of "Real Housewives of Atlanta." Though he's best known as the starting point guard on the '00-'01 76ers team that reached the NBA Finals, Snow was captain of the Cavaliers during the team his wife's part on "Real Housewives" was being filmed. He was therefore present in just a few cameos and DeShawn's time on the series turned out to be brief, as producers fired her after one season, purportedly for being too unwilling to wade into drama with other cast members. Though the couple mostly remained outside of the tabloids after, their marriage still eventually ended in divorce in 2011.
Though the show "Basketball Wives" on VH1 isn't technically a spin-off of the "Real Housewives" series, it certainly is one in spirit. It can probably actually be more accurately described as a cheap cash-grab rip-off, but has still proven extremely popular since its 2010 debut, lasting seven seasons and counting. The title is a bit of a misnomer, as many of the women are technically ex-wives or just plain girlfriends (or even ex-girlfriends in some cases) of NBA players. Though the show has featured ex-wives or ex-girlfriends of stars like Shaquille O'Neal, Dwight Howard, and Antoine Walker, it was Williams who made the biggest impression on the show from the husband/ex-husband perspective. Mostly a role player during a 13-season career spent with seven different teams, Williams had been retired for a couple years when he and his wife, Jennifer, were two of the main stars of the first two seasons of "Basketball Wives." The issues with and seemingly inevitable breakdown of their troubled marriage was a focal point early in the series, with Eric displaying a bevy of erratic behavior, including at one point even throwing a drink in Jennifer's face. Jennifer opted to file for divorce publicly during the third season of the show in 2012, and Eric spiraled from there, eventually revealing a few years later that he was broke and homeless, unable to afford child support payments from a different relationship.
15) Jared Jeffries, "Modern Fishing with Jared Jeffries"
One typically wouldn't think of fishing as a predominate hobby amongst NBA players, but for Jeffries it was even more than that, it was an actual follow-up career. Growing up in Bloomington, Indiana, where he eventually attend Indiana University and led the team to a 2002 Final Four appearance, Jeffries frequented the numerous rivers and lakes of the area with his dad, on various camping and fishing trips. He kept at it even during his NBA playing days, purchasing a home on the Tampa coast and spending his off-seasons on fishing excursions in both Florida and around the world, including fishing meccas like New Zealand. When he was waived by the Blazers in 2013, ending his 13-season pro career, Jeffries took a job as a scout for the Nuggets and utilized his increased free time to pursue further fishing-related goals. He eventually landed his dream position, as host of "Modern Fishing with Jared Jeffries" on the Outdoor Channel. Airing originally in 2014, the lighthearted travelogue show followed Jeffries around the world to various fishing destinations. It is certainly a unique viewing experience, featuring a 6'11" black man dispensing valuable world-class fishing advice, and the show has lasted for five seasons and counting.
One typically wouldn't think of fishing as a predominate hobby amongst NBA players, but for Jeffries it was even more than that, it was an actual follow-up career. Growing up in Bloomington, Indiana, where he eventually attend Indiana University and led the team to a 2002 Final Four appearance, Jeffries frequented the numerous rivers and lakes of the area with his dad, on various camping and fishing trips. He kept at it even during his NBA playing days, purchasing a home on the Tampa coast and spending his off-seasons on fishing excursions in both Florida and around the world, including fishing meccas like New Zealand. When he was waived by the Blazers in 2013, ending his 13-season pro career, Jeffries took a job as a scout for the Nuggets and utilized his increased free time to pursue further fishing-related goals. He eventually landed his dream position, as host of "Modern Fishing with Jared Jeffries" on the Outdoor Channel. Airing originally in 2014, the lighthearted travelogue show followed Jeffries around the world to various fishing destinations. It is certainly a unique viewing experience, featuring a 6'11" black man dispensing valuable world-class fishing advice, and the show has lasted for five seasons and counting.
16) LeBron James, "Rehab Addict"
Just as he was returning as the prodigal son to Cleveland from his stint in Miami, James became nearly ubiquitous on television and streaming. His production company SpringHill Entertainment (co-founded with Maverick Carter) released the Starz sitcom "Survivor's Remorse" (loosely based on James' own life), the kids documentary series "Becoming" on Disney XD, and the online series "The LeBrons," which was based on a popular Nike commercial. On top of all that James made a special appearance on the HGTV home renovation show "Rehab Addict." The series focuses on Nicole Curtis, a contractor that grew up in Michigan and specializes in renovating historic homes across the Midwest. She found a kindred spirit in the kid from Akron, whose LeBron James Family Foundation wanted to fund a home renovation for a sixth grader within its program. Over the course of five episodes, James was shown working side-by-side with Curtis and her team, removing drywall, painting ceilings (putting his 6'8" frame to good use), and even manning an excavator. The production took some time out to also film James' homecoming rally at the University of Akron stadium, one month after his announcement that he was returning to the Cavs.
18) Iman Shumpert, "Teyana and Iman"
While the various "Real Housewives" and "Basketball Wives" have made names for themselves in ensemble casts, two basketball spouses have attempted to make solo plays for TV stardom. La La Vazquez already had some media notoriety before she was engaged to Anthony, as a former MTV VJ. She landed "La La's Full Court Wedding" on VH1 in 2010, chronicling the couple's wedding planning and eventual ceremony. Even though the couple had already been engaged for six years and the show was pretty obviously a shameless attention grab, it was reasonably successful in the ratings and Vazquez did come off well displaying much of the some anxiety and stresses of any bride-to-be (albeit one whose wedding likely cost more than most Americans earn in a decade). VH1 green lit a sequel, "La La's Full Court Life," which began airing in 2011, coinciding with Anthony's free agent signing with the Knicks. The second show also focused on La La, but Carmelo featured more heavily and it lasted five full seasons. While Shumpert has never been nearly as big of a star as Anthony, he and his wife have gained enough notoriety to get their own reality show. "Teyana and Iman," starring Shumpert and his singer/choreographer wife, Teyana Taylor, aired its first season on VH1 in 2018 and didn't cause much of a stir at first. But after six episodes, the show was abruptly cut short just as rumors began to swirl that Shumpert was having an affair. It's still not clear whether the production changes were directly related to the infidelity, but it has allowed the couple to remain in the spotlight since.
19) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, "Splash"
Never particularly popular amongst teammates, rival fans, or the press during his career, Abdul-Jabbar found a surprising second life in retirement as a thoughtful and gregarious ambassador of the game across all media. It started with his unforgettable appearance in the comedy film "Airplane!" and arguably peaked in the spring of 2013, when he chose to compete on the ABC reality competition "Splash." It was a concept so ridiculous you'd swear it was actually from a sketch comedy send-up of reality TV, but "Splash" was oh so real, featuring diving legend Greg Louganis training 10 celebrities in his sport to compete weekly. Competitors included a 300+ pound Louie Anderson, and actor Chuy Bravo, who stands just 4'2" due to dwarfism, but Abdul-Jabbar was arguably still the most striking physical presence on a diving board. 65 years old at the time of filming and about as graceful in the air as Wile E. Coyote falling off a cliff, the Lakers and Bucks legend was surprisingly game, even prudently denouncing the show's sardonic detractors on his personal blog, defending it as a germane window into the human condition. Thanks in large part to several withdrawals due to injury, Abdul-Jabbar managed to finish fifth in the competition, which was won by freestyle skier Rory Bushfield. Though the show was a slightly bigger hit than expected, it was never picked up for a second season. Several years later, Kareem surfaced on a special athletes-only edition of "Dancing with the Stars," finishing seventh out of 10 contestants.
20) John Salley, Various
More so than any player in modern NBA history other than possibly Rick Fox, Salley saw his playing career as simply a vessel towards achieving sustainable entertainment industry fame. Since retiring in 2000, he has succeeded in the basic metric that he's certainly made a lot of TV appearances, though none of them have been particularly notable in and of themselves. Salley's reality TV career actually started when he was still receiving a paycheck from the Lakers back in 1999, when he hosted the short-lived game show "I Can't Believe You Said That" on the Fox Family Channel. He entered the world of traditional reality fare in 2007, appearing on the ABC celebrity racecar driving competition "Fast Cars and Superstars." Trained by a professional driver to race around Charlotte Motor Speedway, Salley was eliminated immediately when he wound up turning in the slowest time of the entire competition, behind even William Shatner (though, to be fair, Shatner was also disqualified for cheating). Two years later, Salley appeared on the hilariously titled "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!" which forced contestants in some sort of convoluted challenge in the middle of the jungle. Looking back on the cast now, Salley is arguably the most enduring star, as castmates included has-beens Spencer Pratt, Heidi Montag, Sanjaya, and Daniel Baldwin. Salley wound up making it to the final episode and finishing third, which is... something, we guess. As his TV and film career has dried up, and his foray into podcasting failed, he has continued to make guest or recurring appearances in various other reality programs like "Basketball Wives," "Millionaire Matchmaker," and "RuPaul's Drag Race."
Never particularly popular amongst teammates, rival fans, or the press during his career, Abdul-Jabbar found a surprising second life in retirement as a thoughtful and gregarious ambassador of the game across all media. It started with his unforgettable appearance in the comedy film "Airplane!" and arguably peaked in the spring of 2013, when he chose to compete on the ABC reality competition "Splash." It was a concept so ridiculous you'd swear it was actually from a sketch comedy send-up of reality TV, but "Splash" was oh so real, featuring diving legend Greg Louganis training 10 celebrities in his sport to compete weekly. Competitors included a 300+ pound Louie Anderson, and actor Chuy Bravo, who stands just 4'2" due to dwarfism, but Abdul-Jabbar was arguably still the most striking physical presence on a diving board. 65 years old at the time of filming and about as graceful in the air as Wile E. Coyote falling off a cliff, the Lakers and Bucks legend was surprisingly game, even prudently denouncing the show's sardonic detractors on his personal blog, defending it as a germane window into the human condition. Thanks in large part to several withdrawals due to injury, Abdul-Jabbar managed to finish fifth in the competition, which was won by freestyle skier Rory Bushfield. Though the show was a slightly bigger hit than expected, it was never picked up for a second season. Several years later, Kareem surfaced on a special athletes-only edition of "Dancing with the Stars," finishing seventh out of 10 contestants.
20) John Salley, Various
More so than any player in modern NBA history other than possibly Rick Fox, Salley saw his playing career as simply a vessel towards achieving sustainable entertainment industry fame. Since retiring in 2000, he has succeeded in the basic metric that he's certainly made a lot of TV appearances, though none of them have been particularly notable in and of themselves. Salley's reality TV career actually started when he was still receiving a paycheck from the Lakers back in 1999, when he hosted the short-lived game show "I Can't Believe You Said That" on the Fox Family Channel. He entered the world of traditional reality fare in 2007, appearing on the ABC celebrity racecar driving competition "Fast Cars and Superstars." Trained by a professional driver to race around Charlotte Motor Speedway, Salley was eliminated immediately when he wound up turning in the slowest time of the entire competition, behind even William Shatner (though, to be fair, Shatner was also disqualified for cheating). Two years later, Salley appeared on the hilariously titled "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!" which forced contestants in some sort of convoluted challenge in the middle of the jungle. Looking back on the cast now, Salley is arguably the most enduring star, as castmates included has-beens Spencer Pratt, Heidi Montag, Sanjaya, and Daniel Baldwin. Salley wound up making it to the final episode and finishing third, which is... something, we guess. As his TV and film career has dried up, and his foray into podcasting failed, he has continued to make guest or recurring appearances in various other reality programs like "Basketball Wives," "Millionaire Matchmaker," and "RuPaul's Drag Race."