Key Takeaways
- These athlete cameos reveal how sports stars have long been part of Hip Hop and R&B’s visual storytelling.
- These appearances often reflect deeper ties between sports and rap culture, from lyrical shoutouts to real-life friendships.
- The list spans decades, showing how the bond between athletes and artists continues to evolve on screen.
Who remembers LeBron James popping up in one of rap’s greatest posse cuts, Drake’s “Forever,” or Michael Jordan showing off his jumper in Michael Jackson’s “Jam” visual? It’s always fun seeing athletes — whether they’re NBA stars, NFL players, or Olympic champions like Serena Williams — appear in music videos, especially since rap fans are often just as into sports as they are into music.
In many cases, athlete cameos happen because the song was made for a soundtrack or as a direct homage, either in the title itself (Jack Harlow’s “Tyler Herro”) or mentioned in the lyrics (Kendrick Lamar referencing DeMar DeRozan in “Not Like Us”). Or, who knows, maybe it’s our favorite ballers returning the favor after rappers consistently drop big bucks on courtside tickets and field-level access.
Whatever the reason, REVOLT rounded up 20 times that athletes appeared in rap and R&B videos. Take a look below.
1. LeBron James in Drake, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Eminem’s “Forever”
LeBron James’ presence in the “Forever” video was basically a given, since the track was created for More than a Game, the 2008 documentary about his high school years. The basketball star can be seen playing a game of PokerStars in the opening moments, and even though he doesn’t return later, there’s obviously no shortage of footage and photos from his early days before the NBA.
2. Kenny Anderson and Stephon Marbury in Terror Squad’s “Whatcha Gon Do?”
Kenny Anderson and Stephon Marbury play a game of two-on-two against Fat Joe and Terror Squad’s Cuban Link in “Whatcha Gon Do?” You can’t have a basketball-themed video and not bring in a few actual basketball players, after all.
3. Kiyan Anthony in Bri3’s “Dealin Wit Ah Dog”
Kiyan Anthony, the son of Carmelo and La La Anthony, appears as Bri3’s love interest in the “Dealin Wit Ah Dog” video. We see them flirting at a bodega before taking part in a 2000s-themed photoshoot.
4. Angel Reese in Latto and Cardi B’s “Put In On Da Floor Again”
“I been ballin' so damn hard, could've went to LSU, huh,” Cardi B raps on Latto’s “Put It On Da Floor Again,” the video for which dropped months after the LSU Tigers won the 2023 NCAA Division I women’s basketball championship. Angel Reese appears on cue with that line, and, of course, she’s the one who gets to rip Latto out the plastic.
5. Russell Westbrook and LeBron James in Nas’ “Brunch on Sundays”
No one should be shocked that Nas’ “Brunch on Sundays” video takes place at an actual brunch. Wearing all white, Russell Westbrook and LeBron James toast it up with the Queens rapper. Cordae, Blxst, Lil Rel Howery, Hit-Boy, and Swizz Beatz round out the star-studded table.
6. Kobe Bryant in Destiny’s Child’s “Bug-A-Boo”
In the “Bug-A-Boo” video, Destiny’s Child is running from a group of guys trying to holler at them and somehow end up in a men’s locker room, where Kobe Bryant is getting ready. God forbid anyone accidentally walks in on you. But let’s be real — if someone’s going to walk in on you, Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland are the best-case scenario.
7. Serena Williams in Beyoncé’s “Sorry”
It was a treat seeing these two Black queens together when Lemonade first dropped — so much so that Serena Williams later joined Beyoncé onstage for the song during “The Formation World Tour.”
8. Lonzo and LaMelo Ball in GELO’s “Tweaker”
Even though GELO (aka LiAngelo Ball) is a former athlete himself, his breakout single “Tweaker” still brought the whole family together. Lonzo and LaMelo join him in the video, while he also takes a moment to salute their dad in the song: “I came up a f**kin' soldier, n**ga, shout out to my father.”
9. Michael Jordan in Michael Jackson’s “Jam”
Coming off his eighth studio album, Dangerous, Michael Jackson enlisted Michael Jordan for the “Jam” video. It may seem a tad random, though it’s worth noting that “jamming” had just taken off culturally — we also got NBA Jam and Space Jam in the ’90s — so seeing the two Michaels shoot hoops together wasn’t all that strange.
10. DeMar DeRozan in Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”
Completing his victory lap after (debatably) taking down Drake in their 2024 feud, Kendrick Lamar brought Los Angeles together for his “Not Like Us” video. Among the many rappers — ScHoolboy Q, YG, Roddy Ricch, to name a few — who show up in the Dave Free-directed effort, we also see DeMar DeRozan make a cameo. The NBA player appears on cue during Lamar’s “I'm glad DeRoz' came home, y'all didn't deserve him neither” line.
11. Tyler Herro in Jack Harlow’s “Tyler Herro”
Getting Tyler Herro to star in Jack Harlow’s song named after him was probably a layup, no pun intended. Like several other artists on this list, the Kentucky native used the opportunity to fine-tune his jumper.
12. Iman Shumpert in Kanye West’s “Fade”
Teyana Taylor’s body is tea, as literally anybody in the whole wide world will tell you. In Kanye West’s “Fade” video, she gives viewers a sweaty, sultry workout before jumping in the shower with her then-fiancé — and later ex-husband — former NBA star Iman Shumpert.
13. Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson in Monica’s “Everything to Me”
Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Monica made for a cute couple in her “Everything to Me” video, which featured the then-Cincinnati Bengals receiver being stalked by another woman. Luckily, things ended on a good note when she’s taken away in cuffs.
14. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Drake’s “NOKIA”
Presumably in response to DeMar DeRozan’s aforementioned cameo in “Not Like Us,” Drake brought in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the mostly black-and-white “NOKIA” video. Shot in IMAX, the NBA All-Star pulled up with a few pairs of his SHAI 001s around his neck.
15. Ric Flair in Metro Boomin and Offset’s “Ric Flair Drip”
We doubt Ric Flair was going to miss the opportunity to show up in Metro Boomin and Offset’s “Ric Flair Drip” video, especially given how big the song became. In the Shomi Patwary-directed clip, the wrestling legend poses in front of a lineup of luxury cars with his Jesus piece on.
16. Marshawn Lynch in Ian’s “Figure It Out”
As 2025 XXL Freshman Ian raps in “Figure It Out,” “My big brother like Marshawn Lynch, he'll run through somebody.” Throughout the visual companion, we see the former NFL player riding the rapper around in a red pickup truck. Lynch also helps close out the video: “Man, that’s a wrap, my n**ga, I appreciate y’all.”
17. J.R. Smith in Young Money's “BedRock”
Don’t forget J.R. Smith was on Young Money at one point. All jokes aside, the NBA star appeared in the “BedRock” video wearing a YM chain, and as many basketball fans know by now, he also has a Young Money tattoo on his neck.
18. LeBron James in JAY-Z’s “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)”
As you can imagine, there were plenty of people who would’ve loved to have LeBron James — arguably one of the greatest NBA players to ever do it — in their videos. Fortunately, JAY-Z was one of the rappers who actually landed him. In between calling out his peers for using too much Auto-Tune, Jigga plays a quick one-on-one with James about four minutes into the clip.
19. Odell Beckham Jr. and Kevin Durant in Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later”
Can we cheat and add Drake one more time? As if he doesn’t already have enough cameo-filled videos, Kevin Durant, Marshawn Lynch, and Odell Beckham Jr. appeared in the Lil Durk-assisted “Laugh Now Cry Later” companion. It’s not completely unexpected, considering the video was filmed at Nike’s World Headquarters in Oregon.
20. Ray Allen in Public Enemy's “He Got Game”
Public Enemy supplied “He Got Game” to Spike Lee’s film of the same name. The movie follows Denzel Washington’s character, Jake Shuttlesworth, as he tries convincing his son, Jesus Shuttlesworth (Ray Allen), to play ball at the governor’s alma mater. Unfortunately, the basketball player’s appearances in the music video only come through clips from the 1998 film itself.