25 athletes who made cameos in music videos

Probably known as the most iconic music video cameo is when Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson teamed up in “Jam.” In addition to the two sharing the same initials, they are often referred to as the GOATs in their respective careers. “Jam” is one of the most simplistic visuals in Jackson’s video discography, but Jordan’s appearance makes for an epic one-on-one game, while Jackson also tries to teach the NBA legend how to moonwalk. 

Lil Wayne’s roster of Young Money artists like Nicki Minaj, Gudda, Mack Maine, and Drake came together on the 2010 hit “Bedrock.” In the video, the rappers are having a house party, and J.R. Smith is one of the party guests. 

At the beginning of Jay-Z’s “Show Me What You Got,” former race car driver Danica Patrick pulls up in a car alongside the rapper and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Patrick and Earnhardt then take their driving skills to the test as they race through the streets of Monaco. 

Diddy knows how to bring the party wherever he goes, and he does that in his video “Bad Boy for Life.” As Diddy moves into a new house, he brings the party and his entourage along with him. While the video has numerous cameos, including Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and Ben Stiller, fans see Shaquille O’Neal dunking in a pick-up game outside of Diddy’s new crib. 

MC Hammer’s “2 Legit 2 Quit” has several random celebrity appearances. Everyone from Danny Glover and Henry Winkler to Ralph Tresvant, Tony Danza, Eazy-E, James Brown, and Queen Latifah show up at different moments. Anybody who was anybody was in this video, including Deion Sanders, who is seen singing the song’s hook.

Serena Williams may know how to move on a tennis court, but Beyoncé invited her to showcase her dance moves in the video for “Sorry.” Two queens coming together and showcasing their dominance will easily make this a timeless video. 

In 2010, Monica released her sixth album, Still Standing. On the lead single “Everything to Me,” former NFL player Chad Ochocinco plays Monica’s husband in the music video. He is a celebrity who ends up having a stalker disrupt his family life, so he and Monica have to press charges against them. 

Kawhi Leonard doesn’t always show a lot of emotion, which is probably why his media interview in 2018 is comical to people since he deemed himself a “fun guy.” Fast forward to 2021, and Leonard appears in Drake’s “Way 2 Sexy” video; maybe he is a fun guy.

Nickelback’s “Rockstar” has stars from all over, including Twista and Paul Wall. All-time great hockey player Wayne Gretzky makes an appearance, but he isn’t the only athlete wishing he was a rockstar, as NBA legend Grant Hill is also in the video. 

In the video for Destiny’s Child’s “Bug-A-Boo,” the group is seen walking down the street when they appear to be hassled by men who are potentially interested in them. The girls don’t seem too interested and look for a way out. They end up in a men’s locker room, and Kobe Bryant is seen alongside several others. 

Drake seems to live a cool life in his video for “Laugh Now Cry Later.” Not only does he go to the Nike headquarters to buy anything he wants, but he also meets with Odell Beckham Jr. for some football catches. 

Tennis player Anna Kournikova plays Enrique Iglesias’ love interest in his 2002 video “Escape.” On the track, Iglesias says, “You can run / You can hide / But you can’t escape my love.” Iglesias must have been foreshadowing because he and Kournikova dated in real life.  

Michael Jackson was no stranger to adding some of the biggest entertainers in his videos. It was no different with his 1993 song “Remember The Time,” a music video featuring actor Eddie Murphy, supermodel Iman, and NBA legend Magic Johnson. Jackson takes audiences to an Egyptian world, where Murphy plays the pharaoh while Johnson plays a kingdom guard. Quite different from playing a point guard in the NBA. 

Former NBA players Stephon Marbury and Kenny Anderson play a two-on-two game of pick-up basketball in Terror Squad’s “Whatcha Gon Do?” At first, Marbury and Anderson are embarrassing their opponents. Some fans then run over to them for autographs, but their opponents aren’t ready to taste defeat yet. They continue the game, and the opponents surprisingly start playing a lot better. 

On Aaron Carter’s single “How I Beat Shaq,” he tells a story to his friends of how he played one-on-one against Shaquille O’Neal and beat him. Naturally, his friends don’t believe him and start thinking Carter must be dreaming. Obviously, with a song named after him, O’Neal is seen in the video playing basketball with Carter. 

Tennis player Rafael Nadal plays Shakira’s love interest in her video “Gypsy.” They show their intimate and sensual side with each other before a make-out session at the end. 

Nas brings some friends together on his hit song “Brunch on Sundays.” As the song's title alludes to, Nas and his crew are dressed in their finest threads while partaking in brunch and sipping libations. Russell Westbrook and LeBron James are seated at the table, along with other celebrities like Lil Rel Howery, Swizz Beatz, Blxst, and Cordae. 

In 2009, Jay-Z released his eleventh album, The Blueprint 3. In the music video for the lead single "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)," Jay is seen playing a one-on-one basketball game with LeBron James.

The premise of the “Knock Yourself Out” music video is how Jadakiss hosts a house party while hanging out with his friends and pursuing a love interest. In the video, fans see former NBA player Lamar Odom as a party guest showing off some dance moves. 

There are a number of female celebrities who make an appearance in Maroon 5’ “Girls Like You” video. Some cameos include Camila Cabello, Alex Morgan, Lilly Singh, Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Lopez, Mary J. Blige, and many others. Two-time Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman also appears wearing a shirt with an uplifting message that reads, “Always speak your truth.” 

Although Stephen Curry is listed as a feature on Tobe Nwigwe’s “Lil Fish, Big Pond,” the Golden State Warriors star isn’t actually heard rapping or singing. However, he does join Tobe in the music video to lip-sync some of the lyrics. Not only does Curry join Tobe on a boating trip and courtside, but the song references Curry’s talent as a player. “Lil Fish, Big Pond" is the featured single from the Apple TV+ documentary Underrated, highlighting Curry’s rise to stardom. 

Metro Boomin and Offset’s “Ric Flair Drip” is named after the WWE Hall of Famer himself. Wrestling fans are well aware of how Flair always showcased a certain level of cool and swag, so it was only fitting that Metro and Offset recruited him for the music video. 

In Train’s video for “Drink Up,” Marshawn Lynch is getting married, but the wedding reception could use a little liveliness. So Ken Jeong, George Lopez, Jim Breuer, and Train band member Pat Monahan crashed the party. Needless to say, after they shook the party up, all the attendees started having a good time. 

In 2022, rapper Stormzy released his boastful single "Mel Made Me Do It." On the track, Stormzy calls out haters and people who questioned his success, even though he considers himself the top rapper. It seems like Stormzy also wanted to bring this mindset to athletes because he added Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt to the music video. 

There are quite a few cameos in the “Only Wanna Be With You” music video by Hootie & the Blowfish. At the beginning of the video, a SportsCenter spoof takes center stage as clips of former NBA players Alonzo Mourning and Muggsy Bogues appear.