(Getty)Last month, San Antonio Spurs forward Stephen Jackson confirmed that his upcoming album — to be released under his hip-hop moniker, Stak5 —would include a guest verse from fellow baller Kevin Durant, who is reportedly considering releasing an album of his own.
"I respect him for even getting on the track with me, because a lot of athletes are scared to even get on the same song with me 'cause they feel I'm gonna embarrass them," Jackson told XXL. "I'm just happy he took the time to do it, and he really killed the verse so a lot of people are gonna be surprised by it."
Jackson and Durant are latest in a long line of professional athletes to make forays into music. It wasn't too long ago that Jackson's teammate Tony Parker released his debut album TP, which, for many Americans, served as an unneeded introduction to the world of French rap. It remains to be seen if Jackson will gain traction in the hip-hop sphere, but whatever he produces can't be any more embarrassing than that single Kobe Bryant released with Tyra Banks.
These are but a few of the professional sports world's most memorable musical moments.
Shaq
Though he's no longer dropping rhymes professionally (he saves his most clever lines for
dissing his ex-teammates), Shaq is arguably the most successful athlete-turned-musician, as his debut album
Shaq Diesel achieved platinum status within six months.
He also recorded a (completely unmemorable) song with Michael Jackson, picked up guest verses from Jay-Z and the Notorious B.I.G., made a cameo in
an Aaron Carter video, and sold enough records to warrant a "Best of" album. Supposedly.
Kobe BryantBack in 2000, Kobe took a stab at rap superstardom with the ill-fated single "K.O.B.E.," featuring the spectacularly unmusical Tyra Banks on both the cheesy spoken intro ("Kobe, how many girls have said 'I love you?' Not like, 'I love you Kobe!' like a fan but like, for real, like, 'Baby, marry me, I love you'?") and the hook ("K-O-B-E I L-O-V-E you, bounce wit' me, bounce wit' me"). The end result: Something that Will Smith would have passed on.
One of Kobe's former teammates told the
Los Angeles Times' Melissa Rohin that Kobe was actually a better rapper than Shaq, but that a desire to keep things "commercial" and family-friendly hindered his abilities: "Kobe's a nice guy; he doesn't like to let everybody know that, but he's got some mean lyrics."
Wayman TisdaleThe late Wayman Tisdale grew up playing bass guitar at his father's church, and was so dedicated to his craft that the University of Oklahoma's head basketball coach, Billy Tubbs, modified the practice schedule so that he could continue playing at morning services. Though the center and power forward dominated the courts for the Sacramento Kings in the early '90s, he retired from the game in 1997 to focus on his first love: jazz.
Tisdale released eight albums before his sudden death in 2009, including
Face to Face, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard contemporary jazz chart. A number of musicians have dedicated songs in Tisdale's honor, including country artist Toby Keith and jazz guitarist Peter White.
Alex OvechkinIf hockey star Alex Ovechkin really took his rap career seriously, he would have had a diamond-studded tooth implanted in that famous hole in his grin. Though the Moscow-born athlete throws around middle fingers like it's his job in the music video for Russian rapper Sasha Belyi's video for "Champion," it's highly unlikely he'll ever give up his day job for the recording studio.
According to
Russian Machine Never Breaks, Ovechkin's verse is pure braggadocio: "On the NatTeam since 17 / Scored 100 points in a season / Gold medal in Canada in '08." It probably sounds cool in Russian.
Alexi LalasThere are precious few soccer superstars in the United States, but
Alexi Lalas came close in the '90s thanks in part to his sizeable red beard. He was also the lead singer of a band called Gypsies, opening for Hootie and the Blowfish during their 1998 European tour. The band's biggest single? "Kicking Balls."
Lalas released his first solo album,
Ginger, in 1998, prompting
NME to gripe, "Look, we all know about the footie/pop crossover, but this is getting out of control."
Bronson ArroyoThe Cincinnati Reds' starting pitcher
Bronson Arroyo has the hair of a Hanson brother and the singing voice of a late '90s alt-rocker. Arroyo released his first and only album,
Covering the Bases, in 2005, revealing more about his musical tastes than his abilities with his foray into '90s coverland.
It's unclear if Arroyo has plans to release any more albums, but he's probably a total karaoke superstar in Cincinnati.
Oscar De la HoyaA number of performers managed to make the crossover from the Spanish language music market to the mainstream in the late '90s and early '00s, which may have served as partial motivation for boxer
Oscar De La Hoya's syrupy eponymous album, which featured songs in both English and Spanish.
Of mindblowing note: The album was nominated for a Grammy. Also of mindblowing note: the skintight sheer shirt Oscar wears in the music video for his single "Run to Me." It was cool at the time.
Deion SandersFormer NFL star
Deion Sanders released his debut album
Prime Time in 1994 to absolutely no critical acclaim. One would have expected a more spirited offering from Sanders, a cornerback who was renowned for his one-of-a-kind touchdown dances.
But the album wasn't a total failure: The plaid lavender vest suit he wore
on the cover (and, coincidentally, in the music video for "Must Be the Money") was pretty awesome. And there's also that line, "Hey, my library card gone change into credit cards," because that makes sense.
Omar VizquelTo be fair to the MLB's Omar Vizquel, the dude never fancied himself a rock star. This cover of a Goo Goo Dolls song was produced for the 2005 charity compilation
Oh Say Can You Sing?As
Ball Don't Lie's Eric Freeman eloquently notes, "The chief crimes are sonic: the production is laughably tinny, it's a bad song to begin with, and Vizquel's voice lacks in range
and manages to be grating. More than that, though, the recording speaks to the fact that baseball players generally have poor taste even for athletes, what with their goatees and all-purpose bro-dom. That also makes it a little endearing, honestly, especially because it comes from a player as likable as Omar Vizquel. Unfortunately, it is awful."
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