The HBO series Ballers features many cameos by real-life NFL players and other athletes. Here are their most notable guest appearances.
Summary
- Ballers incorporates real-life athletes, including Stephen Curry and Antonio Brown, to give an authentic depiction of the sports industry.
- Athletes like Julian Edelman and Terrell Suggs make appearances in multiple episodes, adding depth to the show's storyline.
- The inclusion of non-football athletes like Giancarlo Stanton and Caroline Wozniacki shows the broad reach of the series beyond just football.
There are many real athlete cameos in the HBO series Ballers starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The Rock himself had hopes of playing professional football before an injury kept him sidelined which changed the course of his career. The Rock's character in Ballers, Spencer Strasmore, follows a similar path of being a former player whose career is impacted by an injury. Strasmore rises in the field as a financial manager who builds meaningful relationships with his clientele full of top athletes and sports stars.
Drawing similarities to HBO's Entourage, Ballers relies on the inclusion of real-life athletes to help legitimize its projection as an authentic depiction of the behind-the-scenes aspects of a lucrative entertainment-based industry. Many athletes, particularly current and former NFL stars, have appeared in brief roles as themselves in the series, with some even getting involved in the show's overall story. Here are 22 real-life athlete cameos in HBO's Ballers.
22 Stephen Curry
NBA star Stephen Curry and his wife Ayesha appeared in Ballers season 3, episode 1 titled "Seeds of Expansion". The 2017 episode features the NBA icon talking to Spencer on the phone after getting off a private jet. Curry has won four NBA Championships as a member of the Golden State Warriors.
21 Antonio Brown
NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown appeared in the pilot episode of Ballers in 2015. The eccentric NFL player appears as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the HBO series alongside DeSean Jackson. Brown won a Super Bowl as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 and is currently on the Baltimore Ravens.
20 Alvin Kamara
NFL running back Alvin Kamara appeared in Ballers season 5, episode 5 in 2019. Kamara plays himself as he gets fictionally recruited by the Los Angeles Rams in the series. Kamara has played six NFL seasons with the New Orleans Saints and was selected for the Pro Bowl five teams.
19 Von Miller
NFL linebacker Von Miller appeared in Ballers season 5, episode 8 titled "Players Only." Miller gets a call from Spencer in the series finale of Ballers before the big owners meeting. Miller has played 12 seasons in the NFL and has won one Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022.
18 Julian Edelman
Former NFL wide receiver Julian Edelman appeared in two episodes of Ballers, season 1, episode 9 "Head-On" and season 2, episode 10 "Game Day". Edelman is seen working out with Ricky Jerret in one of the episodes. Edelman retired in 2021 and won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.
17 DeSean Jackson
DeSean Jackson appeared in the pilot episode of Ballers alongside Antonio Brown. He is currently the oldest active wide receiver in the NFL, having started his career in 2008 and playing for sixteen seasons with multiple NFL teams including the Philadelphia Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens.
16 Don Shula
Don Shula appeared as himself in the pilot episode of Ballers. Shula was the head coach of the only undefeated team in NFL history, The 1972 Miami Dolphins. Spencer played for the Dolphins in the HBO series.
15 Jarvis Landry
NFL wide receiver Jarvis Landry appeared as himself in the Ballers season 2 premiere titled "Face of the Franchise." Landry was a member of the Miami Dolphins when the episode was first released. He currently plays for the New Orleans Saints.
14 Larry Csonka
Larry Csonka appears alongside Don Shula in the Ballers pilot episode. Csonka played a fictionalized version of himself in the series in which he was named the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
13 Jason Taylor
Former Miami Dolphins linebacker Jason Taylor appeared in the Ballers season 2 season premiere. Taylor was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017 after playing 15 of his 15 NFL seasons with the Dolphins between 1997 and 2011.
12 Terrell Suggs
Former NFL linebacker Terrell Suggs notably appeared as himself in eight episodes of Ballers between 2015 and 2018. The two-time Super Bowl champion became an antagonist to Spencer on the show, even getting into a fictional physical altercation with him during a talk radio show.
11 Ndamukong Suh
NFL defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh appeared in Ballers season 2, episode 1 "Face of the Franchise." Suh won one Super Bowl in 2021 as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
10 Eddie George
Former NFL player Eddie George appeared in two episodes of Ballers, season 2, episode 10 "Game Day" and season 3, episode 7 "Ricky-Leaks." George is currently the head football coach at Tennessee State University.
9 Mark Schlereth
Former NFL player Mark Schlereth appeared in thirteen episodes of Ballers between 2015 and 2017 including the series pilot. Schlereth is currently a television and radio sports personality and played in the NFL for 12 seasons.
8 Giancarlo Stanton
Giancarlo Stanton is one of the few non-football-playing athletes to have a cameo in Ballers. Stanton appeared in season 1, episode 9 titled "Head On." He is a professional baseball player currently on the New York Yankees.
7 Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki is a professional Danish tennis player that appeared as herself in Ballers season 2, episode 2. She was once the number 1 ranked women's tennis player in the world in 2010 and 2011.
6 Khalil Mack
Khalil Mack is an NFL linebacker who appeared in the Ballers season 2 finale. Mack was named the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year and currently plays for the Los Angeles Chargers.
5 Danny Amendola
Former NFL wide receiver Danny Amendola also appeared in the Ballers season 2 finale alongside former teammate Julian Edelman. Amendola was undrafted by any NFL team but made his way onto the New England Patriots who he won two Super Bowls with in 2015 and 2018.
4 Jared Goff
NFL quarterback Jared Goff appeared in Ballers season 4, episode 6 while he was the starting quarterback of the Los Angeles Rams. He appears as a teammate of the fictional Ricky Jerret in the series. Goff currently plays for the Detroit Lions.
3 Wes Welker
Former NFL wide receiver Wes Welker appeared in season 2, episode 8 "Laying in the Weeds" in a brief cameo. Welker led the NFL in receptions in 2007, 2009, and 2011 as a member of the New England Patriots. He played 12 seasons in the NFL.
