10 Performances That Prove NBA Players Make The Best Movie Stars

6. Kevin Durant - Thunderstruck (2012)

Kevin Durant is an unbelievably good basketball player. The hero of the Oklahoma City Thunder, 2013-2014 league MVP and 4-time scoring champ, he has earned himself the moniker the Slim Reaper for his ability to completely take over a game. Off the court he's known for his humility, close relationship with his family, religious commitment and philanthropy. He's feared by opponents inside the arena and liked by them everywhere else. Doesn't he sound great? Aren't you predisposed to think well of him now? Alright, let's talk about Thunderstruck. The trailer for this movie shows shot after shot of Durant playing absolutely beautiful basketball and honestly, if they'd filled the 94 minute run time with that, it'd be a hit (it'd also just be a basketball game, which might be why they went in another direction). Unfortunately they wrote in a "plot" instead, which is as follows: kid is bad at basketball. Kid accidentally trades talent with KD via a magical ball. KD is now terrible at basketball and the kid is suddenly brilliant and then they have to figure out a way of swapping their talents back. The logical inconsistencies of this are myriad, not least of which is the fact that, talent or not, Durant is over 2 metres tall and this child is not, so you'd still put your money on Kevin in a dunk contest. While doing press for the movie, KD said that the hardest part about acting was missing shots, which is cute but also a definite lie. Seems like he found emoting harder. Also, walking and talking at the same time. The kid is passable as far as kid actors go and Jim Belushi does a lot of Jim Belushi stuff in it to pass the time but Durant's lack of charisma is almost an art unto itself. It's telling that the funniest moment of the entire movie comes not from its star but from Rumble, the Thunder's anthropomorphised bison mascot, who gets hit in the head with a basketball and executes a perfect pratfall. Rumble, you the real MVP.