Some Of The Best (And Worst) Athlete Raps Of All Time

by Evan Sporer | 4:39 pm, June 11th, 2012

This morning, we brought you LeBron James’ new pregame rap ritual. Well, the Akron Escaper isn’t the first prominent athlete to take his talents to the mic – the sports world is filled with other rapping hopefuls who’ve tested their rhyming chops… for better and worse. Below, 10 of the most noteworthy athlete-rap performances.

Enable JavaScript to check out our fancy slideshow.

1.Just Say No

The Showtime Lakers gave us one of the original examples of the athlete rap. This team job was a PSA to stop drug use. Highlights include brightly colored tank-tops and Kurt Rambis being awkward.

2.Ovi On The Mic

Alex Ovechkin has never won a Stanley Cup. He's also never won any awards for rapping. Need proof? Here's Alex-the-Not-So-Great" making a cameo in this Russian rap piece. Really, it seems like Ovi has a go-to dance move, and... that's about all he's got.

3.Super Bowl Shuffle

The Chicago Bears blitzed, barreled, and shuffled their way to a Super Bowl in 1985. And they also made this ridiculous video.

4.The Big Aristotle

Shaq has one of the highest-profile music careers of any athlete - his lighthearted, cliche basketball rap has gained him some notoriety over the years. But this rap performed at a club after the Celtics beat the Lakers in the NBA Finals is what got Shaq the most attention. It's okay, Vlade Divac: you can watch.

5.I Cook The Track Up Like A Frozen Pizza

Serena Williams may be one of the best female tennis players of all time, but her rap skills are not quite up to that same standard. Serena's debut track, which may very well be her last, featured some less-than-great one-liners such as, "Schoolin’ these rappers, they should pay tuition." Stick to tennis, Serena.

6.Who Dey

The Cincinnati Bengals are one of the NFL's most peculiar franchises. In an attempt to mimic (or mock) the Bears' Shuffle video, the Bengals brought us Who Dey. Cincinnati did not subsequently win a Super Bowl, or even come close.

7.Blow The Whistle

Bob Ley is a well-known, respected reporter in the sports world. His insight on Outside the Lines has enriched our lives for years. But don't ask him to read Jay-Z lyrics, for the love of god. Some background on the incident: DeShawn Stevenson was then on the Washington Wizards. He and LeBron had some beef brewing. James' good pal, Jay-Z, decided to write a diss song about Stevenson. And then Bob Ley, caught in the cross-fire, was asked to read those lyrics on live television. The results?

8.Chocolate Strawberry

Following the Mets' World Series win in 1986, Darryl Strawberry gave us this gem. Thank god he named it Chocolate Strawberry, because we certainly couldn't think of such a hilarious name.

9.Here's To The Haters

Sam Malone of Cheers proved the naysayers wrong (or right) with this excruciatingly awkward rap. The good news is, he was just acting (we think).

10.Bend Ya knees

For some reason, in the long list of ridiculous dance songs such as Snap Yo Fingers, Crank Dat Soulja Boy, the John Wall, and the Macarena , Bend Ya Knees got lost in the fold. Current Pirates outfielder Lastings Milledge brings us this track. As to why this track never went double-platinum is anyone's guess.