Ranking the Top 10 Funniest Athletes

New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson spent Saturday night doing something he's never done on a basketball court: trying to make America laugh.

Fresh off leading the Knicks to their first NBA championship in 53 years and winning Finals MVP, Brunson took the stage to host the Season 52 premiere of Saturday Night Live . In his opening monologue, he brought in Knicks teammates Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart and turned his late-game reputation into a punchline. He also starred in a memorable High School Musical parody sketch.

Brunson's SNL debut is a reminder that the line between professional athlete and entertainer has never been particularly rigid. Some athletes have breakout roles in TV and film comedies, some use social media better than a Gen Z brand manager, and some are simply gifted with natural off-the-cuff timing or deadpan delivery.

It's difficult to rank athletes' comedy chops because they all shine in different ways. Kevin Durant is a grade-A troll. Peyton Manning is the ultimate character actor. Shaquille O'Neal uses his size to his advantage with physical humor and slapstick comedy.

Still, we persist. Here is our ranking of the 10 funniest athletes ever to grace our screens, courts and fields.

Honorable Mention: Tom Brady (Unintentionally Funniest Athlete)

Some athletes are funny because they're working hard at it. They star in Hollywood films or host SNL . Others are naturally funny, shining when they clap back on social media or drop a non sequitur on live TV.

Meanwhile, Tom Brady has produced his funniest moments when he is not actively trying to be funny. In fact, Brady's form of humor might be termed anti-comedy. During his entire career, he painstakingly built a public persona as the most committed, serious and competitive guy in the room (any room; pick a room).

But in the vein of Michael Scott, Brady's combination of self-seriousness, earnestness and obliviousness often make him the funniest person in the room, even if he doesn't realize it.

There is an exception: If you can get Brady to relax, you can get some genuinely incredible moments out of him. The ultimate example is the Bucs' 2021 championship parade, where Brady, spurred on by several shots of tequila , made an underhand toss of the Lombardi Trophy from his moving boat to another moving boat. Thankfully, tight end Cameron Brate caught the pass.

The highest compliment for any funny person is that they don't have to work at it; it's inherent in their nature. That's definitely the case for New York Knicks shooting guard Josh Hart, whose willingness to be the butt of the joke and genuine oddball personality naturally translate to comedy.

Off the court, Hart might be best known for co-hosting The Roommates Show podcast alongside teammate Jalen Brunson and longtime friend Matt Hillman. Using Step Brothers as a blueprint, The Roommates Show is meant to evoke an off-the-cuff dorm-room hang. Hart never hesitates to poke fun at himself, whether it's his hairline or lack of "freak athleticism."

Hart loves a good bit, and one of his best ones was his yearlong campaign to convince fellow Villanova Wildcat Mikal Bridges to join the Knicks. Hart continually pestered Bridges on X , and when Bridges came on to the podcast, Hart removed his hoodie to reveal a Knicks shirt underneath . When Bridges finally joined the Knicks in a blockbuster June 2024 trade, Hart celebrated as if he had been the one to offer the term sheet (and somehow avoided a fine for tampering).

Hart's constant trolling of Brunson's "big head" has also turned Knicks postgame press conferences into appointment television.

Natural comedic talent is all well and good, but WNBA star Sydney Colson has taken it a step further as a student of the medium.

Colson has taken classes in stand-up comedy in preparation for a career as a comedian and actress following her playing days. She even performed a live set at "Fever Fest" during the WNBA's 2025 All-Star Weekend. Colson also treats the arrivals tunnel as an open mic, complete with physical comedy (at times both intentionally and unintentionally tripping).

Sometimes, humor is about more than making people laugh. Colson's Indiana Fever teammate, Caitlin Clark, has praised Colson for her ability to lighten the mood during tougher moments.

Before joining the Fever in 2025, Colson was known for her witty and zany bench antics with then-Las Vegas Aces teammate A'ja Wilson.

Preseason Contenders in Desperation Mode

Though he was billed as a brooding powerhouse ("The Animal") during his WWE career, the signs that Dave Bautista would be a natural comedian were already there. His persona involved taking everything literally, theatrical dramatics and sometimes unhinged tantrums, which played well against characters such as John Cena's fan-favorite babyface.

But after Bautista left WWE (the first time) in 2010, his comedic chops really started to develop. He took on what would become his breakout film role as Drax the Destroyer in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy , which he reprised in five more Marvel films between 2017 and 2023. (See: "I'll do you one better: Why is Gamora?")

His role as an aggro Twitch streamer in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery in 2022 allowed him to blend WWE acting and screen acting into a perfect comedic vessel. Off the big screen, Bautista displays his deadpan, dry wit when he replies to internet comments .

A Twitter/X All-Star, Kevin Durant toes the delicate line between obnoxious and hilarious that is inherent to trolling, which by all accounts is one of his favorite pastimes.

It doesn't matter whether you're a former teammate or an anonymous egg (remember those?) with 12 followers. There's a good chance Durant will jump into your mentions and roast you mercilessly.

There are too many gems to list here, but the Hall of Fame moments from early in Durant's career (c. 2009–10) include the hot take that " Twitter is better than goin to da club ," getting robbed by a dog , struggling with bubble guts , wanting to drink Scarlett Johanssons bath water and being unable to believe what he was seeing when he saw a girl in the club (da club) with a duffel bag for a purse .

As the years have gone on and KD's follower count has soared over 20 million, he has kept his innermost thoughts closer to the vest. But you'll still find him trolling fans and media members in equal measure.

On one hand, no list of the funniest athletes of all time would seem complete without LeBron Jame. On the other hand, you'll find detractors from Redditors to Stephen A. Smith terming his particular brand of humor "corny," dismissing him for trying too hard and being too earnest.

It all comes down to your taste. After all, not all comedy is for everyone.

There's no denying LeBron is a ham. He embraces the role, and has done so in everything from roles in feature films like Trainwreck to hosting SNL . In the latter role, he was completely down to do self-owning sketches like "LeBronologue," a parody of his own Nike commercial.

You will never not find LeBron committing to the bit . If he just toned down the skits that turn out to be commercials and sponsorships, he would certainly win over some of his detractors.

Coming up in WWE alongside Dave Bautista, John Cena was likewise destined to blossom into a bonafide comedian. During his wrestling career, he was known for his out-of-the-box insults of rivals like The Rock and Roman Reigns and charming the crowd with his wholesome hero persona.

But if the world at large didn't know just how funny John Cena (a true "full name on every reference" person) could be, he welcomed the chance to prove it when he took his talents to Hollywood.

Like LeBron, Trainwreck was John Cena's entry point to mainstream comedy. Since starring as Amy Schumer's unnervingly intense boyfriend in 2015, he has gone on to flourish in films like Daddy's Home , Sisters , The Suicide Squad and Barbie , while arguably becoming as well-known for his role as Peacemaker as for his legendary WWE career.

One could feasibly put the top four of these rankings in any order and not be wrong. Some would undoubtedly argue Marshawn Lynch deserves the No. 1 slot, as he has leaned into the comical contrast between his public persona and actual personality and made it his trademark.

It all started with "I'm just here so I won't get fined" at Super Bowl media day, a bit which became so famous that he registered it as an official trademark in 2015. Lynch developed a reputation for being difficult with the media, racking up more than $1 million in fines for skipping press conferences during his career.

But as Marshawn revealed more of his true personality in appearances on Conan , The League, Murderville and Xbox promos (Jericho forever), it became clear that if you allow Marshawn to be Marshawn on his own terms, the result is comedy gold.

His funny streak predates his NFL career, too. At Cal, he celebrated an overtime win by joyriding a medical injury cart around the field.

Inside the NBA isn't a studio show with some comedy; it's a comedy show with some basketball. Charles Barkley is to Inside the NBA as Ellen Pompeo is to Grey's Anatomy , having been at the heart of the show for more than 25 (!) years.

Having more than two decades to hone his comedic timing and develop recurring bits gives Barkley a clear advantage over other current and former athletes. However, it's also harder to be considered consistently funny over a long period of time. You have to prove it's a trait, not a fluke. And you undoubtedly develop more haters.

Enough intellectualizing; let's turn to the bits themselves. Barkley has had some incredible highlights over the years, although the women in San Antonio might beg to differ .

There was the time he attempted to break David Blaine's record of 7:08 minutes holding his breath underwater and failed by 6:44 . There were his short-sleeve button-up shirts and nearly falling asleep from boredom.

One of the funniest moments of Barkley's television career is the infamous bracelet story . It starts with Kenny Smith asking Barkley who made his bracelet and devolves into three minutes of sheer chaos.

Among everyone featured here, Shaquille O'Neal excels the most at slapstick comedy. At 7'1", he uses his size to his advantage.

If comedy is a study in contradictions, Shaq's enormous physical presence combined with his childlike antics is a recipe for success almost every time.

Shaq plays off Charles Barkley on Inside the NBA . During Barkley's infamous bracelet story, Shaq did a spit take before getting up and walking away from the set, wheezing, which in turn made Barkley's bit even funnier.

Other times, the big man has literally fallen off the set. As his "Shaqtin' a Fool" segment proves, Shaq has always been down for the bit.

Like many of the other athletes in these rankings, Shaq has shown off his comedy chops in TV and films such as Kazaam , Steel , Grown Ups 2 and Scary Movie 4 .

Like his longtime rival Tom Brady, Peyton Manning cultivated a reputation for being intense, hypercompetitive and self-serious. But Manning is self-aware enough to understand that it's objectively funny to apply that persona to situations that in no way warrant it.

The most famous example is the United Way sketch from when Manning hosted SNL in 2007. Frustrated that the kids he's playing with aren't living up to his expectations, he hurls expletives at them and beans them in the back of the head with the ball.

The bit was so outrageous that Manning initially refused to do it . Then one parent of a child actor allegedly ran over and said, "I want him to hit my kid in the face!" Then it was off to the races.

Manning may have the best natural comedic timing of any athlete on this list. He's not the type to throw everything against the wall to see what sticks; he's intentional and chooses his moments, meaning that he doesn't often miss.

While a legitimate argument could be made for anyone in this top four, we're handing the crown to Peyton.