The National Basketball Association is home to a few hundred athletes who are the best in the world at what they do. But many of those players have talents beyond shooting hoops, too — and several of these pro ballers nurture a passion for music off the court.
For some, the artform is simply a side hobby. Whether it’s laying down beats, free-styling bars or diligently practicing an instrument, music offers them a temporary escape from the pressures of making baskets and winning games.
For others, music is just as serious a career as b-ball. These players spend their off-seasons in recording studios, filming music videos or plotting their next song or album rollout.
Ahead of this year’s All-Star weekend in Indianapolis, Billboard is celebrating both types of music lovers — casual and committed — in the NBA. The 2023-24 season has been rife with players with musical pursuits, from rap spitfires Miles Bridges and Damian Lillard to piano prodigy Zeke Nnaji.
These talented individuals, it should be noted, follow a long history of musicians in the league. Ex-Lakers champion Shaquille O’Neal is a successful rapper and DJ who’s charted several songs on the Billboard Hot 100; late GOAT Kobe Bryant recorded a rap album, the never-released Visions, in 2000; Allen Iverson, Lou Williams, Dwight Howard, Iman Shumpert and more NBA fixtures have all released songs during their careers.
As for those who are currently still in the NBA, keep reading to see 12 musically gifted players — as well as the teams they play for (as of the 2023-24 season), their preferred genres and their latest releases — below.