The Most Athletic Celebrities (Some Who You'd Never Expect)
Expect the unexpected.
Photo: Instagram/Justin Timberlake
You don't think celebs are simply good looks and character acting? Some of them have skills that far exceed our expectations (and abilities) when it comes to athleticism.
We shouldn't quit our day jobs,
The Last Night's Game Team
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
Justin Timberlake is known for his dance moves, but he’s also an avid golfer. He started playing when he was 12, and rumor has it, he has a 6 handicap. (The lower, the better). Timberlake is also a partial owner of the Memphis Grizzlies (NBA – National Basketball Association) and has a stake in the Music City Grand Prix ownership group. LIKE I LOVE YOU
GEENA DAVIS
She may have played the sensitive catcher in “A League Of Their Own,” but maybe Geena Davis should’ve tried out for the role of Katniss? The six-foot-tall Academy Award-winning actress nearly qualified for the Olympics in archery. After being inspired by the 1996 Summer Olympics, she began practicing five hours a day, six days a week. After two years, she came in 24 out of 300 competitors in an Olympic qualifier. DANG GEENA
ADAM SANDLER
Adam Sandler is a force to be reckoned with on the basketball court. While he’s best known for playing a golfer in “Happy Gilmore,” it’s his basketball skills that have some NBA players talking. The 55-year-old actor has been known to delight in a pickup basketball game or two when filming. IT’S ALL IN THE HIPS
MARIA MENOUNOS
A-list celebrities and athletes alike line up to play in the Super Bowl’s “Madden Bowl,” a knock-out tournament that pits celebs against each other in a game of Madden NFL. Well, the former Access Hollywood host Maria Menounos showed them all who was boss. In 2011, she became the first woman ever to win the championship title for the Madden Bowl. TAKE IT TO THE HOUSE
JUSTIN BIEBER
We all know Justin Bieber is Canadian, and just because he’s Canadian doesn’t mean he’s great at hockey, except when he is. In 2012, he was offered an ECHL (East Coast Hockey League) contract with Bakersfield for his great puck handling skills. You might remember back in early 2020 when All-Star NHL (National Hockey League) goalie Jordan Binnington challenged Bieber to a shootout after seeing a video on the pop star’s Instagram. Bieber has also been known to pick up a game or two with a few of his NHL friends. NEVER SAY NEVER
Honorable mentions go out to Steve Carrell (hockey), Terry Crews (football) and Nelly (softball and football).
Never Gonna Give You Up, Never Gonna Let You Down
Which athlete is taking over for Chris Harrison, mean girls no more in Atlanta and who picked on LeBron and lost.
Day in and day out, we’ve got your back, making small talk easier and more successful.
Kudos to you for being here today,
The Last Night’s Game Team
WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association)
Pave the way for the new guard. Controversial Atlanta Dream owner Kelly Loeffler is out as an owner of the team, and an ownership group featuring former Dream player Renee Montgomery is in. Montgomery is the first former WNBA player to be an owner of a team. Loeffler previously served as a Republican Senator in the Georgia Senate. Calls for Loeffler to sell her ownership started after she criticized the Black Lives Matter movement. GET WITH THE PROGRAM
Overtime
By now, you’ve heard that longtime Bachelor host Chris Harrison is stepping aside after controversial comments. Stepping in for him during the “After the Final Rose” episode is former NFL player (National Football League), broadcaster, author and host of the YouTube sensation “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man,” Emmanuel Acho. The episode will air after “The Bachelor” finale on March 15. CAN I STEAL YOU FOR A MINUTE?
Sideline stat
The love triangle between Shailene Woodley, Jodie Foster and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (NFL) continues. Last night during the Golden Globe Awards, Foster thanked Rodgers during her Best Supporting Actress acceptance speech for her performance in "The Mauritanian." This is her third Golden Globe Award. A few weeks ago, Rodgers thanked Foster in his acceptance speech for his league MVP award. (It was also the same speech he revealed that he was engaged). So why did Foster return the favor? She's a huge Packers fan. Rodgers' fiancée stars alongside Foster in "The Mauritanian." SO MUCH LOVE
Coaches’ corner
Former L.A. Galaxy player (MLS - Major League Soccer) and current AC Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic is known for his big ego and outlandish comments. Well, he decided to go after one of the world’s most popular athletes, LeBron James. Ibrahimovic criticized James for his social justice efforts. James, who founded the iPromise School, responded by saying, "I would never shut up about things that are wrong…There’s no way I would ever just stick to sports, because I understand how powerful this platform and my voice is." ROLE MODEL MATERIAL
Need Last-Minute Gift Ideas? The 5 Best Gifts Athletes Have Given Each Other
Filled with gifts that not many could afford to put under the tree and some that are from the heart, and that’s what makes it so great.
The holidays may look a little different this year but that shouldn’t stop you from window shopping.
Way better than coal in your stocking,
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. Truly a gift from the heart. For years Peyton Manning wrote handwritten notes to athletes and sports figures who he admired. He spent his off-season writing to the people on this list, usually after they reached a milestone or retired. He would make note of the person’s respect for the game along with his notes of best wishes. AN INVALUABLE GIFT
2. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (aka Mr. Ciara) gifted his linemen (the big guys on the line of scrimmage that protect him from the other team) each $12,000 in Amazon stock when he signed his new four-year/$140 million contract. Previously he gave his offensive linemen TVs and the entire team two-first class airline tickets. Let’s just hope they cashed them in before COVID. THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING
3. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line is a giving group who put a new spin on gift-giving. Instead of exchanging with each other, they pooled their money in order to give special bonuses for staff members who might get overlooked. These are the people that take care of them every day like the kitchen staff, trainers and the equipment team. THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS
4. Gifts with wheels are very popular. Dallas Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott gave his linemen John Deere UTVs and Tom Brady gifted his linemen new Audi A7s. Hall of Fame running back (and Dancing with the Stars winner) Emmitt Smith left a key to a new Hummer in each of his linemen's lockers. Smith had his teammates jumping up and down like little kids. Too bad they were actually for the remote-controlled version. NOW WE'RE TALKING
5. New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley feels the way so many of us do about gift-giving. Barkley admitted to NJ Advance Media, “I’m not really good with gifts. I gave them an option. I gave those guys a limit, I’m not going to tell you what the limit is, but I told them ‘just let me know what you guys want, and I’ll get it,’ and I told some of them that if they wanted me to donate towards a foundation or a charity of their choice, I’d do that, too.” CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
A bonus round the sweets lovers in your life. Quarterbacks Joe Flacco and Trevor Siemian have a sweet spot when it comes to their linemen. Flacco, who was a backup QB at the time, bought his linemen $2,000 slushie machines for the holidays one year, because why not? And now retired Siemian loved Skittles so he bought his linemen custom parkas that dispense Skittles. Yes, the fur-rim hooded parkas have a button on the chest that when pushed, Skittles arrive in a coat pocket. A DREAM COME TRUE