Nine years ago, the New York Times Magazine ran a column asking “Is Everything Wrestling?” At the time, they were mainly referencing the 2016 presidential election, which had an injection of professional wrestling vibes seemingly unlike any before it, but it was a signal that the art of sports entertainment had fully engrained itself in the mainstream.
There was a truth in the answer then, and it remains valid nearly a decade later — yes, everything to an extent is wrestling. Unlike the rest of society, sports and entertainment, however, the NBA and pro wrestling have been tightly intertwined for the better part of three decades now. Shaquille O’Neal has multiple appearances, including wrestling in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, LaVar Ball and his sons Lonzo and LaMelo Ball appeared in a bizarre, off-script segment with The Miz on “Monday Night Raw,” Joel Embiid has adopted the “D-X” crotch chop as his unofficial celebration, even former Celtics center Enes Freedom (né Kanter) has held a championship in WWE.
For some reason, when the intensity gets ratcheted up as the NBA calendar turns to the playoffs, the world’s best basketball players decide to enter the squared circle. Sometimes, these interactions happen in the aftermath of a major series or once a team has been eliminated. Other times, like in 1998, two of the biggest NBA stars in the world will work a professional wrestling angle into the NBA Finals, as Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone did.
In Marc Raimondi’s upcoming book on the NWO and its influence on American culture, titled “Say Hello to the Bad Guys,” the Rodman-Malone feud is one of the signature moments that illustrates the crossover appeal that professional wrestling has within the NBA. As the Bulls — in Jordan’s “Last Dance” season nonetheless — and Jazz squared off for the Larry O’Brien trophy, Rodman and Malone were building toward a tag-team match alongside Hollywood Hogan and Diamond Dallas Page for Bash at the Beach 1998.
“Legitimate sports crossing over with wrestling is a tale as old as time — from Muhammad Ali to Ernie Ladd to Steve ‘Mongo’ McMichael to Shaquille O’Neal,” Raimondi told Uncrowned. “Wrestling as an art has captured the imagination of many a sports star, just like it has laymen in the U.S. and beyond.”
The Rodman and Malone feud was polarizing, but it accomplished its goal when you look at the biggest measures of success in pro wrestling — it drew eyeballs and sold tickets. Rodman was a cultural lightning rod in the late 1990s and to this day is one of the more recognizable names from the iconic NWO run in WCW. Malone, while not having the same penchant for chaos as Rodman, showed he could more than hold his own in the ring.
Fast forward to September 2021, WWE tapped into the NBA playoffs well once again, this time enlisting the help of Hawks All-Star Trae Young. Young, fresh off an Eastern Conference finals trip, still had very real heat among the Madison Square Garden faithful after he scored 30-plus points in all three first-round playoff games against the Knicks at MSG. Naturally, WWE used him to draw a chorus of boos and create a moment from an otherwise forgettable 10-man tag match.
The playbook stayed relatively the same in June 2024, with MSG hosting an episode of “SmackDown.” Weeks after the Pacers eliminated the Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson became involved in a match between Logan Paul, LA Knight and Santos Escobar. Haliburton, like Young years before him, was a natural heel in The Garden and tried to aid Paul by handing him a pair of brass knuckles. Brunson intervened, and after the match decided to enter the ring with a steel chair, chasing off the heels (and giving Knicks fans a scare about his surgically repaired hand in the process).
Once the Knicks dispatched the Celtics last week, the clip of Haliburton and Brunson on “SmackDown” resurfaced and became a trending topic in both the NBA and wrestling worlds. It’s hard to say why the NBA — particularly some of the biggest stars and during the biggest moments — and pro wrestling cross over so well.
Perhaps it’s the nature of the sport itself. It’s remarkably more difficult for one player to take over a game — and draw opposing fans’ ire — in the NFL or MLB compared to basketball. Also, while the NFL essentially generates interest yearlong and is a ratings juggernaut, there still may be somewhat of a disconnect when it comes to culture. When is the last time an NFL player released a popular pair of sneakers? Does the parity of the league and relatively short career span hurt the league compared to the NBA in the crossover department?
There may be no concrete rhyme or reason behind it, but the fact remains, the NBA and professional wrestling are a tag team unlike any other in sports right now. Considering the history there and rivalry between the Knicks and Pacers (then, now, forever, anyone?) there could be plenty of more runway for Tyrese 3:17 and 1A.
“Brunson and Haliburton have a chance to be a modern-day Rodman and Malone, especially if they continue their NBA rivalry in WWE,” Raimondi said.
“I wouldn’t be shocked if that happened.”
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