Athletes Who Have Surprising Celebrity Friendships
Though vastly different in a number of ways, the worlds of sports and entertainment often collide — and when they do, magical things can happen. As many athletes and celebrities frequent the same circles, it is common for them to form friendships.
Being in the public spotlight and in similar forms of entertainment, athletes and Hollywood celebrities often experience the same ups and downs, from unflattering scandals to intense media attention. On a positive note, however, many athletes and celebrities share mutual values based on what they have gone through, which can create a solid foundation for a strong bond.
While many athlete/celebrity friendships make sense, such as the bond between Texas natives Lance Armstrong and Matthew McConaughey, others, like former Chicago Bulls star Dennis Rodman and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, are a bit harder to wrap your head around. Read on to see some of the most surprising athlete/celebrity friendships.
David Beckham and Gordon Ramsay
What does a hot-headed chef and a footballer have in common? Believe it or not, quite a bit! David Beckham and Gordon Ramsay's friendship spans over 15 years, and over time, the two have grown particularly close. The "Hell's Kitchen" chef initially met the football star back in 2006 when he was catering a party for Beckham during the World Cup, as reported by OK! magazine.
From that moment on, their friendship grew. According to the Mirror, Beckham and Ramsay shared common ground as two Brits living in the U.S. Their wives also fostered a friendship as both families moved to Los Angeles; their families also became close due to their children being close in age.
With his wife Victoria Beckham, the football star has four children, while Ramsay shares five children with his wife Tana Ramsay. The Beckhams and Ramsays have celebrated Christmas together, shown support for one another on social media, and even attended some special occasions, including Brooklyn Beckham's wedding to Nicola Peltz.
The pair's friendship goes beyond fun — at one point, Beckham helped his "Uncharted" friend recover from a gruesome injury. Per Men's Journal, when Ramsay tore his Achilles heel, the football athlete was by his side. "Luckily, David Beckham gave me advice on the recovery," Ramsay said. "I admired the way he worked to get back to his old self, and I tried to bring that same kind of heart to my recovery."
Lance Armstrong and Matthew McConaughey
Native Texans Lance Armstrong and Matthew McConaughey have a friendship that dates back to the early 2000s. According to TheThings, the two were brought together while they were both experiencing breakups: McConaughey from actor Penelope Cruz and Armstrong from singer Sheryl Crow. Romance, or the lack thereof, may have brought the two together, but it also led to a stronger bond between them.
Shortly after his breakup from Cruz in 2006, McConaughey was introduced to model Camila Alves by none other than his Tour de France pal. Alves recalled the memory to Access Hollywood (via People), saying, "Lance came to talk to me. You knew they were always together, so I'm like, 'Okay, I'm outta here. I'm going to the other side of the room!'" However, Armstrong's matchmaking paid off, and in 2012, Alves and McConaughey married.
Outside of their respective love lives, the pair similarly bonded over a shared love for fitness. The "Lincoln Lawyer" actor joked with People about working out with his athlete friend, saying, "When people say to me, 'You're in great shape, you must keep up with Lance,' I start laughing. I see the back of his jersey for the first 200 yards of the ride and, after that, I don't see him again until the end."
Apart from their workout sessions and vacations together, the friends also partnered up for Livestrong, Armstrong's nonprofit that focuses on cancer-related issues, as reported by MTV.
Serena Williams and Kim Kardashian
Olympian and legendary tennis player Serena Williams is one of the most renowned athletes in the United States, and arguably the world. It wouldn't be odd for Williams to have connections among a handful of celebrity circles, but who would have thought Kim Kardashian would be in her friend group?
The duo's friendship actually traces back nearly 20 years, before Kardashian had a life in the spotlight. In the early 2000s, the "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" star worked as a closet organizer, which involved cleaning and organizing the closets of many high-profile celebrities, including Williams, as reported by The Sun. Through her job, Kardashian met Williams and the two allegedly hit it off right away.
From that point on, the SKIMS founder and athlete have maintained a close relationship, with Kardashian revealing to Vogue in 2017 just some of Williams's noteworthy traits. "Serena's the girl you can call and say anything to. She'll never judge you, and she's never too busy for you. Oh, and she can keep any secret," she said.
Drew Brees and Brad Pitt
Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees sparked tons of media attention in 2014 when he was spotted with not one, but two famous celebrity actors. In May 2014, Brees was seen on Matthew McConaughey's balcony on Bourbon Street in New Orleans when the two saw Brad Pitt across the way, per BuzzFeed. As it turns out, Pitt lived right by the actor and they two had no idea. To commemorate the revelation, Pitt tossed the two a beer, and the rest is history.
The friendship between Brees and Pitt is strongly rooted in the pair's mutual interest to help others. The NFL star is behind the Brees Dream Foundation, while Pitt has been involved with numerous charitable endeavors. Touching on his partnership and friendship with the "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" actor and his then-wife Angelina Jolie, Brees told TMZ, "We're really happy to call them friends."
Pitt himself hasn't held back about his support for Brees in the media. When TMZ dished out some criticism about the quarterback's playing abilities, the actor stood up for him, saying, "Drew Brees is one of the greatest quarterbacks in the world ... come on, man!"
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lil Wayne
An international football athlete having a friendship with a rapper isn't the weirdest phenomenon, but the relationship between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lil Wayne did take many for a loop when the news first broke. In June 2014, Lil Wayne had his sights on launching a sports management company, similar to that of Roc Nation Sports, which was launched by his rapping peer Jay Z one year prior, per the Bleacher Report.
The company was set to collaborate with Polaris Sports, "which is affiliated with the CAA agency and GestiFute, through which Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes operates," and had plans to make Ronaldo its first client, as reported by TMZ. Outside of dealing with sports affairs, the partnership was intended to handle marketing and endorsements, making it a comprehensive package deal.
The friendship didn't seem to go beyond their potential business partnership, and not long after the initial announcement, Ronaldo shared the news that the rapper and businessman would not be representing him. "There have been news about changes on my management team — it's all false, and I can assure the team is — and will be — the same," he wrote on Twitter. Wayne did follow through and launch his company, Young Money APAA Sports, in 2016.
Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong Un
Athletes and celebrity friendships make sense, but an athlete and a political figure — let alone a dictator — is a bit harder to wrap your head around. Former NBA star Dennis Rodman has stirred up plenty of controversy throughout his career, but nothing has touched his unusual friendship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
The pair's friendship was surprisingly initiated by Kim, who has been a lifelong fan of American basketball — and specifically the Chicago Bulls, as reported by ABC News. Rodman famously played for the team from 1995 to 1998 alongside NBA legends Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Kim invited Rodman, along with three other NBA players, to North Korea's capital of Pyongyang in 2013 to meet, and according to the former basketball star, it was not what he was expecting. "Next thing I know, we are having dinner and we are drunk as s**t, he starts singing karaoke and I have no clue what the f**k he's talking about," Rodman told Mike Tyson on his HotBoxin' podcast.
From 2013 onward, Rodman has made several trips to North Korea to visit Kim, and the two have had a very public, often criticized relationship, per The Washington Post.
Floyd Mayweather and Justin Bieber
Floyd Mayweather is known to have many celebrity friends, but perhaps the most random and surprising is pop singer Justin Bieber. According to TMZ, Mayweather reached out to Bieber after watching his 2011 film, "Never Say Never," and told the singer that he wanted to help mentor him. However, Mashable reported in 2015 that the two actually connected over their mutual interest in the mobile gaming company RockLive, which led to them forming a close bond.
Over the years, the friends have been through a lot together. Mayweather defended Bieber in 2014 after a video surfaced of the "Sorry" singer saying a racial slur, to which the UFC fighter said on Twitter (via Complex), "Justin has been nothing but kind to me, my daughters & sons over the years. We all make mistakes when we are young, it's part of growing up." And when Mayweather's kids were involved in a car accident in June 2014, the singer went to the scene and comforted them while Mayweather was on the red carpet, per TMZ.
By 2017, the pair's friendship went downhill when Bieber unfollowed Mayweather on Instagram after going through counseling at Hillsong Church. Upon hearing the news, the UFC fighter allegedly was furious and called him a "traitor," as reported by TMZ. These ill feelings did not last long, however, with Mayweather telling Hollywood Unlocked in August 2017 that he still loves Bieber and has the utmost respect for him.
LeBron James and Drake
Rapper Drake is notorious for hanging out with athletes and having some famous friends in the NBA, including LeBron James. According to a "Who's Interviewing Who?" interview with both James and Drake, the two met when the Los Angeles Lakers player attended Drake's "So Far Gone" release party in 2009. That meeting was a catalyst for their friendship, which has now spanned over a decade and multiple professional collaborations.
In 2017, the duo produced "The Carter Effect," a documentary about NBA star Vince Carter, who played for the Toronto Raptors, a favorite of Drake, who is a Canadian native. Outside of their business ventures, Drake and James have had their fair share of fun together, with Drake inviting the athlete on stage during a concert in 2018.
James has touched on his friendship with Drake and praised him in a 2018 interview with The Orange County Register, saying, "We've grown closer and closer every year, and I'm proud of who he is today ... Not only as an artist, not only as a son, but as a father. And he's one of the biggest stars that we have on this planet right now, and it's because of who he is and his hard work and dedication to his craft so, it's pretty cool."
Pete Carroll and Will Ferrell
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is not necessarily known for his life outside of the NFL. The gum-chewing, often hot-tempered coach is more associated with his presence on-field, not for what happens outside the stadium — and yet, he has a notable celebrity friendship with none other than comedian Will Ferrell.
Ferrell attended the University of Southern California in the late 1980s and graduated in 1990 with a degree in sports information, per Showbiz CheatSheet. Following his graduation, Ferrell built a successful career in comedy, but the "Saturday Night Live" actor never forgot his time in college. According to Seattle-based news station King5, Carroll met Ferrell during his time as head coach at the university, as Ferrell was a booster at the time. Per the news station, Ferrell would take part in pranking the players whenever Carroll wanted to bring some fun onto the field.
The duo brought their lighthearted nature back to USC when Carroll returned to the university for a speech in 2014. Ferrell kicked a football into the audience with the help of Carroll to hold the ball, but that wasn't the end of their shenanigans. In 2020, Ferrell crashed a Seahawks Zoom meeting to prank the players. USA Today reported that the players were expecting to meet a new teammate, Greg Olsen, but were met with Ferrell instead.
Shaquille O'Neal and Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler is known to be an avid sports fan, particularly of the NFL and the NBA. The actor and producer is the mastermind behind quite a few sports-oriented films, including "The Waterboy" and "Hustle." Among his many athlete friends, Sandler is close with basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal, who has even starred in four of Sandler's movies.
The story behind their friendship is as equally funny as it is awesome. According to O'Neal himself in an interview with Pop Culture, Sandler used to sit courtside at Los Angeles Lakers games alongside actor Jack Nicholson. "I used to always — especially after I scored a bucket and the crowd goes crazy — I'd be like, 'Adam, give me a movie!' He would say, 'Win a championship first,'" O'Neal jokingly told the publication. Once the NBA star won championships, Sandler cast O'Neal in multiple films, including: "Grown Ups 2," "Jack and Jill," "Blended," and "Hubie Halloween."
Over the years, the two have had a fun friendship, with neither holding back on some playful jabs here and there. When a video surfaced of Sandler in an open run with NBA greats like Trae Young and Tobias Harris, O'Neal told the "Green Light with Chris Long" podcast (via InsideHook), "He's legit. Not pro legit, but he's definitely LA Fitness, 24-Hour Fitness legit."
The Lakers legend took back his words and said on "The Big Podcast" in 2022, "...Don't let Adam fool you. He has a hell of a fadeaway."
Jimmy Butler and Mark Wahlberg
Miami Heat player Jimmy Butler is close friends with "Father Stu" actor Mark Wahlberg, whom he met in 2013 when Wahlberg was filming "Transformers: Age of Extinction" in Chicago, per the Chicago Tribune. Among some of Wahlberg's friends, Butler played some casual pickup ball with the actor, and the rest is history. From that point on, the two took vacations together and became close with one another's families.
According to an interview with GQ, Butler credits the actor with helping him with his personal life and work ethic. "He's a huge influence on me. He's a great human being, great dad, man of God, and I think he works so incredibly hard for someone that has what people would consider everything," Butler told the publication. "He works like he has nothing, and I really respect him. I love the fact that I can call at any time and he'll pick up and talk or give me some advice."
With a friendship rooted in core values like family, positivity, and working hard, it's no wonder the two have been close for so many years.