In Nigeria, many things readily go together. Rice and stew, beans and plantain, and beer and football.

But how about sports and music?

Traditionally, sports and music used to be mutually exclusive industries with very rare intersections. It was rare to see the most successful sports icons delving into music and vice versa….until of late.

Across the last decades, some of the most celebrated sports legends whose names made the major headlines of the biggest newspapers (our major source of information) have ventured into music and fared pretty well.

This article explores the biggest names in sports who also went on to have exciting music careers.

Mohammed Ali

Mohammed Ali (The Greatest) is one of the greatest boxers in history. He’s held multiple major world titles and was named the best sportsman of the 20th century by many notable publications. 

What many fans didn’t know about the legend was that he was also an artiste.

Muhammed Ali always displayed his musical talents when he was a boxer. He’s known to infuse poetry and rap into his trash-talking in the boxing ring and his activism duties.

It was not until 1963 that he officially released his first musical work, a spoken word album titled “I Am The Greatest.” The track was highly successful, selling half a million copies and getting nominated for a Grammy award. Muhammed Ali had other musical works, like “The Adventures of Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay“ and a cover of “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King.

He also loves rap music and uses it frequently in his trash-talking. Many modern rappers have mentioned him as a source of inspiration, most notably Eminem and Chuck D.

Julio Iglesias

Julio Iglesias is the most successful footballer turned musician ever. After an accident cut short his promising football career, he decided to turn to music to forget the trauma. His romance with music worked out well as he became one of the most successful Spanish singers in history.

His global breakthrough album titled 1100 Bel Air Place garnered massive success. He released other albums and projects in 24 different languages, cementing his place as a globally renowned artiste.

Iglesias sold more than 100 million records in his career. He’s also won many top awards in the industry, including the Grammys, Latin Grammys, World Music Awards, and American Music Awards. His contributions to the music industry also earned him a star on Hollywood’s Hall of Fame.

Justin McBride

Justin McBride was a successful bull rider who has two world championship titles to his name. He was the first bull rider to hit the $5 million career-earning mark. Justin was so good that he was inducted into PBR’s Ring of Honor and Bull Riding Hall of Fame in 2009 and 2020, respectively.

McBride decided to enter the music industry in 2007 and fared well during his stint. He specialized in country music and released his debut album, “Don’t Let Go,” just one week before the 2007 PBR finals. Justin released other projects between 2009 and 2012, including the single “Tonight Ain’t the Day” (2010) and “Everybody Loves a Cowboy” album (2012.)

Wayman Tisdale

Wayman Tisdale enjoyed success both as a basketball place and as a musician. He played for the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns in the NBA as a power forward before retiring. Tisdale was also a member of the 1984 Olympic winning team.

He was a smooth jazz bass guitarist and recorded eight albums in his musical career. His most successful project was his 2001 album, “Face to Face,” which peaked at number one on the US Contemporary Jazz chart.

Wayman was diagnosed with cancer in 2007, a complication that led to his death in 2009. He left behind a wife and four children.

Memphis Depay

Memphis Depay is a Dutch professional footballer who currently plies his trade at Barcelona. During his playing days, he was among the most gifted young stars, and France Football named him “Best Young Player” in 2015. Since 2017, Depay has combined his craft with music and has seen some success.

His first song was “LA Vibes” in 2017, followed by the release of “King of Queen” in December of the same year. Memphis also released “5 mill” in 2018 to celebrate his Instagram account as it reached five million followers. He’s also collaborated with artists Winnie and Nana Fofie on the track “AKWAABA.”

Depay has released many other songs loosely based on happenings in and around his life. His last project was an album, “Heavy Stepper,” which he released in 2020. It’s imperative to note that Memphis is still active in football.

Shaquille O’Neil

Shaquille O’Neil played in the NBA for almost 20 years and is unarguably one of the franchise’s best players of all time. He won the championship four times and made the NBA All-Star team 15 times. Shaq was named the franchise’s Most Valuable Player in 2000.

He began rapping in 1993 and had his debut album “Shaq Diesel” certified platinum by the RIAA. Shaq released six albums in his musical career, and many artists featured him as a guest in their tracks. He was on Michael Jackson’s HIStory album in 1995.

What would you say of these sports legends?