Athletes had always valued other sports and many of them are brave enough to challenge their athleticism in a completely different sport. Among the traditional and popular sports like football, baseball, and tennis, we’ve seen many NBA stars that love horse racing.
Horse racing has always been one of the most prestigious sports where the elite joins together to watch these majestic beasts baffle around the track. Apart from being prestigious, horse racing is also very exciting to watch, which is why some NBA stars decide to spend their free time watching horse races and probably try their hand at betting.
Some NBA stars even decide to participate in horse racing by owning a horse, which proves the connection between NBA and horse racing. Who knows if you will see one of these names attending the Kentucky Derby 2022?
Even though both sports don’t share many similarities apart from the excitement, here are some of the NBA athletes that have a passion for horse racing.
Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic is the golden nugget for the Denver Nuggets and he had shocked everyone with his exceptional NBA performance over the past few years. Nikola Jokic was drafted in 2014 for the 41st overall pick and has become the lowest-picked player to win the MVP title.
However, we are not here for his NBA skills and performance. We are here to highlight his love for horse racing.
He grew up in Serbia with two older brothers who always played basketball. He fell in love with the sport and decided to continue with his passion. However, at some point in his life, he started to go into horse racing.
He fell in love with horse racing due to horses’ beauty and elegance. He considers horse racing as a hobby and he never decided to pursue his horse racing dream professionally.
Jokic spent a lot of time with horses back when he was 15 years old. He loved the entire process from cleaning them to riding them. His family owned a stable that was like a club, that seeks professional attention. However, they only participated in one amateur horse race and came out fourth place.
Tony Parker
Here we have another successful NBA star that also shared his passion for horse racing. The former San Antonio Spurs star born in Belgium has decided to return to a childhood love of horses in the late days of his NBA career.
He became a professional racehorse owner and wanted to participate in all of the big horse racing events. His Infinity Nine Horses stable is getting quite a bit of attention on social media, and
It is hardly shocking to see a successful sportsman investing in horses. After all, horse racing can turn out to be a profitable business.
He even decided to film the entire process and make a horse racing documentary called The Big Bet. Parker started to make ambassador deals with Equidia which co-produced the documentary.
Tony Parker has a deep passion for horse racing. He likes to modernize the sport and make it more popular for the average person. Parker thinks that the public has a different perception of horse racing and cannot clearly see the beauty of the sport.
Rex Chapman
Rex is another former professional basketball player that turned to horse racing once he was done playing in the NBA. Since he comes from Kentucky, the home of the biggest horse race in the world – The Kentucky Derby, it is not shocking to find that he has a passion for horse racing.
He finished his NBA career playing for the Phoenix Suns, after gravitating to the “sport of kings”. He is a huge horse racing fan which explains his ownership interests. His participation in the sport goes beyond owning a horse. There is also a horse race track named in his honor at Santa Anita.
Chapman is a big horse racing enthusiast and participates in the sport in many different ways.
