By Evie Marcotullio, June 8th 2023.

The NBA championships are on now, and with the rivalry between Jimmy Butler and Nicola Jokic heating up, the similarities between basketball and musical theatre have never been more evident.

As a varsity basketball player, coach and former musical theatre student/performer, my friends constantly remind me of the mistaken idea that sports and the performing arts are polar opposites. So I’m here to set things straight: musical theatre and basketball stand as parallel lines.

Believe it or not, the skills and discipline needed to succeed are similar.

High School Musical Got It Right!

In this sense, “High School Musical” was completely accurate by showcasing Zac Efron’s character, who played a basketball player, to star in the Spring musical.

The comparison between musical theatre and basketball is important because it allows performers and athletes to broaden their understanding of their profession and discover newfound ways to dominate on stage or the court.

This paves the way for basketball players to further their skills by preparing for games like a performer prepares for a musical, and vice versa.

Kobe Bryant’s Shuffle Ball Change

In the 2000 NBA Finals, the legendary Kobe Bryant rolled his ankle.

He had to rehabilitate it for three months following the championship. To strengthen his ankle, Bryant took tap dancing classes.

When asked about his tap training, Bryant stated: “tap was like the best training for me in the world, because it strengthened my feet, it changed my rhythm and my approach to the game. I was able to change speeds better the following season too. I think there is a lot to be learned from dancers, like their structure and strength. If you go out there and perform or play, yeah you’ll be great every now and then, but if you play with structure and understand the rules and disciplines that go with it, then you reach another level.”

Did you know that the terms used in basketball and musical theatre overlap? Take “triple threat.”

A triple-threat hand position in basketball means a player is ready to complete three key moves: shoot, dribble or pass.

In musical theatre, the triple threat is a term given to multi-talented performers who excel in singing, dancing, and acting.

One example of a triple threat is Ariana DeBose. Ariana DeBose has played lead roles in “Hamilton,” “Bring It On,” and recently won an Oscar for her performance as Anita in Stephen Spielberg’s “West Side Story.”

Practice Time

Let’s talk about “practice,” another term that overlaps…kinda.

Basketball teams typically practice multiple times a week.

College teams usually have basketball practice every day, as well as weight training and game film sessions in which the team watches clips of past games to learn where to improve. Repetition of skills allows for proficiency and increases overall confidence and team commitment during a game.

Only through practice can in-game success be found.

Without practice, basketball players wouldn’t learn the plays and develop the conditioning necessary to achieve their goals. Same for the players on stage.

Despite the different names, practices and rehearsals are so similar that during my days in musical theatre, I annoyed my theatre friends by referring to rehearsals as practices.

There are no small roles, only small players.

Ok, maybe those aren’t exactly Stanislavski’s words, but they make a point.

The term having a “role” in basketball holds a mighty berth because it classifies a basketball player into a specific position on the court.

A player such as Giannis Antetokounmpo’s role requires him to be the leading scorer on his team. The two-time NBA MVP’s role on the Milwaukee Bucks demands he has the ball in his hands constantly so he can score often.

Steve Kerr played a different role when he was with the Chicago Bulls. Kerr was a shooting guard, meaning he played off the ball and was needed for three-pointers. Additionally, his role was to get the ball to his team’s superstars, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, so they could score.

By performing his role night after night, Kerr assisted the Bulls in six championships.

It’s similar in musical theatre.

Players Trod the Backboards Nightly

Night after night Andre DeShields’ played her leading role in “Hadestown”: the Greek God Hermes. Christopher Jackson played the role of George Washington in “Hamilton,” and Aaron Tveit played the role of Christian in “Moulin Rouge.”

In musical theatre, the role of the ensemble, who aren’t stars but support the leading actors, is similar to the bench players on a basketball team.

These days I work as a basketball coach, which means it’s my job to run my team. A coach makes every strategic decision. They pick who gets to play in a game, what role each player will play, decide what plays to run, what skills to work on, and more.

A basketball coach and a show’s director are in similar positions. They both organize everything, use their visions for success, and decide how much time will be allocated to rehearsal and practice.

They are the most vital part of a musical and basketball team.

Although they have different names, intermission and halftime are interchangeable. Or at least, that is what I kept telling my high school theatre director whenever she would yell at me for saying “halftime” during a show.

Getting back to the playoffs, I bet that if the Miami Heat put a bit of Broadway into their practices, they’d be sure to defeat the Denver Nuggets. Or maybe I’m just too much of a Kyle Lowry fan.

Regardless, the NBA finals series between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets, with Hamilton native Jamal Murray, is a thriller.