Fair Warning: There are spoilers throughout the piece below from episodes of both Season 1 and Season 2, which can be found on Netflix.
Both sports and television shows are forms of entertainment; why not combine the two? Dime analyzed the NBA and Netflix’s hottest show, House of Cards, and dug up league stars and their best-fitting counterparts from the show. Both character traits and actions, as well as player relationships and rivalries with one another, were used to determine the pairings.
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Frank Underwood – LeBron James
Win at all costs. These two men vying to become the most powerful leaders in their respective fields do almost anything to achieve their goals. Frank Underwood begins House of Cards as a congressman who longs to move up the ranks in the White House. After months of deceit and other ungodly activities, the ruthless leader becomes President of the United States of America. As he once said (cue the southern accent), “the road to power is paved with hypocrisy, and casualties.”
LeBron James fled the Cavaliers in controversial fashion after seasons of disappointment, failing to bring an NBA title to Cleveland. Now, LBJ is a two-time defending NBA champion of the Miami Heat and on top of the basketball world, but not before he ripped the hearts out of countless Clevelanders with The Decision. Though he has fallen back in good favor with many of those who previously despised him, there is another summer of free agency looming for The King. What will he do next?
Claire Underwood – Dwyane Wade
Every Alpha needs those to assist them. Both Claire Underwood–Frank’s wife–and Dwyane Wade have provided this to their other-halves to allow prosperity for all. Without them, we might have never witnessed Frank taking control of the Oval Office or LeBron hoisting up (not one, not two…) Larry O’Brien championship trophies.
Mrs. Underwood does what is needed to propel her husband’s political career, from aborting her baby to misleading the First Lady. She shows little remorse for her cold-blooded behavior.
D-Wade righteously took a large step back for the greater good of his team, allowing James to take the lead role in pushing the Heat to the center of the basketball universe. Similarly to Claire, Wade’s sacrifices have paid dividends.
Not to mention, the duo is pretty fun to watch:
Raymond Tusk – Kevin Durant
While it is certainly nice for Underwood and James to be revered by almost everyone around them, there are those who continue to chase their coveted positions. Raymond Tusk, the billionaire industrialist, attempts to take down Underwood from afar, just as KD is still in search of dethroning James in both the MVP and title races. He’s inching closer, too.
Remy Danton – Russell Westbrook
“This town ain’t big enough for the both of us” is an expression these two “sidekicks” may believe in. Danton serves Tusk like Westbrook serves Durant, but it is clear that both of them are ready to become their own Batman and no longer live like Robin.
Danton is a growing star in the political world who has recently made partner at SanCorp, a prestigious natural gas company which promotes drilling in Washington. He joins forces with Tusk to bring down Underwood, but the plan fails once the two parties clash on their views and direction in which they are headed.
At the age of 25, Westbrook is entering the peak of his career and is considered by many of those close to the NBA as a top-10 player in the league. Yet the Oklahoma City Thunder star tends to try to do too much on the floor at times while leaving the best pure scorer in the game–KD–out to dry. The two have clashed on multiple occasions, and a breakup of one of the Association’s most talented duos might be on-deck.
Garrett Walker – Kobe Bryant
Both Mr. Walker and Mr. Bryant experience similar fates following the peaks of their careers. Walker held office as the country’s president while Bryant won five NBA championships, but it wasn’t until the entrances of Underwood and James that their potential downfalls became harsh realities. Walker was duped by Underwood multiple times and wasn’t ambitious enough to remain in the seat as the world’s most powerful person. Bryant, due to his age and the rise of James, began to slowly fall to the back-end of the league’s superstars.
Zoe Barnes – Paul George
Some nip at the heels of those in charge, seeking information for their own personal gain, but also to help their team around them. Zoe Barnes, originally a young and underachieving reporter at the Washington Herald, reaches national prominence due to the inside information she receives from Underwood, her direct connection to the White House. She then leaves the Herald for her new job at the up-and-coming Slugline news outlet.
Paul George has quickly emerged as one of the NBA’s biggest threats. He led the Indiana Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals last season and has them in position to, at the very least, reach the same destination this year. Yet, the 23-year-old is always looking to learn more to take him to the next level of NBA superstardom. Recently he told Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders that he wants to be mentored by LeBron James to “pick his brain, pick his mind.”
Keep reading for more on House Of Cards…
Doug Stamper – Joakim Noah
Every organization or team needs those team players who will go above and beyond for the brothers they go to war with day in and day out. These men may be under-appreciated, but are invaluable to the success of their groups.
Doug Stamper acts as Underwood’s chief of staff. He rarely, if ever, gets thanked or appreciated for his efforts but is instead showered with more orders to fulfill and projects to complete. Yet Stamper is the glue that keeps Underwood and his team together and is also aware of all of Underwood’s shady activities, never spilling a word.
While Joakim Noah and LeBron James are anything but close, the Chicago Bulls star is as essential to any team as there is in the league today. He hustles. He dives on the court for loose balls. He picks up his teammates, and is just a whole lot of fun to watch. Though Stamper is more low-key than Noah, they both share one common value: loyalty.
Peter Russo – Derrick Rose
So much potential, but the questions linger about whether Derrick Rose will continue to fizzle out from injuries or regain his health to remain in the conversation of the league’s elite. In the past two seasons, Rose has torn both his ACL and meniscus and now his future in the league is up in the air.
Peter Russo had the makings of a budding star in the political scene. Despite alcohol and drug-related issues, the congressman from South Philadelphia became a candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania and was gaining momentum, only to be victimized by Underwood, who set him up for failure and ensured Russo wouldn’t live to potentially ruin Underwood’s eventual plans of power.
Just as Underwood got the best of Russo, James has showed up Rose before:
Rachel Posner – Brook Lopez
Both Rachel Posner and Brook Lopez are the products of bad breaks. Posner was brought up in an abusive household before becoming a prostitute. Russo hired her for one night but was arrested on DUI charges, and those close to him became nervous she would leak the information about the congressman. Posner was forced to live in isolated households and live an abnormal life, staying away from typical, everyday society.
The Brooklyn Nets star puts up extremely productive numbers every time he takes the court, but Lopez’s on-going problem has been being able to stay on the floor. The 7-footer has suffered ankle and foot injuries since the 2011-2012 season and is currently sidelined with a broken right foot. Lopez holds impressive career numbers of 18 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.
Freddy Hayes – Goran Dragic
Freddy Hayes aims to please. He was the proud owner of Freddy’s BBQ, where Underwood was one of his most frequent customers. Prior to his business, however, Hayes was incarcerated for an armed robbery. Still, he bounced back from the rough beginnings and took a lot of pride in his restaurant. Even when Underwood left it behind and Freddy opted to close it down, he walked away proud of what he had accomplished.
Goran Dragic began his career on the fritz, playing just over 13 minutes per game in his rookie season with the Phoenix Suns. The Slovenia native remained persistent, and is now one of the league’s most surprising stars. The point guard has also remained loyal, spending five out of his seven seasons in the league with the Suns.
And just like Freddy, Dragic aims to please:
What do you think?
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