Jon Stuart Leibowitz (just call him “Leibo”) was a William & Mary men’s soccer walk-on. With high expectations for varsity placement as an all-state player straight out of high school in 1980, the coach promptly rerouted Jon Stewart to the JV team. Coveting the varsity team’s “NCAA Regional Champs” hoodies, Stewart added this reminiscence to his former coach’s book, “I wanted only one thing at that point in life: to earn one of those damned sweatshirts . . . and to lose my virginity . . . but I assume that is for the foreword of a very different book.”
He played hard and won a spot on the varsity team as a tenacious wing. “Leibo” became a team star for his feisty athleticism on the field and for his rousing locker room pep talks off the field. A year before Stewart’s Daily Show launched, the William & Mary soccer program commemorated his contribution by creating the annual “Leibo Award.”
Aubrey Plaza
Queen of sarcasm and deadpan, Aubrey Plaza isn't as mopey as she is on TV. The Parks and Recreation actress is super into basketball and has been playing for an L.A based recreational women's team called the Pistol Shrimps for many seasons now. In fact, the team got so much attention (it's filled with entertainers and writers) that in 2016, it became the subject of a quirky little documentary.
The actress has been very vocal about how much she loves her team, getting quite excited over promoting it on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Jason Lee
Way too cool for school, Jason Lee dropped out of high school to become a professional skateboarder. Now the Huntington Beach local is a boss in three coveted professions. After Mallrats and Chasing Amy, Lee’s a famous slacker actor who is known worldwide as Earl in My Name is Earl. His success in TV and film and shredding professionally apparently wasn’t enough. Lee took on photography as a passion and a profession—his book sold out, pre-production.
As Earl, he’s been nominated twice for Best Actor. And, he’s the co-founder of a skateboard company heavy in merch appeal. In his day, Lee’s street tricks, like kinked rails, varial kickflips, and 360-flipping over any available surface, were nothing short of phenomenal.
2 Chainz
Standing at 6 feet and 5 inches, it wasn't much of a stretch for the now rapper to entertain a life on the court. The rapper bagged himself a scholarship at the Alabama State Unversity and played basketball from 1996-1997. In fact, 2 Chainz (born Tauheed Epps) was actually a Division I basketball recruit in North Clayton High School in College Park, Georgia. The rapper also played one season at Alabama State University, where he played 24 out of 29 games.
The rapper's distinct voice is what really got him attention. Just as well. Before he knew it, he was being parodied on the number one comedy show in America, The Dave Chapelle Show. Countless rap hits later, 2 Chainz basketball stint is a distant memory.
Jane Lynch
Jane Lynch towers at 1.83m, so it should come as no surprise that the Glee star was a super basketball and softball player before she hit our screens. While she was really good, especially due to her height, she actually wasn't a big fan of basketball, but she did love softball.
She is a proud club fan these days, and by the looks of her character, Sue, from Glee, she's probably a monster on the court.