Former Spurs fan favorite breaks record in his new gig off the court

If you didn't know that Boban Marjanovic was a successful Hollywood actor, now you know. The Jolly Serbian Giant was featured in Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore 2, which premiered on Netflix last weekend. The comedy film was streamed over 46 million times over three days, making it the biggest U.S. opening in the history of the giant streaming platform.

Marjanovic had more than a cameo in the sequel to one of Sandler's most popular movies. Playing the role of Drago Larson, Boban elevated the film whenever he was on-screen, interacting with Adam's character among several others throughout the movie. It was a step up in what I've seen from the NBA veteran on the big screen, though, admittedly, I haven't seen everything he's done.

Boban's acting chops are a pleasant surprise for Spurs fans

At 7'4", 290 pounds, Marjanovic hasn't been as successful on the court as you would hope for a man of that size. He showed tremendous touch around the basket at times, but he was slow-footed, and conditioning has always been a problem. Still, he crafted a 9-year career in the league after not joining the NBA until he was 27 years old. That's impressive.

He's always been a spectacular teammate and a positive influence in the locker room. Those traits go a long way. He only played for the Spurs for one season, but made a lasting impact in the community, so when he showed up in John Wick 3: Parabellum, it was an awesome development.

In Keanu Reeves' most successful franchise since The Matrix, Boban played a behemoth assassin named Ernest. His goal was to take out the man himself, and so we got to see the Serbian center fight Reeves in a library. It was shocking, awesome, and hilarious to see him in such a role. Whether they appreciated the third installment or not, I don't know many people who didn't enjoy that scene.

Interestingly enough, Happy Gilmore 2 isn't the first time he's been in a movie with Adam Sandler. The European fan-favorite played a role in the movie Hustle, another Netflix original centered around basketball. He played an upcoming prospect who got the attention of Sandler's character, a scout. It was likely what led to being cast in this record-breaker.

According to IMDB, Marjanovic has been featured in seven titles, including six movies and one TV show, albeit only one episode of the Serbian series Drzavni Posao. His actor page also indicates that he's slated to appear in two more projects in the near future: Verified Target and Robin Hood.