Who Is Jaalen Best? Meet the Actor Playing Muhammad Ali in The Greatest

Five years ago, Jaalen Best was a college basketball player who signed up for an acting class to fill an elective. Now he’s playing the most famous athlete of the 20th century in a lead role, with the Ali family’s blessing.

If you finished The Greatest wondering who this guy is and why you haven’t seen him before, here’s everything we know. For the full cast and series guide, see our complete guide to The Greatest.

From basketball to acting

Best grew up on the East Coast and went to East Carolina University in North Carolina, where he studied exercise physiology with plans to become a physical or occupational therapist. He walked onto the basketball team and was practicing around four hours a day.

In 2019, in his junior year, he took an acting class just to fill a requirement. His teacher told him he “had a face for television,” and he ended up auditioning for a local stage production of Pocahontas, where he was cast as Chief Powhatan. He has said he never wanted to be an actor growing up. The director of that show told him to move to a big city and go for it. He graduated in 2020 and moved to Los Angeles.

Jaalen Best’s movies and TV shows

His recurring role as Ryan Craig on The CW’s All American: Homecoming was the closest thing to a breakout before Ali. The Greatest is his first lead role.

How he became Muhammad Ali

Best was found by casting director Kim Coleman, who had been a casting consultant on Michael Mann’s Ali (2001) starring Will Smith. Amazon announced him in the role in 2024, and the series filmed in Canada in 2025.

He had played basketball, soccer and football but had never boxed. He trained for about six months before cameras rolled, often doing what he described as “12 hour days of just boxing,” with a physical therapist on set. He memorized the punches and movement from Ali’s real fights and worked hardest on the famous footwork, because he felt other actors had gotten the shuffle wrong.

Finding Ali’s voice

Ali’s voice was as famous as his jab. To get it right, Best listened to Ali’s 1963 spoken-word album I Am the Greatest for around five hours a day until he could recite it from memory. He ended up building two voices for the character: the loud, boastful public Ali, and a quieter, more sensitive private one at home with his family. He also studied earlier screen portrayals of Ali, including Will Smith’s.

The Ali family’s blessing

Lonnie Ali, Muhammad Ali’s widow, is an executive producer on the series. She has said Best “embodies Muhammad” and called him a “soulful gem.” Best has said of the role: “I’ve signed up to tell this story, and I’m capable of telling it better than anybody.” Reviews have largely backed him up, with his performance singled out as one of the show’s biggest strengths.

What’s next for Jaalen Best?

Nothing major has been officially announced yet beyond The Greatest. With a starring role in a big Prime Video series and strong reviews, expect that to change soon. We’ll update this page when it does.

FAQ

Watch the official trailer on YouTube.