Halloween is fast approaching, and if you’re still searching for a costume, what better place to search for inspiration than with some of your favorite athletes. Many athletes use Halloween as an opportunity to show their sense of humor, while others decide to use their physical attributes in costumes on the spookier side of things. In the age of social media, a good Halloween costume can be a great opportunity for a boost in positive publicity.

In recent years, athletes have dressed up in costumes to participate in a variety of charity events and team parties. Many athletes use the Halloween season to participate in children’s charity events while in costume, which is a pretty awesome way to celebrate the holiday. Others like to join their teammates for Halloween outings, which can involve trick or treating or hitting the club scene. Whatever the reason, it is great to see athletes get in the spirit of the Halloween season.

Every year, the bar for the best athlete Halloween costume is raised. Athletes are willing to pay top dollar and employ professional makeup artists to put the finishing touches on their costumes. The key to a good Halloween costume is commitment. These athletes made the commitment to their costumes and are now rewarded with the 10 best athlete Halloween costumes.

15 15. Joe Lauzon – MMA

Joe Lauzon managed to creep out most of social media with his picture of his Halloween costume from a few years back. Lauzon dressed as a real-life version of Mickey Mouse, wearing red shorts, a black shirt, and Mickey’s gloves, while wearing a creepy face painted version of the Disney character’s face. Even though he appears to be smiling in the picture, even his dog seems to be wondering whether or not it might terrify children.

14 14. Georges Laraque – Hockey

Georges Laraque may have retired from his career as an enforcer in the NHL, but he still took the time to share his Halloween costume from last year with the fans. Laraque dressed as a bride for Halloween and really committed to the costume, with a full wedding dress, veil, and jewelry. It also appears that Laraque either wore a wig or got hair extensions for the costume. Either way, Laraque makes one of the scariest brides in Halloween history.

13 13. Brian Elliott - Hockey

St. Louis Blues goaltender Brian Elliott gets bonus points for incorporating his last name into his Halloween costume. The 29-year-old goalie dressed as Elliott from Stephen Speilberg’s classic film, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and absolutely nailed it. Elliott put E.T. in the basket of his BMX bike and even got his dog involved in the photo opportunity. Hockey players seem to really let their creative sides show when it comes to Halloween.

12 12. Bill Belichick – Football

Bill Belichick seldom lets his personality shine through during his media appearances, but last year he took a break from laughing in the face of NFL injury reporters to do a very good job dressing as a pirate. Belichick’s girlfriend Lauren Holiday posted the pictures on Instagram of the couple dressed as a pair of swashbuckling pirates, with the Patriots coach wielding a sword while wearing an eye patch. Maybe he’s not such a bad guy after all.

11 11. Paul Pierce – Basketball

Paul Pierce has always been a fan of Halloween and has routinely displayed his holiday spirit over the years in a variety of ways. Two years ago, Pierce teamed up with his family to wear the group costume of the Powerpuff Girls and the Professor, while his oldest daughter decided to go as Merida from Tangled. Pierce donned a lab coat and opted for the cigar over the Professor’s traditional pipe, but still managed a great ensemble costume.

10 10. Dennis Pitta – Football

Dennis Pitta is currently out of football for several more months while he recovers from a fractured and dislocated hip. He made the most of the injury by incorporating it into his Halloween costume, which also involved his family. Pitta dressed up as a hospital patient, while his wife was a nurse, but the best part of the costume is their daughter, who went as Dr. Baby. Pitta will begin an active rehab regiment in several weeks and hopes to make a return to the field next season.

9 9. Serge Ibaka – Basketball

Serge Ibaka threw down the gauntlet last year when he dressed up as Prince Akeem from the Eddie Murphy classic movie, Coming to America. Ibaka chose to dress as Akeem from the scenes where he is working as a McDonald’s employee. Ibaka went all out and found the perfect vest, bowtie, and hat combination and was joined by his girlfriend Keri Hilson, who dressed as Lisa McDowell. The only major difference between Ibaka and Murphy is the huge height difference as while Murphy is 5'9," Ibaka is 6'10".

8 8. DeJuan Blair – Basketball

DeJuan Blair may only have been a role player on the San Antonio Spurs, but he was their best performer on Halloween. On an evening that also featured Manu Ginobli as Zorro and Stephen Jackson as the Joker, Blair stole the show with a spot on version of Jam Master Jay. Complete with an inflatable boombox, Blair and the Spurs partied at Tony Parker’s night club. We’re still waiting to see what Blair will bring to the table with his Washington Wizards teammates.

7 7. Josh Sundquist – Paralympian

Paralympian Josh Sundquist has developed a reputation for some of the best Halloween costumes in recent years. Sundquist is an above the knee leg amputee and has in past years dressed up as a Gingerbread man and a leg lamp. This year, to celebrate his participation in the Amputee World Cup, Sundquist dressed up as a foosball player. Sundquist lost his leg in his childhood due to a battle with Ewing’s sarcoma, but has found success as an alpine skier, motivational speaker, and amputee soccer player.

6 6. Boston Bruins – Hockey

Several members of the Boston Bruins celebrated Halloween with a bit of “reverse trick-or-treating” when they visited the Boston Children’s Hospital dressed as the cast of Frozen. Matt Fraser, Dougie Hamilton, Kevan Miller, Seth Griffith, Matt Bartkowski, and Torey Krug were the participating members of the team that took pictures and signed autographs with kids. Hamilton and Fraser squeezed into dresses for the occasion, but there is no word if a rendition of “Let it Go” was sung at the event.

5 5. Shaun White – Snowboarding, Skateboarding

Shaun White used his trademark mop of red hair to create perhaps the most original athlete Halloween costume. With his hair braided in pigtails, White wore a blue dress and carried a Wendy’s cup to almost perfectly portray the fast food franchise’s mascot. Dave Thomas would certainly be proud of the two-time Olympic gold medalist snowboarder. Perhaps White can use this to get himself an extra endorsement deal...

4 4. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva – MMA

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva may have taken a page out of the classic Halloween repertoire, when he dressed as the classic movie monster from Frankenstein. By embracing the extraordinary proportions of his cranium, Bigfoot went above and beyond with a great makeup job, which has him looking exactly like the Boris Karloff version of the Monster. Hopefully there were no gullible people around, as they might have thought their nightmares had come true.

3 3. Randy Couture – MMA

Randy Couture took a break from making action movies to walk the red carpet along with his girlfriend Mindy Robinson. Couture used it as an opportunity to poke fun at fellow MMA fighter, Chuck Liddell. Couture donned a Mohawk and looked like a perfect fight-ready version of the Iceman, while his actress girlfriend dressed up like a ring-girl. The only logical next step is for Liddell to respond with a Randy Couture costume.

2 2. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson – Professional Wrestling

Dwayne Johnson is now a major Hollywood superstar and a professional wrestling legend. During his time away from the ring, The Rock decided to post a picture of his Halloween costume, which was an intimidating version of The Incredible Hulk. Gamma radiation poisoning and anger were not necessary for Johnson to transform into the Hulk, and he only used a wig, a torn pair of jeans, and some green body paint. Maybe this was his attempt to audition for Marvel's Incredible Hulk movies?

1 1. P.K. Subban – Hockey

P.K. Subban went above and beyond this Halloween when he hired makeup artist Liza-Marie Charron to add the finishing touches to his Michael Jackson Thriller costume. Complete with the red leather jacket and pants, Subban was certainly a scarier and more intimidating version of the King of Pop’s classic music video character. P.K. wore the costume to the Montreal Canadiens party last week, and certainly set the bar for athletes to beat in 2014.