Which NBA Stars Could've Played on the Gridiron?

With the G.O.A.T. winning his sixth ring we thought it would be fitting to do a special duel-sport post. No we’re not talking M.J. and his stint as a minor league baseball player. We’re talking the G.O.A.T. of the gridiron, America’s most hated pretty boy, Thomas Edward Patrick Brady, Jr. Side note on that topic: I don’t know if people hate Brady because he’s pretty or if they hate Brady because Giselle is pretty and they love Giselle but Giselle loves Brady so it would never work out between them. Does that make sense?

Anyways, with comparison’s being made between the two great athletes who now have six rings a piece, we thought it might be fun to contemplate what NBA superstars of past and present would have had success tossing the pigskin.

Sure, no NBA player is likely to have been an NFL Hall-of-Famer if you plucked him straight off the hardwood but had their sport careers taken a turn down a different path, what could’ve been?

Quarterback

Chad: Quarterback would be a tough position to play but especially to actually play well. There is so much that goes into being a good quarterback. From height to mobility in the pocket to, obviously, being able to get the ball to the right guy at the right time. It’s truly amazing what the great quarterbacks are able to do. Had there careers gone towards the gridiron though there are a couple of point guards that I think could’ve had successful careers throwing the pigskin. Rondo is the first that comes to mind. He has huge hands, a great basketball IQ which undoubtedly would’ve been a great football IQ had he focused on that sport, and makes impossible passes on the hardwood look effortless. But I’m actually going to go with another passing wizard. One that’s taller than Joe Montana (and Rondo) by three inches making it easier to see over the offensive line, weighs five pounds more than Montana which could help in taking hits, and is second all-time in the NBA in assists. The QB I’m taking from the NBA is Jason Kidd. The way Kidd used to run the fastbreak makes me believe he would’ve been fun to watch scrambling outside of the pocket threading passes into the smallest of targets. For some reason I see him playing alongside Randy Moss.

I know Kidd notably played for Phoenix and Dallas but I picture him as a New Jersey Net which would lead me to place him with the Giants or Jets. But, I can’t get the picture of him throwing Sportscenter Top Ten TDs to Moss in Minnesota’s purple and gold.

Just thought of this guy, and I wouldn’t take him over Kidd, but Grant Hill deserves recognition here for that beautiful football pass he threw right on target to Christian Laettner back in 1992.

Jake: I love your idea of Jason Kidd running the teams offense and scrambling out of the pocket before dishing perfect throws on the move - but I'm going to move towards a more standstill quarterback who's gonna have to rely on a great offensive line. My initial ideas for this pick was someone with nimble feet and a quick pass like Chris Paul or Jason "White Chocolate" Williams - but after thinking about the quintessential QB in today's game I've decided to go for Kevin Love.

A quarterback has never experimented with two handed passes... yet. Kevin Love has the height to see the entire field and hit receivers at the best times possible, he's got the strength and accuracy to throw deep bombs in hail Mary scenarios and the strength to withstand hits from NFL pass rushers (hopefully he doesn't get injured as usual, hence the need for a nice O line). Love has years of experience operating in the high and low post area so he's probably got the vision to avoid incoming pass rushers while remaining in the pocket and getting passes off quickly. He also seems to have a natural willingness to take the blame for situations whether he deserves it or not (just check out his 4 years with Bron in Cleveland) - morally, this makes him the ideal quarterback.

I've got visions of K Love leading his team on 8 minute long drives down the field, with a constant barrage of short, high efficiency passes that oppositions just can't stop - just cutting teams apart basically until the red zone, where he'll either slot a perfect pass through a gap for the touchdown or just be chill and hand off to his running back to score. Kinda like a taller Tom Brady and the New England Patriots this year... so as for team fit, although Love is a Cali boy I'm sure he could appreciate the sports culture of Boston and fit in well there. Tom Brady could teach Love everything he knows before passing the torch as he winds down a legendary career.

Running Back

Chad: I feel like I’m going to say, “Can you imagine?” a lot this article but, can you imagine The Brodie, Russell Westbrook getting a handoff from Aaron Rodgers and going beast mode up the middle of the line and bulldozing a middle linebacker before somersaulting into the endzone? No? Me either. He’d definitely be getting the handoff from Dak Prescott. Without a doubt I can picture this duo electrifying the football world on America’s Team. If he had taken his raw athleticism the football route I think Russ could’ve been just as successful on the gridiron. The intensity, the fury he plays with would almost be more applicable to football than it is in basketball. His balls-to-the-wall mentality actually hurts the OKC Thunder sometimes whereas in a football game if you have someone who’s willing to barrel into a group of defenders head first with no regard for human life you without question play that guy every snap. He’s a game changer. And I would absolutely LOVE to see Westbrook’s touchdown celebration where he dunks on the goalpost so hard it leans to one side for the remainder of the game. The downside here is that with a helmet on we wouldn’t get to see all the outrageously intense faces Westbrook puts on throughout a given game.

Jake: I LOVE the idea of Russell Westbrook in the backfield, you'd almost be able to see the crackle of electricity coming off him before reeling off a 75 yard rush including multiple trucks through bigger linebackers and safeties. I'd hope the NFL create a "Russ Rule", allowing some kind of new bar-less face mask to be worn so that we get to see his demonic, intense expressions after running somebody over. For this position we have a lot of transferable talent from the NBA - the ability to straight up sprint, change of speed while crossing defenders up as well as Euro stepping someone out of their shoes.

So for this pick give me Prime Dwyane Wade. That's right, I'll be taking Flash to run the pigskin. The guy was one of the best first-step explosive players of all time and still made a career from changes of speed mid stride. He tore apart defenses from his ability to either zig-zag towards the rim or just straight up BOUND there. Wade sacrificed his body in his early career in order to play the style he did, and with the running back position you're required to basically sacrifice your body from Day 1 - Running Back careers are usually the shortest and easiest to be affected by injury with the physical demands of the job, but I'm thinking The Flash would put together a Hall of Fame worthy career with his home town Chicago Bears - a team that loves their running backs and would be happy to have a hero emerge in the post-Matthew Forte era. Adding Wade in the backfield alongside Mitchell Trubisky, who's just became the first Bears Quarterback in 33 years to make the Pro Bowl, looks like a pairing that could last for years and maybe even bring a ship' to the Windy City.

Wide Receiver

Chad: Dr. J? David Thompson? Vince? All good selections for wide receiver. But I’m envisioning a taller, still wiry version of Randy Moss. Randy was 6’ 4”, Jerry Rice was 6’ 2”, and Gerald Green at 6’ 7” would be my relative giant of a selection for wide receiver. I mean have you seen the dude do this? Or this? Or even this? It’s hard to say how well any NBA player would do at running routes, although Jimmy Butler has supreme confidence in this area, but assuming Green’s speed and jaw dropping bounce translates, he’d make for one exciting wide out. Need a hail mary jump ball? This is your guy. I picture him playing on several average teams (Drafted by Tennessee, traded to NYJ, signed as a free agent by the Raiders, before ending his career with Kansas City) throughout his career, putting up some solid fantasy numbers, but never finding the greatness his athleticism foreshadowed.

Jake: Like you, I also bounced a few different names around for this pick - LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Giannis Antetekounmpo, JR Smith, Vince Carter etc. All players who either have a receiving background or could use their hops and speed to make highlight catches. In the end, I'll have to say Zach LaVine - the dude can straight up jump. He's got the height (6' 5") and wingspan (6' 8") to catch all kinds of passes from overhead lobs to slant route bullets - he'd be an ideal pairing with Kevin Love on the Patriots but assuming LaVine is entering the current unchanged NFL then I'd love to see him on a team with a daring young QB who'd take chances with the deep ball and allow Zach to fully stretch his own talents with some incredible catches. It would have been awesome to see Zach lined up across from Brett Favre when he played at Green Bay, Favre was a daring QB with a highlight reel of passes EVERY night - but for a current team I'd have to put LaVine on the Kansas City Chiefs, it'd be awesome to see him grow alongside Patrick Mahomes who's every bit as gunslinger-esque as Favre was but possibly with even more potential. Sign me up for LaVine catching Mahome-bombs every Sunday.

Tight End

Chad: Without a doubt in my mind, LeBron James would have made one hell of a receiving tight end in the NFL. Of all my selections here, LeBron is the one who I think would’ve had the best chance at being an NFL legend. He’s 6’ 9” and 250 pounds (Yeah, right! More like 280.) with an enormous wing span, otherworldly hops, and great hands. For reference, Rob Gronkowski is 6’ 6” and 268 pounds. Forget the “Wildcat” formation, with Bron’s passing ability having some sort of package where the 15x all-star can throw some passes down field might be a lethal weapon for whatever team he played for. Speaking of which, I know The King is a Dallas Cowboys fan but come on, how awesome would it have been if, while he was still in his athletic prime, he announced he was signing a one season deal with the Cleveland Browns. That one single moment may have catapulted the Browns out of the depths of the league and into national or even worldwide prominence. And LeBron would be remembered for eons in Cleveland as a Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Buddha type figure had he brought both the Cavs AND the Browns world championships. I mean that. If he had brought both franchises a title we wouldn’t need the Mormon faith to tell us Jesus walked on American soil, we would know it to be true. And he probably would’ve brought my Fantasy Football team an extra ‘ship as well. Just sayin’.

Jake: I think the best pick here will probably be LeBron James because of the sheer mouth-watering prospect of him taking his talents to the NFL. His ability to get separation using his athleticism and first step would make him a nightly mismatch for almost any opposing lineman/linebacker, I could almost picture a sequence where he fakes a block, spins off his man and catches the short pass before stomping, spinning and trucking his way to a first down - you could crack open any defense with a man like this.

But humour me for a second if you will...

My selection is 6'6" and 252 pounds - similar measurements to the legendary Gronkmeister. He's got quick feet, big hands and a knack for always getting to the ball. He's an 11x All Star, 11x All-NBA, MVP and Hall of Famer. Ladies and gentlemen... it's Sir Charles Barkley.

That's right, I think the Round Mound of Rebound could dominate opposing linebackers every Sunday with his quick feet, fridge-like frame and absolute determination. This is the same guy, who at 6-6 LED the league in rebounds per game in 86-87'. A season where Charles Oakley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Moses Malone, Karl Malone and Robert Parish were all averaging over 10 a game. You're gonna tell me this guy won't run over opponents every night for you?

Well maybe not, he was quoted as saying: "I played football for one day. I gave my equipment to the coach and said, 'Thank you, this is a bit too stressful for me."

Regardless, if The Chuckster would cleat up for a team, I could envision him on a team known for their physical play and tendency to eat up the middle of the field before throwing to their wide-outs, I'd have Charles Barkley on the Seattle Seahawks - him and Russell Wilson would make an incredible duo who'd dominate the middle of the field with short-to-mid range passes all night.

Linebacker

Chad: I know I’m just supposed to pick one player but I simply can’t decide between “The Mailman,” Karl Malone and “The Worm,” Dennis Rodman. So I’m going with both, or either, however you wanna think about it. I mean look at those beasts in the photo! Malone is one of the greatest physical specimens in NBA history. Just straight jacked! All those years on the ranch doing farm work chiseled a man-of-steel. And he was tough as nails too. I could easily see him being a teammate of guys like Dick Butkus, shaking off concussions like it’s nothing. Not to mention he was on the receiving end of John Stockton’s assists for his entire career so he at least has decent hands to pick off some poorly thrown NFL passes. And then there’s Rodman. Not as good a physical beast as Malone but what he lacks in physical prowess he makes up for in pure insanity. I’m thinking like a less football-jacked version of Lawrence Taylor. Rodman had that dog mentality. If he saw the ball he was going to get it or die trying. He gave his all for his team every time he stepped on the floor which would make him great on the football field. And the little twist of insanity, kicking cameramen, dressing up as a woman, all of that coming out in a violent sport? I can’t say it would go well for Rodman’s health in the long run but he’d damn sure have one hell of an exciting five year career.

As for their teams, I think Malone would fit well with the Chicago Bears. They always seem to have at least one linebacker that I think would be best buds with Malone simply based off their tough-nosed, no B.S. mentalities. Get the job done and go home. Rodman on the other hand could only play for the Oakland Raiders. If he gets traded to any other team he might as well just end his career. Unless he left the Raiders because he ended up committing some sort of crime, then Jerry Jones would probably accept him in.

Jake: While I love your picks of Malone and Rodman. I'm going to go for a whole different beast - this is a man who made a career out of straight up physically dominating his opponent, Ron Artest a.k.a. Metta World Peace. This one is particularly pleasant for us to write about because he actually played briefly in our current city, Chengdu, for the Sichuan Blue Whales during the 2014-15 season - being named "Panda Friend" was probably his biggest highlight here...

Anyway, we're talking about a man who nearly knocked James Harden's head off his shoulders and straight up brawled in the infamous Malice at the Palace. I'd say he's a nightly threat to destroy opposing running backs with sheer brutality as well as slaughtering TE and WR slant routes with his famous elbows. While I'm not particularly sure how his game would translate into other skills linebackers need (vision, anticipation and footwork), I know that his bulky frame and knack for dirty play would be a nightly must-watch. I could see Ron joining the Jacksonville Jaguars, known for some dirty play and leading the league in unnecessary roughness penalties this year - he'd fit in perfectly.

Cornerback

Chad: Avery Bradley. I don’t have a whole lot to justify this pick except that Avery Bradley in his physical, pre-injury prime was one of the greatest NBA defenders I’ve ever seen. I can clearly picture highlight reels I used to watch of Bradley locking up Kobe and other great scorers. The footwork I envision, his willingness to accept contact and get in someone’s space would make him a good NFL cornerback in my opinion. My comparison here would be Darrell Revis. Revis Island was a thing for a reason. He’s not gonna get a ton of INTs, but he’s gonna lock up whoever he’s guarding and essentially take them out of the game. And not just because I’m a fan of Bradley and this team, or because Bradley played in Boston when he was at his best, but I think Bradley would fit well with the New England Patriots because he seems like the kind of guy that knows his role is defensive stopper and he executes that roll to the best of his ability night in and night out. Exactly what Bill Belichick wants in a player.

Jake: I'm going to follow with a similar cornerback style looking at lock down defense and basically just shutting opposing wide receivers out of the game without often getting interceptions. I can think of several NBA players with an excellent talent for getting steals by gambling in passing lanes such as Shane Battier, Chris Paul, LeBron James and the entire 2014-15 Miami Heat Roster - but I'm not sure anyone fits suitably into the anticipation AND athleticism category as well as The Glove himself. Gary Payton would be my cornerback of choice, 6ft 4', 180lb and an athletic force - he averaged 1.8 steals over his career and made a name for himself for suffocating defense. I'm pretty sure he'd make a Hall of Fame career in the NFL and would affect games in a way that doesn't show up on the stat line. Just lining up across from him as a receiver, you'd be worried... You'd know that even though this man wasn't going to get a pick, he'd stop you from catching a single ball. I could see him joining a team with an equally scary cornerback - if not by current statistics then more by reputation. Gary Payton would join Richard Sherman and the San Francisco 49ers. They'd create a brilliant pairing of shutdown defenders that would probably help the 49ers hold their opponents to league low passing yards per game.

Safety

Chad: When thinking through NBA players for a safety I have a picture of Ed Reed in mind. I want a physical player who could play with finesse, pick off balls, while also laying the wood on unsuspecting receivers who dared to come across the middle. The first name that pops in my head is Ron Artest. Or is it Metta World Peace? No, it’s Panda’s Friend, right? Anyways, I like Artest here but something just doesn’t fit. The next guy that I thought of was Tony Allen because he was tough as nails and Kobe said he’s the toughest guy who ever guarded him. But I just can’t see him running through a running back and laying him flat on his back. Then the current Celtics bulldog came to mind. Marcus Smart is my safety. Smart is as tough as they come, has good hands, picks fights with guys much bigger than he is and stands his own, and the topper for me is I can actually imagine him running an opponent into the ground, literally. Because of his toughness and Philly being known for similar qualities, I think Smart would be a great fit on the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jake: I have to admit, I love the pick of Marcus Smart here - I was actually going to choose him because of his tenacity and straight up physically dominant play. Instead I'll jump to another dog on defense and go with Patrick Beverley - I love his fight and the way he sticks to his character and doesn't let anybody change the way he plays. To me that means that no matter what play or quarter, Pat's going to play as hard as he can until the final whistle blows. At 6ft 1' and 180lb he isn't the most physically dominant player but you can bet he's going to hit every tackle as hard as he possibly can. I'd count on him to be wherever the play is at and not get shook off easily. If he comes up with the surprise steal on long passes then he'd be pretty fast taking the ball back up the field too and would surely fight for more yards at every chance. I'd put Beverley on any team really, but seeing as he's a Chicago native - let him join Bear Nation.

Kicker

Chad: T-Mac. The dude has a boot. Just click here to watch a video of T-Mac’s skill with his feet and I know you’ll be convinced this is the right pick at the kicker/punter position. And what’s even better? T-Mac was a supreme athlete - remember minor league baseball McGrady? - who could double as a QB or even wide receiver on trick plays. Can you imagine someone in the NFL trying to cover a 6’ 8” 210 pound kicker on trick plays? Yeah, me either.

I think McGrady would’ve had a home on any NFL team with all the intangibles he brings but I’d like to see him back in Florida. And since Orlando doesn’t have an American football squad, the Jaguars seem like a good fit for T-Mac. A team that has shown promise on occasion but never amounts to anything when it comes to the playoffs. Speaking of McGrady’s lack of playoff success, what if he and Vince had stayed in Toronto? Superteam anyone? Could they have beaten…I’ll save that for another post.

Jake: T Mac is a great pick and I know he'd be an awesome double threat at the kicker position. With his insane NBA arena kick you'd think he could challenge the NFL field goal record at some point. For my kicker though, I'll pick someone who's shown his talent for using his feet in sports - Kobe Bean Bryant. Black Mamba has professed his love for soccer when he was growing up in Italy, so I've got to imagine his kicking skills could translate to the NFL. Not only would he double as a dual threat kicker/fake passer but he'd also bring a huge media spotlight and merchandising boost to wherever he went - so where better to go than his hometown of Philadelphia to join the Eagles. Jake Elliott is a pretty good kicker, but nothing would compare to the love Philly would show to one of their own returning home to kick field goals for their team - he's pretty passionate about them too.

Have your own opinion on who could've been a HOFer on the gridiron? Share your