“Stop Playing Football”: Like LeBron James, Anthony Edwards Chose NBA Over NFL – Here’s Why

Although the NBA lacks the physicality of the NFL, there are several aspects of both games that require the players to have a somewhat similar skill set. From quick pace and insane athleticism to great vision- elite basketball and footballers need to have it all. And sometimes, there are NBA players who, at an early stage, gave up a football career to go the basketball route, with the biggest example being LeBron James. However, rising superstar Anthony Edwards also followed in King James’ footsteps for one specific reason.

From an early age, Ant-Man was a dual sport athlete. But playing as a quarterback and running back for the Atlanta Vikings youth, he was far more inclined and passionate about football than basketball. So, what made Edwards shift his focus completely? In a recent interview with Chipotle as part of a collaboration, Edwards revealed, “I just wanted to be like my brother growing up.” The youngest among 4 siblings, he was highly influenced by his brother, Antony.

When Edwards entered the same high school as his brother in his freshman year, he was taken aback by how much love Antony was getting as a basketball player. And that led Ant-Man to think, “I need to stop playing football and go play basketball.” From that point on, he started taking basketball more seriously and soon became the top recruit in the nation!

At the University of Georgia, a school known for its football program, Edwards decided to upskill his ball skills and averaged 19.1 points in his freshman season. Soon after, he was drafted into the NBA as the No. 1 pick and the rest is history.

King James did it before Anthony Edwards

Although Ant-Man took a huge risk by giving up his football career and choosing basketball, he was not the only active player to take that leap. Over two decades ago, LeBron James had to make a similar decision when he was a High School dual sport star at St. Vincent-St. Mary. Destined to be a generational talent in the NBA and deemed ‘The Chosen One’ as a teenager, LeBron might have had a similar career path had he chosen football over basketball.

For two seasons. LeBron suited up for his high school football team and quickly became the #1 football prospect in Ohio. Even drawing comparisons with NFL legend Randy Moss, Bron could have bagged a scholarship from many top schools in the nation for his football talent. In just two years, King James collected over a hundred catches and 23 touchdowns while running over two thousand yards.

Even his high school coach was mesmerized and believed that he would have made it to the NFL had he stayed that course. “He’d have been drafted by the time he was a sophomore or junior. That’s how good he was.” But fortunately or unfortunately, LeBron never pursued his football career after the first two years in high school, and revealed the reason in an interview, “If I would’ve had a better quarterback in high school, I might’ve continued to play football. I took way too many hits.”

Maybe that’s the kind of versatility that is needed to become one of the greatest players in any sport. And with Anthony Edwards walking that same path, even drawing comparisons with Michael Jordan, he might be looking at a historic career similar to LeBron James’ after parting ways with football.