Coach Prime Questions NBA Champ Matt Barnes, Who Gave Up Potential NFL Career Due to 1 Reason

NBA athletes have been known to be good at more than one sport. In fact, multiple NBA stars went professional in other sports (Michael Jordan and baseball spring to mind) or had the opportunity to do so. One such example is ex-NBA star Matt Barnes, who had a knack or more for football too. Colorado Buffaloes men’s football head coach, Deion Sanders, on this note, has given this claim a stamp of approval.

“This joker (Matt Barnes) right here, arguably, I’m gonna say arguably, is the best other athlete. When I say other athlete, I mean … I know you did basketball, but he could have played football,” Sanders stated. However, coach Prime Time also wanted to know what led to Matt Barnes going the other way to football. “I just didn’t see at the time nobody 6’8″ doing it… Harold Carmichael before your time at the Eagles, 6’7″ but I just didn’t really see it,” the ex-LA Lakers star replied.

It is worth mentioning that taller athletes have certain disadvantages, like being an easier target for a chop-down, when it comes to football. And this is what Matt Barnes has referred to with his height-related reply to coach Prime Time’s question. However, Barnes mentions there were days in the beginning when he thought he was just gonna play football.

Appearing on All Facts No Brakes in February this year, Barnes himself stated he could have possibly made it to the NFL had he stuck to football. “I feel like if I would have stuck with my first love. Cause people don’t know… football was my life. So I feel like if I would have kept football first, that I definitely could have made the NFL,” he said. However, Matt Barnes is not the only NBA athlete who has had the potential to excel at a different sport.

NBA stars who had a possible future in a different sport

One of the top names on the list is none other than the GOAT debate contender LeBron James himself. Notably, LeBron was a standout in not one but two sports in his growth years. He was said to be a talented receiver, who even earned himself the honor of being named to the first-team all-state during his sophomore year. However, eventually, he chose basketball over football and there is no denying that the decision worked out for the best. 

Yet another popular name on the list is Joel Embiid, who was more interested in volleyball in the growth years. In fact, it is said that Embiid did not play basketball till the time he was 15. Though he did not play volleyball at any professional level, it was more popular compared to basketball back in his place in Cameroon. Moreover, his height and athleticism would have made him a legitimate prospect for the sport. But it seems destiny, at times, works for the best as it did in the case of these NBA stars.