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The NBA is filled with talented, athletic players at every position. Many of them have played multiple sports along their journeys, including football.
Some of them have even been good enough to face a choice about which sport to play professionally.
Some of the springiest NBA players were also standout quarterbacks and wide receivers, among other positions played on the turf. And in some instances, they could have gone pro before ultimately landing as a professional hooper.
We’re going to look at 10 players, past and present, who had what it took to play in the NFL but chose another route.
10. J.R. Smith
GettyJ.R. Smith.
J.R. Smith’s NBA career was absolutely incredible. He made some insane 3-pointers, hit a number of clutch shots, and made four trips to the finals while playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But more impressive perhaps, was just how good he was at football. He played for a few years in high school at Lakewood in New Jersey before eventually transferring to St. Benedict’s Prep to focus solely on basketball (they also didn’t have a football team there).
Smith played a number of positions on both offense and defense, and even blocked game-winning kick attempts at the end of games. “I coached high school football for over 20 years and without a doubt, he’s an NFL-type player,” Nick Eremita, Lakewood’s coach at the time, told Grantland. Clemson even offered him a scholarship just based on his game film.
Smith ended up writing a children’s book with his brother Chris Smith about basketball. Perhaps in an alternate reality, it’s about football.
9. Matt Barnes
GettyMatt Barnes.
Known for his trash talk and defensive mentality across a 15-year NBA career, Matt Barnes was certainly a memorable basketball player. But back in high school, he was one of the best wide receivers in the nation.
Playing at Del Campo High School in California, he led the country in touchdowns his senior year with 29. When he committed to UCLA though, he decided to go for basketball and to stop playing football.
His brother Jason Barnes was a Canadian Football League player, and Matt himself had offers from seven NFL teams at one point.
He claimed that if he didn’t catch on with the Warriors in 2006 as he did, he would have gone to football.
8. Darrell Armstrong
GettyDarrell Armstrong.
Darrell Armstrong had a solid NBA career, winning the 1998-99 Sixth Man of the Year award and being named Most Improved Player. But back in his college days, he doubled as a placekicker in addition to being a basketball player.
He broke the school record at Fayetteville State with a 47-yard field goal conversion (a record that stood for 19 years). He’s in the Hall of Fame at the school for his contributions in both sports, having proved that he was more than capable in both. His coach even told him he was good enough to kick in the NFL.
Armstrong wound up with a long hoops career and is still working in the game as a Dallas Mavericks assistant.
7. Jalen Suggs
GettyJalen Suggs.
One of the best defensive guards in the NBA, currently playing for the Orlando Magic, Jalen Suggs has proven to be a special talent. Once upon a time, he was All-State in two sports.
Back in his Minnesota days, Suggs made history by being the first to be named both Mr. Football and Mr. Basketball. He played both quarterback and defensive back at Minnehaha Academy.
During his senior season, he passed for 2,210 yards and 25 TDs while rushing for 934 yards. He made 34 tackles and was dubbed “the best high school athlete I’ve ever seen” by St. Croix Lutheran High head coach Adam Frey.
Suggs has proven to be a difference maker in the NBA, but there is definitely a what-if factor. Had he gone to a school that had a football program (Gonzaga does not), perhaps the story would be slightly different.
6. Ben Wallace
GettyBen Wallace.
One of the most feared defensive players in the history of the NBA, Ben Wallace was a four-time Defensive Player of the Year and won a championship with the Detroit Pistons. Earlier in life, though, he actually tried to use football as a path to playing college basketball.
He couldn’t get basketball scholarships, but his reputation as a football defenseman (he had earned All-State honors in high school in both football and basketball — and baseball and track and field, too) earned him multiple offers. However, his condition was that he had to be allowed to play basketball, too.
He had plans to go to Auburn but didn’t feel it was the right fit. He went on to play basketball at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, after a referral from his pal Charles Oakley, whose basketball camp he had attended in high school.
With his success as a football defensive player, and knowing just how big he was, Wallace may have proven to be nearly unblockable had he followed the sport all the way.
5. Nate Robinson
Nate RobinsonNate Robinson.
At just 5-foot-9, Nate Robinson was not usually the tallest person walking into a room. But that didn’t stop him from becoming a three-time NBA Dunk Contest Champion. He is not only a talented ball player, but he was something special on the football field as well.
When he was at the University of Washington, Robinson was a two-sport athlete. He intercepted 2 passes and made 34 tackles as a cornerback. After he left the team, he said the team offered $100,000 for him to come back (in the pre-NIL days).
In the latter part of his career, while he remained unsigned in the NBA, Robinson actually received a tryout from the Seattle Seahawks.
Robinson ran for 1,200 yards and 21 TDs as a senior at Rainier Beach, while also setting a state record in the 110-meter hurdles. An athlete, through and through.
4. Allen Iverson
GettyAllen Iverson.
Allen Iverson is known as one of the best pound-for-pound scorers in NBA history. He’s in the Hall of Fame and proved that he could carry teams to victories at the highest level. But back at Bethel High School in Hampton, Virginia, he was also slinging the ball like a pro.
He began at wide receiver before moving to QB as a sophomore, playing defensive back as well on the other side of the ball. He tied a Virginia record with 5 INT’s in one game.
In the 1992 state championship game, Iverson rallied his team back from a 16-0 deficit with 3 touchdown drives. He fired 1 TD pass and 2 rushing touchdowns along with a pair of 2-point conversions.
So as good as he was on the hardwood, Iverson had quite the story on the football field as well. So much so in fact, that the E.C. Glass High School head coach, whose team lost to Iverson in the 1992 title game, said at the time that Michael Vick didn’t even compare with A.I.
3. David Noel
GettyDavid Noel.
The modern-day NBA fan might not know much about who David Noel is. But this is a player who was one of the highest jumpers that the game has seen. His career lasted only one year in Milwaukee, but he left his mark at UNC. And before that, he was a sensational wide receiver.
Noel was a two-sport standout at Southern Durham High School, but it was his time on the football field that really left a mark. His senior season saw him catch 30 passes for 909 yards and 16 touchdowns. Combine that with his incredible vertical and you had one special individual.
He’d have been very hard to contain in jump-ball situations in the pros. And if he could have had just a bit more time, we might be viewing him as one of the best dunkers in NBA history, too.
If only. If only.
2. Charlie Ward
GettyCharlie Ward.
Charlie Ward is as special as they come. He had a full NBA career that lasted 11 years across three franchises. He spent parts of 10 seasons with the Knicks, and was part of the 1998-99 team that went to the Finals.
Ward was also an elite high school quarterback. He went to Florida State and won the Heisman, the highest honor for being the best college football player in the nation. He was even drafted by two MLB teams despite not playing college baseball.
During that Heisman year in 1993, Ward completed 69.5% of his passes, throwing for 3,032 yards and 27 TDs with only 4 interceptions. He guided the Seminoles to the national title as well, defeating Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. He helped the team to make the Elite Eight in the very same season.
At the end of the day, Ward opted to play in the NBA. He became the only Heisman winner to do so. And he has long been considered one of the most talented athletes in the modern era.
1. LeBron James
GettyLeBron James.
Many people will argue in favor of LeBron James being the greatest basketball player of all-time. And those claims will all hold merit. But back in the day, he was also an incredible football player.
Despite only playing two years of varsity football in high school, James proved to be an unstoppable force. Between his sophomore and junior seasons, he caught 103 passes for 2,065 yards and 23 touchdowns. He was an All-State performer, doing this while also being the most tantalizing hooper in the country.
A broken wrist was part of the reason James stopped playing football, but there is a world where he opted to go to the NFL instead of the NBA. And StateFarm even did an ad with James during his first tenure in Cleveland, where he was a star player for the Cleveland Browns.
LeBron did receive offers from schools including Ohio State, Alabama, and Miami, and if he had come out a few years later when the high-school-to-NBA rule was outlawed, perhaps another narrative would have been written.
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10 NBA Players Who Could’ve Been NFL Stars