Which athletes from the NBA can transition into the NFL and vice versa has been a hot topic of discussion in the country for some time now. During an appearance on the Roommates Show, Eli Manning was asked the same question by Jalen Brunson.
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Manning believes that the NFL requires physicality more than it requires any particular skill set. NBA athletes have incredible physiques, which will help them adapt to the challenges on the field. The NFL veteran said that there are a few players in the NBA who can easily take up a position on the football field.
He said, “I saw LeBron [James] play a little high school football. I think when you…have a 6’7, 260-pound guy, like, you’ll probably find a spot for him to play the receiver or put him at free safety or something, he’s got some range…Just going old school, like an Allen Iverson…I remember seeing Allen Iverson playing some high school football.”
The two-time Super Bowl champion thinks that with AI’s movement, it will not be difficult to find a spot for him on any NFL team. Manning said that even outside of these two, there are several NBA players who can easily transition into the NFL because of their physique.
He added, “You don’t have to have a very specific skill. It’s not like you have to run a thousand routes. Like, if you can run and if you can jump or you have some physicalness to you, we can find a spot for you on a football field somewhere. You’ve got to have a little toughness to you and if you have the work mentality, we can work those things out.”
Manning said that for football players, transitioning into basketball will be a lot tougher. He said that there’s a lot of skill that’s required to play in the NBA and even though some NFL players are very athletic with their jumps and running, shooting a ball into the bucket is something that they’ll have a hard time doing.
Whether this will settle the debate or not, we will get to know in the near future. In the meantime, we have one of the biggest NFL legends acknowledging what many in the NBA community like Austin Rivers already believe.
