“Throwback to Patrick Mahomes Hoopin”: Shaquille O’Neal Digs Up Rare Footage of NFL Superstar Showing Off Basketball Skills

NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes may have just won his second consecutive Super Bowl title, but it is his basketball game that caught Shaquille O’Neal‘s eye. The NBA champion recently shared rare footage of Mahomes playing basketball on his Instagram story, and it is safe to say that the NFL player has got some moves. Here is an X (Formerly Twitter) post of the Instagram story shared by Shaq:

Patrick Mahomes may be one of the best quarterbacks in the history of football, but he is no scrub when it comes to basketball. In the video, the player is seen putting a plethora of moves on his defender which are beyond impressive. The NFL superstar starts with an in-and-out dribble near the three-point line and crosses his defender before showing his dribbling skills to split the gap between two players. He then proceeds to do a spin move in the paint and finish at the rim. The moves by Mahomes were beyond impressive and got a roar from the crowd. Here is the video:

The moves shown by Mahomes in the video should not come as a surprise to the fans as the NFL player played basketball for his high school – Whitehouse High School, Texas. Mahomes had the complete offensive firepower. He could attack the rim and finish over larger defenders, shoot from long distances, and knock down mid-range shots with ease. He was the quintessential shooting guard. The NFL champion played football, basketball, and baseball growing up.

It is no wonder that Shaquille O’Neal was surprised by what he saw. With Mahomes being as good as he is at football, many would have likely thought that he spent little to no time on any other sport. However, as it turns out his level of skill at the sport of basketball is well above the average. In fact, some might even argue that he may have had more than a slight chance to make it to the NBA.

Patrick Mahomes talks about his basketball game

Patrick Mahomes is supremely confident in his basketball abilities. During an interview, he talked about the kind of player he would be if he continued to play basketball, much to the amusement of the reporters in the room. The three-time NFL Super Bowl champion believed his game would have been similar to the Golden State Warriors player – Stephen Curry. Here is what he said:

“If I played basketball, I would be just like Steph Curry. I mean, I got the shot. I just got to a get a couple of extra reps, a couple of shots up and I will be shooting just like him. I mean that’s who I’ll be.”

Mahomes believes the only thing stopping him from becoming Steph Curry is just a couple of additional repetitions on the basketball court. Of course, the player was having fun while saying that to the reporters, but seeing his high-school game, an NBA career does not seem impossible for a young Mahomes. Being like Steph Curry, though, is a whole other debate.