While Joe Burrow has had tremendous success in American football, he’s confident he can play in other sports like basketball and handball. In an interview with ‘Pardon My Take’ hosts Dan Katz and Eric Sollenberger, he admitted he can pick up handball because it’s “water polo without water.”
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After the 2021 NFL Comeback Player of the Year expressed confidence that he’ll do well in handball, Katz brought up that fans are using the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback in the “NFL-to-NBA, NBA-to-NFL” debate sparked by Austin Rivers’ comments during his May 2024 appearance on ‘The Pat McAfee Show.’
The 2022 Pro Bowler chimed in on that discussion, saying he could play in the NBA. However, he’s more comfortable in a spot-up shooter role next to a superstar like LeBron James. That role would have earned him a spot in any NBA team and helped him carve a respectable pro basketball career.
“I’m not guarding those guys, and I’m not dribbling, and they’re going to steal it from me. But I could play with LeBron and stand in the corner and shoot a couple of threes.”
Burrow added that he might have problems as a playmaker who brings the ball down because tough defenders might take it away. However, he did show some promise in basketball, as his bio on the LSU Sports website states that he was a First-Team All-State point guard for Athens High School.
In addition to being more comfortable knocking down jumpers off the extra pass, Burrow also admitted to being great on team defense. He might have trouble guarding NBA players one-on-one, but he could put everyone in position during a 2-3 zone. Burrow will take his spot in the corner and guard the opponent nearby.
While water polo or the NBA might not be his thing, the 2021 NFL completion percentage leader expressed his desire to play for the United States flag football team during the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Bengals QB Would Love to Become an Olympic Athlete
By 2028, flag football will become an official Olympic sport six years after being included in the 2022 World Games. Burrow already has some teammates in mind, as he shared with Katz and Sollenberger:
“I really want to play for the Olympic flag football team. Like me, Ja’Marr (Chase), Justin (Jefferson).”
If they all suit up for the country, Katz believes it will be a wonderful experience for Burrow because he gets to compete for the gold medal with his close friends. Burrow, Chase, and Jefferson played together at LSU and won the 2019 CFP National Championship over the Clemson Tigers.
It was a fantastic collegiate football swan song for Burrow, who also won that season’s Heisman Trophy and College Football Player of the Year from The Associated Press.
The Ohio native won’t have difficulty adjusting to flag football because it’s American football with less physical contact. Therefore, he will have more time to make throws for scores downfield. But with the Los Angeles Olympics still four years away, Burrow’s focus now is to remain healthy after a wrist injury limited him to ten games last season.
