Lou Williams recently weighed in on the NBA versus NFL athlete debate by naming one player who could transition between the sports.
Past and present NBA stars have been quick to dismiss the chances of any NFL player making it in the league if they wanted to.
Williams, who retired from professional basketball three years ago after an excellent career as arguably the greatest sixth man ever, sees it differently.
He still plays pick-up from time to time and recently shared the court with an NFL player who seriously impressed him.
Williams revealed that he recently played basketball with Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf.
The former Los Angeles Clippers shooting guard was surprised by Metcalf’s game and even thinks he could have a future in the NBA.
“I did a little on-site research yesterday,” Williams said. “I had the opportunity to hoop with DK Metcalf. We had a good run.
“He’s very talented. I told him to his face, ‘You’re one of the few that would get my vote who could possibly transition [to the NBA].’
“It was fun spending some time with him and being around him. He’s a cool dude. He can play.”
Chandler Parsons then asked Williams whether Metcalf plays similarly to Zion Williamson with his size and strength.
“No. He can play,” he responded. “He can shoot the basketball, put it on the floor, jump out of the gym, be physical, and challenge things at the rim. I hope I’m not saying too much, but yeah, he can play.”
The suggestion that Metcalf has a more well-rounded game than a 25-point-scoring NBA star is eye-catching, to say the least.
Williams continued: “He is a hooper. He’s one of those… he’s an athlete. I think, with his physical stature, whatever he decided that he wanted to put his mind to, he probably could have done.
“He could probably hit a 100-mile-per-hour baseball, dunk a basketball, shoot a basketball, and obviously, he catches footballs at a very high clip.”
Parsons shared his opinion that it’s more likely that an NBA player could transition to the NFL than vice versa.
He insisted that basketball requires more skill, which most athletes would not have unless they were dedicated to the sport, whereas football is more predicated on athleticism.
“See, I think obviously the physicality… he’s a freak, right? The talent with basketball is why I think it would be harder for them to come over. The physicality of football is why it would be hard for us to go over.
“But I think there are more athletic dudes who could transition to football than talented basketball players who could come over from football.”
