Which NBA player could also succeed at playing football? It is a question that fans often wonder about. With athletic freaks galore in the sport, it isn’t tough to imagine them flourishing on the gridiron. However, very few were en route to a career in the sport before joining basketball. One such name that might be wildly surprising to hear was Allen Iverson. Ultimately, though, his story was one of tragedy, especially regarding football.

The Answer would speak about the beginnings of his journey as a football player. “I was the number 1 high school player in the country, in basketball and football. I got in trouble, and every school stopped recruiting me.” In such a scenario, his mom became his knight in shining armor.

“My mom went to Georgetown and met Coach Thompson, who saved my life, to give me an opportunity, give me a chance. I remember, like, I had to pass the football field to get to practice.” Just never joke about practice, y’all.

The situation would. Unfortunately, it gets progressively worse. “It got so bad that I had to take the long route every day to the gym.” With his love for football, crossing the entire field without participating was truly heartbreaking for the Philadelphia 76ers legend. “Man, I used to cry. I really wanted people to see what I could have been. I’d probably even lift weights if I had kept playing.” 

However, he ultimately had to give up on that dream.

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A better football career than basketball? Allen Iverson makes a bold claim

Calling football his first love, AI would assert that he would have been a better player on the field than on the court. This is despite a phenomenal NBA career, especially with the 76ers and the Denver Nuggets. A 4x scoring champion, MVP, steals leader, and an NBA Finalist, Iverson would come to redefine what success as a “short” player meant in the sport.

However, the height threshold is much different in football than in basketball. At 6 feet tall, Allen would have been just a shade under the average height for a quarterback or the skill positions, as opposed to the vast difference in the NBA. Further, with his elite quickness and speed, a Michael Vick-like trajectory, as he claims, was easily imaginable for AI.

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Did some off-court problems steal the country from a football phenom? Guess we’ll never know.