On Russell Wilson’s DangerTalk podcast, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul was asked which players he thinks are best at basketball.
No, not NBA players. He was asked which NFL players he would put on a basketball team.
Paul gave three names: Odell Beckham Jr., DK Metcalf and Cam Newton.
Paul said he actually watched Beckham play high school basketball.
Newman High School in New Orleans accepts kids ranging from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Paul’s son, Chris Jr., attended it at the same time as Beckham for about a year until the now-NFL player graduated.
“He can hoop,” Paul said.
He then asked Wilson about his Seattle Seahawk teammate, Metcalf, who is 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds of pure muscle.
Wilson agreed that Metcalf should make the team. His size would be beneficial — “He’s like a big ol’ LeBron,” Wilson said with a laugh.
Paul then said Newton, the New England Patriots quarterback, who played basketball as a kid.
Paul asked Wilson if he was a good hooper, but didn’t sound satisfied enough with the quarterback’s answer to agree to put him on the team. He also did not select Rob Gronkowski.
“I seen Gronk dribbling one time in a video and ain’t really like what I saw,” Paul said as Wilson laughed.
He said he’d have to think about other choices.
Then, it was Wilson’s turn. Which NBA players would be on his NFL team?
Turns out, it’s an All-Star cast.
He went LeBron James as a tight end/wide receiver. Kawhi Leonard, who Wilson said he lives nearby in California and has played catch and run routes with, is another receiver.
Wilson also selected Jimmy Butler. Those two and Antonio Brown played together about three years ago, with Brown and Butler running one-on-one mathups.
“Jimmy did good too, I ain’t gonna lie,” Wilson said.
He then selected Paul — earlier in the podcast, the Thunder point guard said he played quarterback and linebacker as a kid and was on the varsity football team as a freshman and sophomore in high school — and rounded out his team with Russell Westbrook.
