Current day Popular Athletes in another sport?

[Trill Co$by]

So this came over me today when I was reminded about the OJ chase on ESPN's first take, and I kind of wanted to get a little bit of a discussion on it going. Now in sports, it's not impossible to see a guy or gal who is a talented athlete that they play not just one but two [sometimes more] sports throughout their careers. Some of these athletes do it from their days in grade school all the way to when they finally make that decision of where they ultimately want to go. Others will go one way for a while, and then later decide they want to change things up. Michael Jordan, for example, was a basketball player that became a baseball player.

Now, for me, this discussion isn't about finding athletes that can play other sports but rather a discussion where you take a guy like Blake Griffin who stands at 6'10" weighing 251lbs of pure athletic muscle. And you look at him and see how dominant he is on a basketball court, and then instantly you catch yourself saying "man this guy would be a beast Corner Back". Or taking a guy like Anquan Boldin, and seeing this guy just showcase an amazing ability be where he's supposed to be and think "He'd be awesome in a Pick & Roll situation". Or taking the beast defender Marc Gasol, giving him some pads, a face mask, some skating lessons, and then telling him "Don't let that puck come through". That's the kind of discussion I'm looking for here. Who do you think could say "You know what, I'm done... I've had fun, time to go play something else" and then be successful at it?

For me, as I pointed out earlier in my example, I would have to start with Blake Griffin. Looking at how he plays on the court, and seeing just how dominant he can be as a rebounder, and being able to use his height as an advantage in match ups, it kind of makes me think that he could be a nice pass defender in the NFL or even a boss at stopping the occasional scramble. I also think that he'd be someone I want when there's a fumble and you want a guy who will fight for the loose ball. Just how I see it.

 

[J.J.]

I always wondered what LeBron James would've been like playing a position like Tight End in the NFL with his size. Would he had excelled as a two sport athlete on a professional level. I always felt with his natural feel and dominance on the court would've translated into a stellar NFL career.

What if Brock had played football on a collegiate level and decided to then tryout for the Vikings how he would've really turned out. I guess it's all water under the bridge now but I have always remained curious.

Suppose Tim Duncan had stuck to swimming instead of trying his hand at basketball would he had been an Olympic swimmer?

Blake Griffin playing corner is a scary thought because I feel a receiver with a side of speed would've easily burned him on the field. I would've probably had him playing DL with about 25 more pounds. He would've been difficult for an opposing QB to pass over.