Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill tweeted that he’s the best basketball player in the NFL. Football players have long touted their abilities on the hardwood, and many pros played in college and elite level AAU before switching to the gridiron full time.
Is Tyreek Hill The Best Basketball Player In NFL?
I’m the best hooper in the league 🤫
— Ty Hill (@cheetah) February 5, 2023
You know once Hill made that proclamation it was going to open up the flood gates of NFL hoopers questioning his boastful claim. Atlanta Falcons CB Casey Hayward replied with a GIF that calls Hill’s claim into question.
— Casey Hayward (@show_case29) February 5, 2023
Baltimore Ravens WR Demarcus Robinson replied, “Says who”
Says who
— Demarcus Robinson (@Demarcus) February 5, 2023
Who Is The NFL’s Top Baller?
Who’s to say who the best current ballers are in the NFL? Indianapolis Colts TE Mo Alie-Cox played college basketball at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Cleveland Cavaliers DE Myles Garrett is pretty good at hoops too.
Look who pulled up to #CavsSummer 👀 pic.twitter.com/zQYN0YrSVh
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) July 10, 2022
We’ll let these guys decide who’s the best among the current players.
But who are the top five NFL hoopers of all-time?
He retired in 2018 after his final stint with the Carolina Panthers. Peppers was a six-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowl player. He was one of the premier defensive players of the last two decades.
Before all the NFL accolades, Peppers played college basketball at powerhouse North Carolina.
He was a reserve on the 1999–2000 Tar Heels team that made it to the Final Four. Peppers was also a reserve on the 2000–2001 men’s basketball team. During his sophomore year he averaged seven points and four rebounds per game.
4. Jimmy Graham
He last played for the Chicago Bears in the 2021 season. Graham was a two-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection in the NFL. But before he starred on Sundays in the league, he played college basketball at the University of Miami.
Graham appeared in 120 games over four years for the Canes averaging four points and four rebounds per game for his career.
3. Tony Gonzalez
A 10-time All-Pro and 14-time Pro Bowl pick, he’s one of the greatest tight ends of all time.
Gonzalez played college football and basketball at UC-Berkeley. He averaged six points and four rebounds per game over the course of his three-year career on the hardwood.
During his junior season Cal advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
2. Antonio Gates
Gates played 16 years with the Chargers franchise in the NFL, retiring in 2020. He was a five-time All-Pro and made the Pro Bowl eight times. An all-time tight end.
At Kent State Gates played two seasons as a power forward. His junior season he averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and two assists per game. That season his team won its first regular season Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship in school history. That year, 2002, Kent State reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament as a 10 seed, and Gates was a huge contributor.
His senior year, he was honorable mention All-American after averaging 20 points, seven rebounds, and four assists per game.
1. Darren Fells
The tight end last played in 2020 for the Houston Texans. Fells never played college football but did play basketball for four years at UC-Irvine and turned professional in 2008.
As a senior, Fells was among the best basketball players in the Big West, ranking first in field goal percentage, third in rebounds per game and ninth in points per game.
He played professional basketball in Argentina, Belgium, Finland, France and Mexico before signing with the Seattle Seahawks in 2013.
