Extreme confidence in oneself is a prerequisite to making a living as a professional athlete, and there is perhaps no professional athlete across all sports who visibly embodies that as much as Anthony Edwards. The Minnesota Timberwolves superstar oozes a level of self-assurance that stands out even among his counterparts. It's part of why Edwards has become so popular over the last few years— and also why his quotes go viral with regularity, as was the case on Sunday.
ESPN released an excerpt from a sit-down Edwards did with fellow Minnesota superstar Justin Jefferson with the two teaming up to recreate the legendary Kevin Garnett-Randy Moss magazine cover from a few decades ago. In the clip, Edwards is going back and forth with Jefferson about whether NBA players are better athletes than NFL players before he makes an audacious claim about his future plans.
Edwards told Jefferson that, if he wins an NBA championship in the next few years, he plans to switch sports and play football.
"Football players can't go play basketball," the All-Star shooting guard said. "No way. I told my buddies, I said, 'If I win a ring in the next 3-4 years, I'm going to play football.'"
"No, you're not," Jefferson can be heard saying right as the clip ends.
"If I win a ring in the next 3-4 years, I'm going to play football."
— ESPN (@espn) October 20, 2024
Anthony Edwards says he could play in the NFL if he wins a ring in the next few years 👀
The full ESPN Cover Story launches Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/dMHVzAbxeA
It's impossible to imagine Edwards actually doing that because, well, it's never been done. At lower levels there's plenty of crossover between football and basketball players. In fact, a few NFL legends like Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates famously played college basketball before becoming incredible football players. But no athlete has ever gone pro in basketball and then dropped it to play football.
Interestingly, though, it has happened the other way. And quite recently, too. Devin Funchess, who starred for Michigan as a receiver before the Carolina Panthers drafted him in the second round of the 2015 draft, dropped everything to become a professional basketball player in 2022. He made his overseas debut in 2023 and is currently under contract to play in the Basketball League of Columbia for the Carribbean Storm.
Anyway. A bold claim by Edwards. But he has to win a championship first.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Anthony Edwards Claims He'll Switch to NFL if He Wins NBA Title Soon.
