Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes may be one of the greatest football players in the NFL, but he hasn’t been shy about voicing his opinions on other sports. Mahomes and his wife Brittany attended Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The couple watched the action at Dallas’ American Airlines Center, where Mahomes shared his thoughts on Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort, claiming that the basketball star has the potential to excel in football. Mahomes told commentators Dave Pasch and Hubie Brown that he believes Dort could thrive as an NFL linebacker.
Patrick Mahomes’ Confident Projection of His Basketball Career
Despite briefly playing basketball in high school before committing to football full-time, Mahomes often draws comparisons between the two sports. During Super Bowl LVIII media day, he offered a bold projection of his career path had he pursued basketball professionally.
“If I played basketball, I’d be just like Steph Curry. I’ve got the shot. I just got to get a couple little extra reps, a couple of shots up, I’ll be shooting just like him. That’s who I’d be.”
How Basketball Influenced Patrick Mahomes’ Unique NFL Play Style
Mahomes’ time playing basketball shaped his approach to the quarterback position, giving him a distinctive style that continues to wow fans and analysts alike. Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop highlighted Mahomes’ improvisational ability: “Mahomes dips and spins and darts, regardless of body position.
Mahomes slings footballs from the oddest angles, throws touchdown passes with a vicious sidearm delivery or while leaping and midair, and tosses short attempts underhand, as if shoveling loaves of bread toward open teammates.”
Patrick Mahomes with a tribute to women’s sports in his TIME100 Gala toast 🫶🏻
— Sports Radio 810 WHB (@SportsRadio810) May 13, 2024
These creative maneuvers stem from his high school basketball days. Former coach Ryan Tomlin praised Mahomes’ basketball skills: “You know, just the arm angles he uses to sling that thing. I mean, Pat was a great, great, great distributor of the basketball.”
One of Mahomes’ most memorable moments highlighting this influence came in a December 2018 game against the Baltimore Ravens. The quarterback looked right and threw left, completing a no-look pass. Brent Kelley, Tomlin’s successor, was stunned: “Oh, my gosh, did he just do that? It’s a freaking NFL game, you know.”
Even Chiefs owner Clark Hunt marveled at Mahomes’ audacious skills: “They’d say ‘no-look,’ but I had never heard of a no-look pass, except in basketball… I didn’t know that was possible.”
Patrick Mahomes Future Ahead
Though Mahomes’ current NFL contract explicitly prohibits basketball, his influence on the gridiron will always carry the creativity and versatility he honed on the court. Whether or not Luguentz Dort ever switches sports, Mahomes continues to captivate fans by merging the best of basketball and football in his game.
